Thursday, February 25, 2010

New Found Horrors

A look inside what a Banana Republic Congressional hearing sounds like:

Congress: So, Mr. Bernanke, explain to us how trillions of dollars of money printing has helped the American people?
BB: Well, the stock market is up and Wall St. bonuses are almost back to all-time highs!
C: Since the assorted stimulus and lending programs have been implemented, unemployment has continued to rise, length of unemployment remains at unprecedented highs, insolvent banks have become flush with cash, loans to small businesses have continued to decline by $12 billion per month, and only 100K home loans have been modified in a country where 25% of all homeowners are under water. Comments?
BB: Nascent.
C: Huh?
BB: Nascent. Oh, our economy is in just terrible condition. That's why I'm going to keep rates low forever until some sort of currency crisis hits or until it's too late to stop inflation from destroying us. I'm just hoping that the market will rise until then or that Dimon or Blankfein will be billionaires, at which point I can go into consulting.
C: And were you aware of GS' debt swaps with Greece along with their counterparty interest in the AIG Fiasco?
BB: Sure, who wasn't? Boy, you guys are really naive.
C: And what about Geithner's order to AIG to not reveal their relationship with GS or Society Generale?
BB: Duh.

With every new day, a new horror indeed. Not just the GS/Greece debacle, but repeated attempts from the NY Fed under Geithner's control to quash the magnitude of the AIG coverup in order to protect up to $60 billion in Ibank money, some of it foreign. Are you kidding me? Free money for banks to then hoard and purchase treasuries, not to loan out to a dying economy. And the market rising on every Bernanke promise, not on words of our current situation, but that interest rates will remain at zero forever. Anyone who chooses to bash Bernanke is blasted whether it be Ron Paul or Jim Bunning , because the market has risen. Only 50% from its ashes mind you, but risen nonetheless.

2 comments:

said...

Would complete honesty have "shocked" us into a complete and immediate meltdown, or is the continual controlled release of damamge delaying the recovery. Check out usmegatrends when you get a chance...

AX said...

Bernanke was honest in his way. Our economy is in the crapper. But what the market wanted to hear, and by that I mean large banks and hedge funds, was that rates would stay low forever. This allows them to keep playing the game of borrowing at zero and buying t-bills that pay 3%. Horrible for the small investor who can't even get 2% on a CD and is forced in some way to buy stocks to even attempt to achieve a return.

Meanwhile, we risk super inflation going forward while banks hoard all of our money. Nice setup.