The Government Debt Paradox: Pick Your Poison

Posted on September 8, 2017 by MN Gordon

“Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste,” said President Obama’s Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel in November of 2008.  “They are opportunities to do big things.”

At the time of his remark, Emanuel was eager to exploit the 2008 financial crisis to raid the public treasury.  With the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February 2009, Emanuel’s wish was granted.  The Obama administration had the opportunity to do big things.

Politically, the passage of the Recovery Act was a huge success.  Washington was able to dole out funds to their preferred projects like never before.  What could be better for a Congressman than to direct massive amounts of funds to infrastructure, healthcare, energy, security, law enforcement, and just about everything else?

Some Congressman even directed money to bridges and buildings that were then named after them.  No doubt, this flattered their egos.  But what it really did was memorialize their political swindle. Continue reading →

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How to Make the Financial System Radically Safer

Posted on September 1, 2017 by MN Gordon

Clear thinking and discerning rigor when it comes to the twisted state of present economic policy matters brings with it many physical ailments.  A permanent state of disbelief, for instance, manifests in dry eyes and droopy shoulders.  So, too, a curious skepticism produces etched forehead lines and nighttime bruxism.

Nonetheless, these are small prices to pay for the simple delight that comes when a central planner opens their mouth and inserts their foot.  Last Friday, for example, Fed Chair Janet Yellen gave a speech to her friends and cohorts at the annual central banker’s powwow in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  There she patted herself and the financial regulatory community on the back for what she believes has been a successful execution of financial regulations:

“The events of the [2008] crisis demanded action, needed reforms were implemented, and these reforms have made the system safer.”

How Yellen knows the reforms have made the system safer is unclear. Continue reading →

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Calling Mitch McConnell’s Debt Ceiling Bluff

Posted on August 25, 2017 by MN Gordon

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell woke up on the wrong side of the bed on Monday.  Who could blame him?  His summer vacation’s been ruined.  President Trump’s been riding him all month like a pack mule.

What’s more, on Monday McConnell had to rise early and put on his suit and tie like an ordinary working stiff.  While his Congressional cohorts were busy vacationing on their summer recess, McConnell had important business to tend to that couldn’t wait until Congress’ return on September 5.  Namely, he had to make a public display of unity in his home state of Kentucky with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.

Following a social media lambasting of a deplorable taxpayer by Mnuchin’s new bride, and Mnuchin’s visit to Fort Knox to confirm the “gold is safe,” it was finally time to get down to business.  Together, McConnell and Mnuchin held hands and insisted the U.S. government will raise the debt ceiling and avoid defaulting on its debt.  McConnell even made the following declaration: Continue reading →

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Why There Will Be No 11th Hour Debt Ceiling Deal

Posted on August 18, 2017 by MN Gordon

A new milestone on the American populaces’ collective pursuit of insolvency was reached this week.  According to a report published on Tuesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, total U.S. household debt jumped to a new record high of $12.84 trillion during the second quarter.  This included an increase of $552 billion from a year ago.

Moreover, this marked the second consecutive record high on a quarterly reported basis for U.S. household debt.  Indeed, this is a momentous achievement.  From our vantage point, it is significant for several reasons.

One, it shows U.S. household debt has returned to its upward trend which had previously gone uninterrupted from the close of World War II until the onset of the Financial Crisis in late 2008.  Second, it demonstrates that, like the S&P 500, new all-time highs are being attained with the seeming precision of a quartz clock.  Is this just a coincidence?

More than likely, it’s no coincidence at all.  More than likely, the mass quantities of central bank liquidity that have been injected into the financial system over the last decade have provided the plentiful gushers of cheap credit that have pushed up both stock prices and household debt levels. Continue reading →

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