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That mechanism works - Greenspan will never be asked to be chairman of the Fed, given the mess he's created.
But that's a bit too late for the rest of us.

Just like food safety regulation: sure, a company that sells deadly products might not satay in the market very long, but it's going to be a small comfort for those that die from its products before its reputation is touched...

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Thu Oct 9th, 2008 at 03:35:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]
What do you say to those who reply that while his anti-regulation/pro-free market opinions and testimony as a subject matter expert in hearings and private conversations were unfortunate, as chairman of the Fed Greenspan did not have any formal authority or responsibility in law-making, rule-making, or policy-making with respect to regulation, other than setting monetary policy, and that the real responsibility lies with Congress for failing in their oversight?

Truth unfolds in time through a communal process.
by marco (cowannar at gmail punkt com) on Thu Oct 9th, 2008 at 04:35:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I'll note that Greenspan put his weight (and back in 2001, it was considerable) behind the Bush tax cuts that year - after years of pushing Clinton to reduce deficits, he effectively changed tack and said that deficits were okay.

His support was instrumental in getting Congress to approve cuts thaty many of them were wary about.

And his responsibility in propping up the bubbles in the late 90s and then throughout the noughties (denying that there even was a bubble, and keeping Fed rates absurdly low for way too long) cannot be overstated.

Quite simply, he behaved like a hawk, and used his "credibility" on the markets (earned thanks to his frequent use of the "Greenspan put", ie using monetary policy to prop up markets when they went down) for narrow political goals.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Thu Oct 9th, 2008 at 05:12:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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