"Jim" wrote in message
...
nom=de=plume wrote:

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 8 Jul 2010 17:47:10 -0700, "nom=de=plume"
wrote:

I listened to David Frum on NPR. He had an interesting take on
inflation,
basically saying that mild inflation would take a big bite out of the
debt
situation.

It will also take a bite out of your life savings and fixed income if
you have any. Inflation is a hidden tax on the thrifty.


Well... sure. It's an issue. It still seems better than deflation, which
is his point.


No, not "sure." Inflation is not a tax on the thrifty in a "normal"
economy. Coca-cola going from 5 cents 50 cents hasn't hurt anybody.
There has "always" been inflation. Wages and cost of goods have
"always" inflated. Market forces maintain an equilibrium.

WHAT?? Wages and cost of goods have absolutely fallen from time to time.

Sure, eventually market forces go to equilibrium. The problem is the
hardships that ensue when there are no brakes on the phenomenon.

Ordinarily interest gained on savings beat inflation by a couple points.
And fixed income instruments are tied to interest rates.
Social security has COLA.
Even the worst inflation and highest interest rates suffered in the last
century quickly adjusted due to market force equilibrium, and did far
less damage than the Wall Street generated bubbles and subsequent
joblessness we now suffer.

Virtually zero interest rates and zero inflation are unnatural.
The only reason they exist is the Fed manipulation of money supply.
That is done so money is shoveled into Wall Street, which is where the
Fed manipulators come from and who they cater to.
With zero interest on savings, savings is discouraged.
Savings also fuels small business loans and stimulates the economy.
Now that it is becoming clear to those with any sense that Wall Street
is best at offering false promises and shipping jobs offshore, we may
get back to a real economy.
But not until the jokers running the show, ie Summers, Geithner, et al
are tossed out on their keisters.

When the fantasies of everybody becoming wealthy because of Chinese
labor are put to rest, we can get back to work.
Make no mistake, overall wealth is created by labor and the production
of goods, then the creation of services to cater to that wealth.
What we have had for the past 20-30 years is a redistribution of wealth,
from the labor of goods and service providers to financial manipulators.

I laugh when I hear some of these billionaires being applauded for
giving some billions of their many billions to charity.
Nobody questions how they attained those billions, or examines how that
money could have been used to invigorate the economy had it not been
hoarded and closely held, when not employed by Wall Street to ship jobs
offshore.

But in any case most of that wealth is contained in inflated equities
and is not real.
As Wall Street continues to tumble most of it will evaporate back into
the thin air whence it came.
But the financial manipulators and baby boomers who benefited from the
manipulation will still be well ahead of the game with cash and real
estate, as future generations pay for their malfeasance with real labor.
The working youngsters who are now contributing to 401k equities due to
no other avenue for savings are being taken for suckers.

When Wall Street became the center of our economy, the future was
foretold. The center can not hold.

Jim - Former economist. Preacher now. God bless America, rec.boats and
hard work. God damn Wall Street and the love of money over Country.

I guess you never learned about deflation. Not much of an economist, no
wonder you switched to preaching.