Dodd’s Finance Reform Bill Would Strengthen Fed
There are from time to time political events that attract attention and controversy, only to fade into well-deserved obscurity. Who today can recall the storm and stress over the '90s-era debates...
About: Charles Scaliger
Posts by Charles Scaliger
Iceland Debt Small Part of Global Debt Crisis
Iceland’s recent vote not to repay billions of dollars owed to Britain and the Netherlands underscores the growing risk involved in bailing out sovereign debtors. When Icesave, an Iceland-based Internet bank,...
Bernanke Wrongly Calls “Bizarre” Allegations Cited by Ron Paul
On February 24, Congressman Ron Paul (R-Texas), at a hearing held by the House Financial Services Committee, asked Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke whether he was aware of allegations that the...
Greece, Euro, and Even the EU on the Ropes
Let us be perfectly clear: The fiscal woes of Greece, one of the European Union’s weaker economies to begin with, are quite likely beyond even the abilities of the denizens of...
Recovery Act a Bust, Despite Obama Claims
"The art of economics," economist Henry Hazlitt wrote nearly seven decades ago, "consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it...
Bernanke Confirmed Despite Track Record
If there were any lingering doubts that official Washington rewards incompetency and lack of foresight, Thursday’s Senate confirmation of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to a second four-year term as Fed...
Economy Far From Being Out of the Woods
The evidence is mounting that the American economy is very far from being out of the woods. For one thing, the latest job reports show that 85,000 more jobs were lost...
The Last Decade and the Prospects for Freedom
As the Decade That Has No Name (The “aughts”? The “zeroes”? The “naughty naughts”?) draws to a merciful close, we would do well to consider what a difference 10 years have...
GMAC Will Get More Bailout Money
GMAC Financial Services, the former financial arm of General Motors, is set to receive yet more federal bailout funds as the year draws to a close. According to a Reuters report,...
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Now Have a Blank Check
Little noticed (so far) by the American public, a Christmas Eve announcement by the Obama administration to expand the amount of bailout monies available to ailing mortgage giants Fannie Mae and...
Bernanke is “Times'” Man of the Year
With the expiration of one of the most turbulent years, economically speaking, in American history, it is not surprising that Time magazine has recognized Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as Man...
Fall of the Berlin Wall … and Rise of the EU
This week, as almost everyone is aware, marks the 20th anniversary of the dramatic fall of the Berlin Wall, an event that set in motion the domino-like collapse of communist regimes...
What Dodd’s Bill to Clip Fed Powers Really Entails
Senator Christopher Dodd and fellow Senate Democrats are proposing to scale back the regulatory authority of the Federal Reserve and eliminate the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, among many...
India’s Central Bank Buys 200 Tons of Gold
In yet another sign of eroding international confidence in the U.S. dollar, India’s central bank has just purchased 200 tons of gold from the International Monetary Fund at $1,045.00 an ounce,...
Samuelson Ponders Unthinkable: U.S. Govt Default
In Robert J. Samuelson’s latest op-ed piece for the Washington Post, “Could America Go Broke?”, the longtime editor and economic and business writer — who can normally be counted upon to...