Aug
25
Obama Reappoints Bernanke
Filed Under Intellectual Honesty
Obama reappointed Bernanke as Fed Chairman earlier today, effectively sealing their fates as men that will take us from a recession into the Greater Depression.
For those “economists” who’ve lately been singing his praises on CNBC, all I have to say is this…
It takes a special kind of system (government) to screw up this badly and still be resoundingly supported by its leader.
In his reappointment speech Obama also pledged support for the continued secrecy independence of the Federal Reserve.
How foolish of citizens to inquire where trillions of dollars are being spent… clearly we should trust the former bankers running the Federal Reserve that regulate the banking system. After all, they obviously know what they’re doing.
Instead of perpetuating the broken system financed by politically embedded financial organizations, Obama could have attempted any of the following:
- Raise awareness of the ghastly unaffordable pension schemes which will inevitably crumble
- Strictly enforce FASB mark to market accounting standards instead of allowing companies to use “judgment” to value their toxic assets
- Clamp down on High-Frequency Trading
- Require the FDIC to close and wind down insolvent banks before the government taxpayer-funded safety net has to be used
- Eliminate alphabet soup bailout programs which are forms of corporate welfare
- Demanded transparency for toxic assets which traveled from insolvent banks to taxpayers
- Slash parts of a budget (military, NASA, HUD, etc.) that are so bloated we must borrow billions from foreigners to stay afloat.
Would that severely correct the housing and stock markets? Yes, probably. Can we continue on our current path? No. Will we eventually face unbearable consequences for our decisions? Yes.
Ironically, neither Bernanke nor Obama nor either political party seem to care about the following message:
It is not the responsibility of the Federal Reserve–nor would it be appropriate–to protect lenders and investors from the consequences of their financial decisions. – Ben Bernanke
So, Obama reappointing the guy who didn’t see any of this coming, who bailed out the irresponsible, who continues to provide cover for banks in the hopes that things will return to normal still makes Obama the “man of the people”? Why aren’t those who voted for Obama clamoring that this Bush appointee is more of the same? Why do horrible decisions not matter when *their* party is in charge?
The reappointment of Bernanke does have a silver lining. All the people that bought into the hope proffered in eloquent speeches that government can provide jobs, clean energy, healthcare, education and other goodies will eventually learn a valuable lesson. The love affair Americans have with celebrity, good looks and good speeches and a lack of discourse/intellectual honesty will finally meet its match against a tidal wave of financial reality.
We are witnessing firsthand government selling Hope while funding Grift.
A generation will learn that our government system, like all systems which redistribute power and wealth, is one that is relentlessly gamed and manipulated for the benefit of those in charge.
Takeaway: Strip away the external validation that media/family/friends give to people and institutions and think for yourself.
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Just thinking back, I reemmber Allen Greenspan saying or the TV interviewer saying he did not have any stock investments. He thought it would be a conflict of interest. But he held US Treasuries instead.But he’s the one who moved to keep interest rates so low (and T Bond prices high). In fact, with rates so low again, he made out like a bandit.