> -----Original Message----- > From: Sam [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 7:53 PM > To: cf-community > Subject: Re: Wow! Holy Snub > > Yeah, Bush definitely had his faults. > > I imagine he thought keeping him up to speed would give him better > judgment. > The housing crises was predictable for a long time yet AG kept lowering > rates. > >
Even if the housing crisis was predictable, the degree of it wasn't. The primary job of the FED is to fight inflation, not making overt moves to support or inflate the stock market or housing markets. The lower rate shouldn't have been a problem except the mortgage lenders were too lax with applications. This of course was a natural byproduct of low rates but shouldn't have happened. Moreover, Bush cannot be blamed for the current credit crunch. He is in charge of fiscal policy not monetary policy. He wasn't the one that decided to let Lehman go under. He wasn't the one telling banks to horde cash and not lend to each other. The only real options as President has to get Congress to introduce new bills to regulate the banks more. Or bring the weight of the White House down on the bank CEOs (a President is to never, at least publically, suggest anything to the Fed Chairman) and use the eloquence of his words to show them the error of their ways. Of course not all Presidents have both options, if any. Some Presidents lack the political capital and other just aren't very articulate. Oddly enough, I think Obama can be blamed if this administration doesn't fix this situation. The people he appointed were specifically selected to handle this situation. Although the one key player that isn't on team Obama is the most important: Bernanke. W PS I know a lot republicans hate him because they feel his refusal to change rates cost George H.W. Bush a second term. Sam doesn't like him because he kept cutting rates despite a dangerous housing market. I'm on the fence about Greenspan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Adobe® ColdFusion® 8 software 8 is the most important and dramatic release to date Get the Free Trial http://ad.doubleclick.net/clk;207172674;29440083;f Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/message.cfm/messageid:286712 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/cf-community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
