Of course, the tax cuts were a great idea and the right moves to pull the economy out of a deficit. Additionally, the tax cuts should have stayed in place.

Is that your perception or Greenspan's?

tax cuts are only a great idea when spending cuts are also enacted.

Methinks it might be helpful for folks to truly examine the origins, nature, history, etc. of the stinking, squirrelly, federal reserve token money system..don't you think, Republicrats, and decent folks too?!

..I believe then you might properly conclude the notion that any honest 'tax cutting' within this fraudulent 'money' system is surely an utter fraud..

..ooga booga, Republicrats, ooga booga!.. >;o)

Remember, as one wag put it, "...when you find yourself frequently working your hamburger chute about illion$ when don't even know what one i$, well,..maybe it's time for some quiet reading, learning, thinking, etc. time, Republicrats"

>;o)

I don't agree with all the "ooga booga" stuff, but I definitely agree that the Federal Reserve plays a highly detrimental role.

Sadly, Greenspan used to be a hard money guy back in his youth, but he abandoned that position to take that nice, cushy job as Fed chair for so many years. Somehow, his discovery that "fiscal discipline" has been missing rings hollow now. After all, the Federal Reserve system itself encourages the abandonment of fiscal discipline.

What tax cuts are we talking about here? If you look at Bush's original tax cut plan, only a small portion calls for tax breaks for small businesses while asking for a huge break on dividends. Think about it, how many Americans own stock? About only half. And out of that the middle class has most of theirs tied up in 401 (k) plans. The idea of cutting taxes is good. But the focus needs to be on taxes that will stimulate the economy. Not taxes that will benefit the already rich.

I stumbled across Fresh Air on NPR this evening and heard someone talking about his libertarian ideals, and realized (after a few moments) that it was Greenspan. You can listen here:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14500893

I thought it was interesting to hear the "L" word on the radio, as that seems pretty rare...

STUART WROTE: "I thought it was interesting to hear the "L" word on the radio, as that seems pretty rare..."

I hear the 'l' spoken quite frequently in 'the media'..it seems much more frequently as of late..

Unfortunately, it's stoooooooopid Republicans/crats doing the talking about 'l'ism %99 of the time...Republicrat skunks peeing on my favorite dish..

It's fairly obvious many of these Republican/crat scumbags have turned many decent people off, mislead many people, etc. as to the 'l' word!.. >;o)

Especially, it seems, the stinking Republicans.

You're so right, Clark. Don't you just hate it when people are turned off by libertarianism simply because it was poorly presented to them by a raving idiot?

Irony can be so ironic.

WALT T. WROTE: "Sadly, Greenspan used to be a hard money guy back in his youth, but he abandoned that position to take that nice, cushy job as Fed chair for so many years." (end)

It seems the old, miserable, 'hard money vs. soft money dichotomy' has always been a stinking red herring/fraud..

It seems to boil down to people with lots of money/future guarantee$, creditors, etc. vs. people without same, debtors..

The former tend to want 'hard/tight money'..vaguely 'understanding' any new money 'waters down their $oup'..the latter tend to want 'easy/loose money'...vaguely 'understanding' this policy will make it easier for them to acquire token$ and make it easier for them to 'pay off their debt$.'

It would seem OBVIOUS the/a good/better place to start the/a 'money discussion' is with the lack of 'TRANSPARENCY' as to money..AS TO WTF THESE SECRET SQUIRREL BANKSTERS ARE REALLY UP TO..

I understand some of you think you 'under$tand' 'the system,' etc. because you watch the Maria Butt-Aroma Show and Louis Rusegeyser, etc. richardheads galore..But in my experience most/all Republicrats are worse than cluele$$..

CRYIN' BRYAN VOMITTED: "You're so right, Clark. Don't you just hate it when people are turned off by libertarianism simply because it was poorly presented to them by a raving idiot?"

Priorities Republicrats, priorities..For example, the stinking Kneel Boor Show skunk-touches tens of thousands as to 'libertarianism' yet I'd bet not a stinking peep from the likes of you..

Yet ClARK rattles the cages of maybe several dozen of you Republicrat cranks here on this obscure forum and you whine like a widdle baby!..

Bryan. I loved your post. That's 2 for, 1 against. My guess for the outcome, 44 (or more) for, 1 against. Call me Kreskin.

greenspan? does anyone remember that it was greenspan who made a 'secret agreement' with the clinton administration - that of holding interest rates in exchange for the highest tax hike in the history of the republic. very questionable at best.

twice in greenspan's tenure he raised the interest rates and brought about recession, once when george the senior was president, and at the end of the clinton administration.

it was the bush the younger (and all) with the tax rebate and cuts that restarted the economy.

even though bush may not be mr. genius, his economy has been good. his spending policies are yet a different story for another time.

yet again, the 'infamous' surplus from the clinton era, which was all theory based on a ten year tax income, was recently brought up, but remember it was all spent by the end of the last congressional session of the clinton administration anyway.

greenspan? hmmmm, i fear we're hearing the murmurings of an old fading democrat in republican wool, pining for the lost limelight

I've always known Greenspan would come out of FedRev swinging. :) I wouldn't even worry about the gold standard anymore as the dollar is on it's way out. It seems binary is the new currency. I don't know the exact stats but more people are using banks and interest bearing credit unions, etc. So, yeah, we're making money just for having money. And we'll get better at it. Anyway quit using cash and the Federal Reserve will know that we know it's worthless.

