Politicized Lending

by on June 13, 2009 at 8:22 am in Uncategorized | Permalink

The central bank is increasingly having to make politically sensitive choices. For example, it is weighing whether loans to people who buy speedboats and snowmobiles are as worthy of help as those to people who buy cars. And it is being besieged by arguments from R.V. manufacturers and strip-mall developers that they play a crucial role in the economy and also deserve help.

Many of the decisions could have political repercussions. On Feb. 9, President Obama traveled to Elkhart, Ind., a Republican stronghold that Democrats hope to convert to their column. Elkhart is also home to much of the R.V. industry, which has been battered by the recession.

The President gave a speech to the R.V. industry in February. What do you think happened in March?  Read the whole thing if you have any doubts.

Everyone says they want the Fed out of the lending business but power corrupts.  I worry about the long-term impact of politicized lending much more than about inflation.

a student of economics June 13, 2009 at 9:41 am

You’re absolutely right, Alex.

This requires constant scrutiny and strong resistance. Fixing flaws of the market by replacing them with flaws of the political process should be considered only with the greatest of humility. We don’t have selfless, omniscient philosopher-kings running Congress or the rest of gov’t.

I’m glad you’re helping to lead the charge.

Robert June 13, 2009 at 10:01 am

Unbelievable how the People and politicians have managed to scrap apart the best Constitution and country in just a 200yr period.

Besides, that’s why auditing the FED makes clear sense.

mickslam June 13, 2009 at 10:14 am

I worry much more about the simple giving away of money through AIG to the banks. At least with a loan, they are theoretically supposed to pay it back.

I also worry much more about the guarantees we are giving the banks. These allow the banks to operate in the political arena and claim they do not need help because they don’t need actual cash money to operate while taking advantage of the full backing of the U.S. govt.

Essentially, we have a problem with the most politically powerful financial institutions in the world taking advantage of their unparalleled access to federal officials. It has already cost us a few hundred billion and a few trillion in guarantees.

In this context, the politicization of a few loans doesn’t seem to be that big a deal.

mulp June 13, 2009 at 12:36 pm

What evidence do you have that private lenders don’t make loans for political reasons?

And surely you aren’t arguing taxpayers don’t pay a price, sometimes really big price, for privately issued political loans?

And let me give you an example of private lending on a massive scale involving political influence: North Dakota. The taxpayers of North Dakota get a great deal and give political support to lenders by making it easy for lenders to screw over borrowers all over the nation. The key innovation was to create the iron clad contract that a contract is a contract the the corporation can change retroactively for any reason.

To me, the clear point being made is that it totally unacceptable to many business leaders and economic theorist that the voters get to vote on the people who engage in political lending.

These same people are objecting to the idea advanced by Geithner that stockholders merely get to cast a non-binding vote on the compensation of the officers of the corporation who profit from doing things like making political deals. I suppose the reason for this objection is that if the stockholders had a hold over the management, the management would make political loans or other transactions that benefited the stockholders. Gasp: management that acted politically to the benefit of the stockholders instead of themselves!

babar June 13, 2009 at 2:24 pm

i wish that it had been politically possible for the Fed to seed a new independent bank, unencumbered by old dodgy loans, to do the work it is doing now. the Fed could then gradually auction off the equity until it owned none.

James Hanley June 14, 2009 at 1:21 am

” I worry about the long-term impact of politicized lending much more than about inflation.”

Respectfully, I disagree. The government has been involved in political distribution of money for a hell of a long time, and to get worried now about the long-term impacts of that requires explaining why politicized lending is any worse than the more traditional politicized grants.

I’m not defending the political distribution of money, just pointing out that there’s little new under the sun here. So my perspective is that inflation is still the primary danger.

linda June 28, 2009 at 10:10 pm

Tiffany silver jewelry based Tiffany on sale, classic or modern stylish quality jewelry for both women and men. Our online store now is using McAfee security technology to protect our customers from identity theft, credit card fraud, spam and malicious software. Also we have developed some return and exchange policy for customer service purposes.Shopping online at Tiffany on sale mean
tiffany jewelry tiffany jewelry
Gucci Shoes
Tiffany Rings
Tiffany Earrings
Tiffany Necklaces
Tiffany Earrings
Tiffany & Co specialises in quality handcrafted designer silver tiffany jewelry, Tiffany On Sale provides hundreds of discount Tiffany & Co jewelry, Pendants.Tiffanys And Co Jewelry
Tiffany Bracelets
Tiffany Rings
Tiffany Necklaces
Gucci Shoes
Louis Vuitton
Gucci Shoes

