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Politics

What Would Ron Paul Say to Timothy Geithner?

Matt Welch | 3.24.2009 4:40 PM

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Matt Welch is an editor at large at Reason.

PoliticsEconomicsRon PaulCapital MarketsTimothy Geithner
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  1. Hugh Akston   16 years ago

    Bernanke: For better or worse we created deposit insurance and lender of last resort to prevent panics and help control them.

    And since they've worked so well, we must expand them.

  2. e   16 years ago

    China Probleme

    Wenige Tage vor dem Weltfinanzgipfel in London hat die chinesische Zentralbank eine tiefgreifende Reform des internationalen W?hrungssystems gefordert. Sie zielt langfristig darauf, den amerikanischen Dollar als wichtigste Reservew?hrung der Welt durch eine neue supranationale Reservew?hrung abzul?sen. Der chinesische Vorsto? hat gro?es Gewicht, weil China mit fast 2 Billionen Dollar das Land mit den gr??ten W?hrungsreserven der Welt ist - und zudem mit einem Portefeuille von mehr als 700 Milliarden Dollar der gr??te Halter von amerikanischen Staatsanleihen.

    An den Devisenm?rkten spielte der Vorsto? laut Devisenh?ndlern aber keine gr??ere Rolle; das Geschehen wurde vielmehr von den Pl?nen der amerikanischen Regierung zum Ankauf toxischer Wertpapiere gepr?gt. Von amerikanischer Seite gab es zu dem am Montag ver?ffentlichten Aufsatz des chinesischen Zentralbankgouverneurs Zhou Xiaochuan zun?chst keine Stellungnahme. Schon Mitte M?rz hatte sich der chinesische Ministerpr?sident Wen Jiabao besorgt ?ber die Wertbest?ndigkeit der chinesischen Dollar-Engagements gezeigt. Ein Sprecher von Pr?sident Barack Obama hatte daraufhin versichert, dass Anlagen in Dollar die sicherste Anlage der Welt seien.

  3. Pro Libertate   16 years ago

    Ah, just a few hundred more Ron Pauls, and we'll be most of the way there. He has faults, but man, he's not like the rest of those evil lunatics.

  4. raivo pommer-eesti   16 years ago

    Autor

  5. Warty   16 years ago

    Geithner must hate when Ron Paul asks him questions.

  6. Sweedish Chef   16 years ago

    Cheena Prubleme-

    a Veneege-a Tege-a fur dem Veltffeenunzgipffel in Lundun het deee-a cheenesische-a Zentrelbunk ieene-a teeeffgreiffende-a Reffurm des interneshunelee V?hroongssystems geffurdert. Um de hur de hur de hur. Seee-a zeeelt lungffreestig derooff, dee emereekunischee Duller els veechtigste-a Reserfoo?hroong der Velt doorch ieene-a neooe-a soopruneshunele-a Reserfoo?hroong ebzool?see. Der cheenesische-a Furstu? het gru?is Gooeecht, veeel Cheena meet fest 2 Beelliunee Duller des Lund meet dee gr??tee V?hroongsreserfee der Velt ist - und zoodem meet ieenem Purteffeooeelle-a fun mehr els 700 Meellierdee Duller der gr??te-a Helter fun emereekunischee Steetsunleeehee. Un dee Defeesenm?rktee speeelte-a der Furstu? loot Defeesenh?ndlern eber keeene-a gr??ire-a Rulle-a; des Geschehee voorde-a feeelmehr fun dee Pl?nee der emereekunischee Regeeeroong zoom Unkooff tuxeescher Vertpepeeere-a gepr?gt. Um de hur de hur de hur. Fun emereekunischer Seeete-a geb is zoo dem em Munteg fer?fffentleechtee Ooffsetz des cheenesischee Zentrelbunkguooferneoors Zhuoo Xeeeuchooun zoon?chst keeene-a Stelloongnehme-a. Schun Meette-a M?rz hette-a seech der cheenesische-a Meenisterpr?seedent Vee Jeeebeu besurgt ?ber deee-a Vertbest?ndeegkeit der cheenesischee Duller-Ingegements gezeeegt. Um de hur de hur de hur. Ieen Sprecher fun Pr?seedent Bereck Oobema hette-a derooffheen ferseechert, dess Unlegee in Duller deee-a seecherste-a Unlege-a der Velt seeeee.

  7. Taktix?   16 years ago

    Our apologies, those responsible for the previous post have been sacked...

  8. Pro Libertate   16 years ago

    That's not Swedish; det ?r svenska.

  9. SpongePaul   16 years ago

    Great question and he was right of course. I think the problem with Dr. Paul (and don't get me wrong i support hin) is that he tends to be long winded, thus loosing his audience before he asks the question. But he has been proven right as of late. If he was not a classy politician (if there is such a thing) he would be standing in the belltower yelling ahha i was right suck it obama and mcain and all the doubters.

  10. Pro Libertate   16 years ago

    The temptation to yell, "Fuck you, you fucking socialists, fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!" and to run screaming out of the Capitol, carrying a Gadsden flag, must be hard to resist. I thought he did a pretty good job of saying all that in a calm, reasonable tone.

  11. hmm   16 years ago

    "Geithner must hate when Ron Paul asks him questions."

    From his testimony and fidgety habits when answering question I think he dislikes when anyone asks him a question.

  12. Pro Libertate   16 years ago

    I think disliking Geithner is something we should all unify around. He's clearly unfit.

  13. Ron Paul   16 years ago

    Yo, fuck you Timothy Geithner!

  14. John C. Randolph   16 years ago

    Neither Bernanke nor Geithner have ever been in charge of a business that had to compete in a free market. The idea scares the crap out of them.

    -jcr

  15. Rice Bingham   16 years ago

    Timothy Geithner is easily Obama's worst appointment, and he's appointed some real douchbags. He may as well left Paulson in the position.

  16. Reinmoose   16 years ago

    Funny way this post is going, considering Geithner does look remarkably like a muppet...

  17. SpongePaul   16 years ago

    now that you mention it, hmm yes he is a bit Muppetish. and i thought his head was up his butt. looks like it might just be a puppeters hand. that, and a hollow head.

  18. Pro Libertate   16 years ago

    Why not? He was appointed by a Muppet.

  19. Reinmoose   16 years ago

    *applauds Pro Lib*

  20. crimethink   16 years ago

    He has faults, but man, he's not like the rest of those evil lunatics.

    He's not evil at least.

    Oh and can we please chill on the "Ron Paul was proven right" BS? There's a homeless guy with a giant pus globule on his left eyelid who goes through the dumpster where I work, and he's been vaguely predicting economic catastrophe for as long as I can remember too. That doesn't mean I'm going to put his name on a banner and herald him as a prophet for our times because his prediction finally came true.

    Still waiting for that runaway inflation Dr. Paul!

  21. crimethink   16 years ago

    Did Bernanke just say that the Fed was created in 1913 because of the panic of 1914? I also like how Paul, knowing he had 5 minutes allotted, spent 4:15 on his question for all three members of the panel.

  22. Pro Libertate   16 years ago

    crimethink,

    I'm not uncritical of Paul, but I think he's right on a lot of issues. He's hit or miss on economics in general, at least in my opinion, but his ideas on limited government and on government's role in the economy are a heck of a lot better than what we get from most Congress "persons."

    I think Paul wanted to get certain things into the record, without regard to whatever evasive answers he was likely to get. At least they said they still believe that capitalism is the most efficient means for allocating resources. Wonder how that flew with some of the leadership these days?

    Reinmoose,

    Thanks. I didn't create that image, but the song was mine ?

  23. crimethink   16 years ago

    PL,

    Oh I understand what he's doing, but the problem is that he talks in circles. He could have gotten the meaning of his question into the record in 2:00 tops if he weren't so scattershot, and then we would have heard Bambi Geitner's response too.

  24. Pro Libertate   16 years ago

    Well, he's not the world's greatest speaker, no. Then again, I'm sure all of the Friends of the Friends running the committee gave Geithner plenty o' time to make his views clear.

  25. Jeff Balla   16 years ago

    Apparently, very little. And if Barney Frank kept his blabbering short, maybe he'd realize his hypocrisy and that Geithner would have had the chance to answer Paul's question.

  26. Tom   16 years ago

    http://www.reuters.com/article/reutersEdge/idUSTRE52M5UZ20090323

    That's confirmation of the dollar beginning to lose value, for anyone curious. If the Chinese stop taking debt, well, that's the hyperinflation scenario Paul speaks of. A little more sophisticated than the ramblings of a homeless man.

  27. ev   16 years ago

    e-

    Warum hast du auf deutsch geantwortet? Es ist total mir egal, aber es ist f?r mich undeutlich. Kannst du echt reason auf deutsch finden? Und wenn dass nicht m?glich ist, kannst du naturell englisch verstehen/lesen. Warum antwortest du in einer Sprache, die fast niemand hier reden/verstehen kann? Interessant.

    Oh, and the fucktard who posted after you is a cockbite.

  28. Pro Libertate   16 years ago

    Tell me about it, ev. Swedish--ha!

  29. Kris   16 years ago

    Barny Frank is fucking douche bag. Fuck you Frank. Fuck you with a Gadsden flag pole!

  30. Kris   16 years ago

    Still waiting for that runaway inflation Dr. Paul!

    You're correct. We'll be watin' a while. Not that it won't happen or anything, just that Paul will likely have been pushing up daises for quite a while by the time that it does. For now, and the foreseeable future, deflation is the name of the game. This could change quickly if the Fed and Treasury get all kinds of radical, but that's not likely, with myriad of political obstacles. A trillion dollars of monetized debt? You'll have to do quite a bit more than that if you want real inflation.

    Good luck.

  31. Art-P.O.G.   16 years ago

    Fuck you with a Gadsden flag pole!

    I thought about saying he might like it, but that's just too classless a thing for me to say.

  32. nonPaulogist   16 years ago

    It is curious that the posts on RP seem to garner a few more comments than is otherwise the case. I guess Reason is trying to grab some of that traffic from the more popular lewrockwell.com.

    Reason destroyed its own credibility as an organization that advocates freedom when they turned on Dr. Paul. It still fills me with rage whenever I think about it. Dr. Paul was our last, best hope to turn things around. Now all we can do is hunker down and wait for the slow decline and inevitable collapse. Reason didn't cause him to lose, but they revealed themselves to be establishment suck-ups with no clear commitment to liberty.

    Ron Paul is no Cicero, but he's done a hell of a lot more for liberty than Matt or Nick have ever done. Maybe future historians will describe Paul as a gadfly, but they won't mention Matt Welch at all.

  33. Dark Days In Libertarianville   16 years ago

    "Dr. Paul was our last, best hope to turn things around. Now all we can do is hunker down and wait for the slow decline and inevitable collapse. Reason didn't cause him to lose..."

    Oh, enough you old fart. No wonder you're in love with Ron Paul. You both speak the same language that was contained in many of his newsletters.

    You guys are as bad as Christian fundamentalists with talk of Armageddon. I would pity you if I wasn't so busy laughing. Grow the fuck up, study some biology, history, or whatever else that may will reveal to you that your line of thinking is cliched and silly.

    Ron Paul sounded like some kind of conservative goon up there with questions about the administration's feelings on Capitalism. He was probably mocked behind closed doors. Of course ideologues aren't frightening when they're preaching to the converted.

    If Libertarians weren't so politically lazy, I would probably have to kill some of you before you gained power.

    The only thing that people seem to be educated about on here is economics, and that's pretty much a theory game. When it comes to most other major topics, nuance flies out the window. And you wonder why most people see Conservatism and its offshoots as intellectually vacant?

    Most of you are walking advertisements for a better Liberal Arts education. As usual, conservative extremists tend do the most to usher in Socialist agendas, and it's due to their inability to see the bigger picture.

    Until Libertarians effectively marginalize people like the poster above, then the party will continue to suffer from the same prejudices that Conservatives do because of their Christian base.

  34. Will   16 years ago

    "traffic from the more popular lewrockwell.com," how do you figure LewRockwell.com is more popular than Reason.com? Don't get me wrong, I am fond of Rockwell and Paul, but according to Quantcast.com:

    LewRockwell.com - 145K unique hits per month
    Reason.com - 442K unique hits per month

  35. me   16 years ago

    the inflation wont happen until we rebound out of the depression then the market will be flooded with doe and the dollar will be worth pesos

  36. me   16 years ago

    excuse me i accidentally typed depression i meant recession

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