It may surprise more than a few gold devotees to learn they have an ideological friend in none other than Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan. Starting in the 1950s, in fact, Greenspan was a stalwart member of Ayn Rand's intellectual inner circle. A self-designated "objectivist", Rand preached a strongly libertarian view, applying it to politics and economics, as well as to religion and popular culture. Under her influence, Greenspan wrote for the first issue of what was to become the widely-circulated Objectivist Newsletter. When Gerald Ford appointed him to the Council of Economic Advisors, Greenspan invited Rand to his swearing-in ceremony. He even attended her funeral in 1982.

In 1967, Rand published her non-fiction book, Capitalism, the Unknown Ideal. In it, she included Gold and Economic Freedom, the essay by Alan Greenspan.... Drawing heavily from Murray Rothbard's much longer The Mystery of Banking, Greenspan argues persuasively in favor of a gold standard and against the concept of a central bank.

Can this be the same Alan Greenspan who today chairs the most important central bank of them all? Again, you might be surprised. R.W. Bradford writes in Liberty magazine that, as Fed chairman, "Greenspan (once) recommended to a Senate committee that all economic regulations should have fixed lifespans. Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) accused him of 'playing with fire, or indeed throwing gasoline on the fire,' and asked him whether he favored a similar provision in the Fed's authorization. Greenspan coolly answered that he did. Do you actually mean, demanded the senator, that the Fed 'should cease to function unless affirmatively continued?' 'That is correct, sir,' Greenspan responded."

Bradford continues, "The Senator could scarcely believe his ears. 'Now my next question is, is it your intention that the report of this hearing should be that Greenspan recommends a return to the gold standard?' Greenspan responded, 'I've been recommending that for years, there's nothing new about that. It would probably mean there is only one vote in the Federal Open Market Committee for that, but it is mine.'" -- Editor, The Gilded Opinion ]

Please understand, Republicrats, 'our' 'economic problems' appear much deeper than the tripe we get from academic teevee 'economists,' etc. assorted boobs..

The root$ of abomination lie much deeper..

For example, when have you ever heard The Great Wizard of Odd, Greed$pawn,--with all his open microphone opportunities..the opportunity to, apparently, say, write, whatever he wants-- ..

...when have you EVER HEARD ANY OF THESE REPUBLICRAT WINDBAGS BREATHE A PEEP AS TO THE COMPLETE DEBAUCHERY OF OUR SUPPOSEDLY OPEN, COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT SYSTEM OF MONEY ISSUANCE, etc.?!?! (please read and understand art. 1 sec. 8 clause 5 of the con..especially note this 'money clause' being placed along with honest 'fix(ing) (of) the Standard of Weights and Measures')

..Yet many Republicrat 'money dummies,' including Greed$pawn, flail at the leaves and branches of minor, stinking 'interest rate change' etc. gibberish whilst failing to strike the root$ of the fundamental fraud, stooooopidity, corruption, etc. of the CURRENT $ecret, $quirrelly $y$tem..

Again, Republicrats, when you find yourself working your cupcake tunnels as to 'improvement' of 'the illion dollar economy' whilst worse than merely ignorant of even the basic$ of that commodity which account$ for approx. half of EVERY STINKING 'ECONOMIC TRAN$ACTION'..well maybe it's time to AT LEAST hush up a little and do a little thinking/reading..

CLAY WROTE: "Bradford continues, "The Senator could scarcely believe his ears. 'Now my next question is, is it your intention that the report of this hearing should be that Greenspan recommends a return to the gold standard?' Greenspan responded, 'I've been recommending that for years, there's nothing new about that." (end)

Unfortunately, it appears Greed$pawn is typical of all Republicrat monetary ignoramusses (how do YOU think he got the job??)

According to Zarlenga, the world's foremost monetary historian--and if YOU know of a better one PLEASE MERELY NAME THE NAME(s)--there NEVER has been any honest 'gold standard'..the banksters cheated from the stinking beginning.. issuing waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more paper receipts for gold deposited than what they honestly had on deposit..issuing these 'extra receipts' in the form of fraudulent 'loans' at interest/w collateral..the oldest and ongoing stinking $cam of the ages..but i digress..or do i? >;o)

One wonders how the fraudulent wizard, Greed$pawn, would counsel Congress as to the 'value' of an ounce of gold?.. again, art.1 sec. 8 cl.5

Face it, 'we' have been lead waaaaaaaaaaaaaay a$tray.. ooga booga, republicrats, ooga booga..'follow the yellow brick road, follow follow follow follow follow the yellow brick road..he really is a heck of a wiz..because because because because BECAUSE..because of the wonderful things he doe$..

I was merely pointing out how far he has traversed since his days in Ayn Rand's inner circle where he extolled the virtue of the gold standard and criticized the vice of a central bank.

I don't understand what you mean, Clay.

Methinks/knows he was ignorant then and now as to any of the truly important, deeper understandings regarding the nature of 'money'..'monetary realism,' etc.. Practically speaking, imo, he hasn't 'traversed' in any important, positive way..Still lost in the stinking Republicrat fog..a foghorn lost in the fog..

Although some claim he's knowingly involved in some 'conspiracy'..i'd bet he's just plain ignorant..a good choice for any puppeteer$..or anyone wishing to maintain the $tinking $tatus quo..

Imo, a rather typical Republicrat..same old same old.. >;o)