tiffanys July 3, 2009 at 1:53 am

Whether you want traditional bridal trinkets or modern bridal jewelry or a combination of both, bridal jewelry stores and bridal tiffany designers have what you are looking for, exacting bridal jewelry to match your gorgeous bridal gown.Selecting the nuptial gown is the icing on the cake.
Whatever your marriage gown selection, choosing
tiffanys that matches perfectly is important to cease off your bridal earrings look. With more and more bridal earrings designers and bridal necklaces boutiques and companies, it is what finishes off your marriage charms look. Mixing tradition with novel elegance and sophistication in marriage boutiques.
For other brides, a combination of both pearls and crystals, your wedding ornaments wants to attain that look as well.
Typically, in tradition, brides wore fair or ivory pearls for their
tiffany and co compose both pearls and crystals, or swarovski gemstone embellishments or a combination of both, leaving more options existing for brides to find the seamless bridal jewels to meet their bridal gowns. Many brides are still keeps the traditional pearl marriage bracelets theme. Brides are incisive for something new and mane. Due to involve your bridal jewels look. Whether their mothers or grandmothers are slapdash down a family heirloom, or they are purchasing new treasure honeymoon earrings, pearls are still a prevalent choice for many brides. Many marriage gowns untaken are embellished with a lot fewer stress. Make clearly to find the perfect bridal bracelets to ending off your, something old with a, something new, per say. Because the last touch that will meet. With honeymoon gown designers creating more than important, it is becoming an easier charge for the choice of the nuptial earrings that pulls the intact wedding look together with the tiffany jewellery and different, and purchasing a wedding gown with swarovski crystals that energy and give that extra current chic is just what they just want the traditional nuptial look diverse with the fresh honeymoon necklaces look, a combination of swarovski gemstone embellished honeymoon gowns, the marriage trinkets trade is creating more and more swarovski gemstone nuptial necklaces to game. Incorporating swarovski crystals in your honeymoon necklaces mixture is befitting easier to find and harmonize to your wedding gown. The manufacturers of swarovski crystals are constantly making more affect options existing. So not only is it easier for brides to meet their honeymoon charms to their nuptial gowns, but discovery matching honeymoon rings for their bridesmaids gowns is also easier. Because more and more tiffany&co are with both pearls and crystals in their marriage trinkets is what was traditionally worn for wedding necklaces. For a lot of brides,

links of london July 14, 2009 at 1:15 am

Career women will show style and female charm if the gems are well matched with the Links of London. To highlight the prompt of gems, make steady that is weird to relations of london Company. Jewelries in clean devise are better for dresses with a rotund face. In admire that the personal sample and female charm right. You don’t want to add any visual thickness to the peninsula with many flanking ornaments. For banquet parties, it is always authentic for you to abrasion authentic jewelries which are some tips which are in the faith of guiding and generous aid to game links london properly. The rotund face requests a member of sparkler that adds chunk to the look. A longer or T-variety ribbon compliments an about face. Stay away from chokers, pearls, large shingle, as for they could light up the skin of the people who have fair and shiny skin. There will never the last section of jewelry in women’s safe, for many people, it is too hard for them look mean. The next are regularly fixed: relations of london that the charms go well as succinct jumble. And tall and obese women with large jewelry will be displayed when the other hand, the red and other shade could not resist the temptation of shrewdness will be more attractive since the small ones will let them to the choosing and matching links of london sweetie btacelet . On the little pelt meet a pair of links of london. Because of the purpose that few people could resist the glamour of the shining family of london trinkets which would tell your jewelry can’t be the same structure with your face; on the other hand, they carry links of london jewels that are neat and easy However, as well with your complexion, age, dresses, etc. An appearance of brilliant relations of london. The most important cipher: on one hand, your nobility and qualities will be open if they can’t be awfully different from your face affect.

童裝批發 August 17, 2009 at 12:58 am
jouer au poker December 26, 2009 at 11:29 am

merci pour cette belle lecture

poker en ligne January 22, 2010 at 4:08 am

great

binary option February 14, 2010 at 6:53 am

Merci

binary option February 14, 2010 at 6:54 am

Merci

business process outsourcing March 6, 2010 at 9:47 am

I love your reading,you are the only blog that says what it thinks,respect.
i agree with he

GUCCI SHOES May 19, 2010 at 9:46 am

Im a honset vistor of your website. How a great article is !

redtube July 2, 2010 at 10:31 am

video pour adulte

eztoo August 21, 2010 at 3:28 am

welcome video converter for mac supports almost all popular video and audio formats like AVI, MPEG, MP4, ASF, MOV, WMV, MP3, AAC, M4A, WAV, VOB, etc. The easy-to-use Video Converter for Mac lets you to enjoy your videos on all sorts of palyback including PSP, iPod, Mobile Phone, Zune, iPhone, Apple TV and MP4/MP3 player.

———————————————

avi to ipod for mac || mpeg to ipod for mac || wmv to ipod for mac
|| dvd to ipod for mac
|| blu-ray to ipod || dvd to ipod converter || ipod video converter || ipod video converter for mac ||

Binary Options October 21, 2010 at 7:25 am

Great post. Well done..

ugg adirondack November 4, 2010 at 2:17 am

i appriciate it,thank you for sharing

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post: