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May 25, 2012
Mark Clayton: Is Hillary's State Dept. hacking Al Qaeda? Not quite
Erika Bolstad: Temple cancels Wasserman Schultz speech
The Kosher Gourmet by Ethel G. Hofman: The former president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, whose members included the likes of Julia Child, is back with contemporary Shavous cuisine: Ruby Fruit Soup, Sweet Noodle Kugel with Cheese, Key Lime Curd, Calsone Casserole Frittata with Wild Mushrooms, Sun-dried tomatoes and Olives, Baked Tilapia with Pepper Cheese Cream and Brown Sugar Shortbread
May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
April 14, 2011/ 10 Nissan, 5771
The curse of free money
By
George Will
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. --- The lobby of the Federal Reserve Bank building here contains a money museum where a sign offers visitors "Free Money." It is an amusing anomaly, considering the views of the man in charge of the building. The free money in the lobby consists of shredded currency in small plastic bags. The free money that distresses Tom Hoenig, in his 20th and final year as president of one of the Federal Reserve's 12 regional banks, is being pumped into the economy by two policies of the Federal Reserve in Washington very low interest rates and a second "quantitative easing" (printing money). As the global recovery gains strength, the prices of three things will rise oil, food and money. David Rosenberg of Gluskin Sheff in Toronto reports that in the last three months, 100 percent of the $55 billion increase in aggregate U.S. wages and salaries has been matched by increased grocery and gasoline prices. They are absorbing 22 percent of wages and salaries, a portion matched only twice in the past two decades both times presaging recessions. Under the $600 billion QE2, which ends in June, the Fed has been buying about 70 percent of the Treasury's new issues of debt. What interest rate might be required to attract buyers to fill the space left when the Fed withdraws from the market? Interest rates are the prices of money, and Hoenig says: "Tell me one product, one service, that trades well" he means, is put to efficient use "at a price of zero." Hoenig notes that cheap money policies predated the recession: He says the real federal funds rate after discounting inflation was negative about 40 percent of the time in the 1970s and the 2000s. In 2003, he says, under Alan Greenspan, interest rates were reduced to 1 percent because unemployment was too high. It was only 6.3 percent. Today it is 8.8 percent in the aftermath of the housing bubble and financial recklessness fueled by virtually free money.
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Last year was Hoenig's last as a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee, which sets the money supply and interest rates. Eight times the committee voted to hold rates low; each time, Hoenig was the lone dissenter.
He was at home one Sunday morning when he received a phone call from an 85-year-old woman in Connecticut. She said she and her late husband had lived frugal lives so they could get by in retirement on interest from their savings. Such people are among the losers under low-interest-rate policies that mock the virtue of saving. The winners include the 20 percent of Americans who own 93 percent of the equities. One purpose of the policy of protracted rock-bottom interest rates is to stimulate credit-sensitive sectors of the economy, particularly housing. In January, for the sixth consecutive month, housing prices plunged, almost to the level at the trough of the recession in 2009. Perhaps the primary purpose of low rates is to send money flooding into the stock market in search of higher returns. The resulting run-up of equities' values supposedly will produce a "wealth effect," making fortunate people feel even more flush, and hence eager to spend and invest. Hoenig, an Iowa native, says the provinces have not cornered the market on provincialism. He warns "end the Fed" advocates to be careful what they wish for. The Fed will not go away; under "reform," regional banks such as his might. This, he says, would make the New York-Washington financial axis more powerful relative to "this part of the country." Would, he asks, America be better off if it were more like Canada, with most credit controlled by five major banks? His answer is that America's innovative dynamism is related to the existence of thousands of community and regional banks attuned to local needs. He thinks the biggest threat to the economy is the existence of too-big-to-fail financial institutions: "In 1999, the five largest U.S. banking organizations controlled $2.3 trillion in assets, or about 38 percent of all banking industry assets. Currently, Bank of America by itself … has the same level of assets $2.3 trillion … and the top five now have 52 percent of all banking industry assets. … Creditors and uninsured depositors at too-big-to-fail organizations believe that there is almost no chance that they will have to take a loss." With all this, could we ever get back to capitalism? "Not," he says, "in my lifetime."
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