On this episode of the Authors Corner, Ethan Yang interviews AIER Senior Fellow Dr. Tom Hogan on the radical developments that have characterized US monetary policy and the future of money. Before joining AIER, Dr. Hogan was formerly the chief economist for the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs. He has also worked at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, Troy University, West Texas A&M University, the Cato Institute, the World Bank, Merrill Lynch’s commodity trading group and for investment firms in the U.S. and Europe. During the interview, Dr. Hogan brings his vast wealth of knowledge and firsthand experience to weigh in on current affairs, which have been nothing short of unprecedented.
Article by Ethan Yang from AIER.
To begin the interview, Dr. Hogan explains the difference between monetary policy and fiscal policy, as well as the various policy tools that the government has at its disposal. He explains that fiscal policy does not create new money and spends existing funds typically gathered through taxation. Government agencies such as the Treasury and Congress are examples of bodies that can implement fiscal policy. An example of a fiscal policy would be spending money to build a road. Monetary policy is handled by the Federal Reserve, which is the central bank of the United States. Among other things, the Fed governs the money supply in the economy through the printing of new dollars, the regulation of interest rates, and the use of open market operations through the sale or purchase of bonds. Some examples of monetary policies would be the recent lowering of interest rates to near zero, which incentivizes greater lending and spending in the broader economy due to the increased ease of acquiring loans.
On that note, Dr. Hogan also speaks on why the Fed lowered interest rates and conducted quantitative easing in response to Covid-19. He explains how such policies are meant to stimulate economic activity but at the same time, they are not sustainable in the long term. They should only be used in a crisis, which the pandemic and the lockdowns certainly were. At the same time, there are considerable political pressures to continue such practices because politicians value short-term economic growth over long-term stability.
To follow up, Ethan asked Dr. Hogan about his views on contemporary developments in the economy such as the highly active stock market, inflation, Fed Chairman Powell, and the radical shift in the understanding of how monetary policy works.
In the middle of the interview, the conversation shifts to a meaty topic: Modern Monetary Policy, which has become especially relevant because it favors continuing the ongoing crisis-style monetary policies into the future. It posits that the past year has demonstrated that the Fed can print and spend more money without causing crippling inflation, that interest rates can remain low, and otherwise rejects the prudent status quo of Monetarism. Dr. Hogan does not hold back on rejecting this idea and explains in-depth why proponents of such a platform are mistaken. His ultimate conclusion is that MMT is an incoherent ideology with no solid economic foundation that is more of a political argument than a sound theory on the practice of monetary policy.
To end the interview Ethan asks Dr. Hogan about his thoughts on the future of money, especially after so much has been printed by the Fed and the rise of cryptocurrency. He explains that for the foreseeable future the US dollar will likely maintain much of its value. This is because of its historic stability as tender not just in the US but around the globe. Another important point he brings up is that compared to the rest of the world, the US central banking system is far better managed despite our complaints, which also lends staying power to the dollar.
When it comes to cryptocurrency, Dr. Hogan indicates he has optimism for its promise and certainly welcomes its use. He cannot say that at the moment they are ready to be implemented on a widespread basis but he would love to see test cases, particularly in countries with weak monetary regimes. At the end of the day, Dr. Hogan says he is in favor of a free market for currency in the United States, where consumers can choose for themselves what they want to use for money, whether that is the US dollar, gold, or crypto. Such a system would be far more independent from political manipulation and incentivize wise management of the money supply over arbitrary short-term political objectives. That is because such temptations have become all too real in recent years, especially in the age of Covid-19.
New Conservative Network Seeks Crowdfunding Help
They say we have to go big or go home. We’re trying to go big and bring the patriotic truth the the nation, but we need help.
Readers may or may not realize that over the past year, we’ve been bringing more conservative news and opinion outlets under our wing. Don’t take our expansion as a sign of riches; all of the “acquisitions” have been through sweat and promises of greater things to come for all involved. As a result, we’ve been able to bring together several independent media sites under a unified vision of preventing America from succumbing to the progressive, “woke,” Neo-Marxist ideologies that are spreading like wildfire across America.
The slow and steady reopening of America is revealing there was a lot more economic hardship brought about from the Covd-19 lockdowns than most realize. While we continue to hope advertising dollars on the sites go up, it’s simply not enough to do things the right way. We are currently experiencing a gap between revenue and expenses that cannot be overcome by click-ads and MyPillow promos alone (promo code “NOQ” by the way).
To overcome our revenue gap and keep these sites running, our needs fluctuate between $3000-$7000 per month. In other words, we’re in the red and hemorrhaging.
The best way you can help us grow and continue to bring the truth to the people is by donating. We appreciate everything, whether a dollar or $10,000. Anything brings us closer to a point of stability when we can hire writers, editors, and support staff to make the America First message louder. Our Giving Fuel page makes it easy to donate one-time or monthly. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal as well.
As the world spirals towards radical progressivism, the need for truthful journalism has never been greater. But in these times, we need as many conservative media voices as possible. Please help keep NOQ Report and the other sites in the network going.
Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker
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They’re Trying to Shut Us Down
Over the last several months, I’ve lost count of how many times the powers-that-be have tried to shut us down. They’ve sent hackers at us, forcing us to take extreme measures on web security. They sent attorneys after us, but thankfully we’re not easily intimidated by baseless accusations or threats. They’ve even gone so far as to make physical threats. Those can actually be a bit worrisome but Remington has me covered.
For us to continue to deliver the truth that Americans need to read and hear, we ask you, our amazing audience, for financial assistance. We just launched a GiveSendGo page to help us pay the bills. It’s brand new so don’t be discouraged by the lack of donations there. It’s a funny reality that the fewer the donations that have been made, the less likely people are willing to donate to it. One would think this is counterintuitive, but sometimes people are skeptical because they think that perhaps there’s a reason others haven’t been donating. In our situation, we’re just getting started so please don’t be shy if you have the means to help.
Thank you and God bless!
JD Rucker
