Money for Nothing: Inside the Federal Reserve (2013)

Nearly 100 years after its creation, the power of the U.S. Federal Reserve has never been greater. Markets and governments around the world hold their breath in anticipation of the Fed Chairman's every word. Yet the average person knows very little about the most powerful - and least understood - financial institution on earth.This film covers everything from the Great Depression up through Bretton Woods (and its repeal in 1971) and on through the crisis of 2007-2008. We get Greenspan's connection to Ayn Rand and learn a few technical terms like "quantitative easing".This is a great primer for anyone who knows absolutely nothing about the Federal Reserve. And, frankly, that happens to be most of us. Even those who do know something will probably learn more. How odd that the engine fueling our economy (maybe even the entire global economy) is not something many people could even explain.

The movie ends by suggesting that the latest bubble was essentially caused by an 'Asset Inflation' due to the fact that apparently the US Federal Reserve no longer takes into account housing or essentially fuel prices!? What, that is obviously false... Check the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and you will see that both are definitely in there.I would agree that they have changed the way that some items have been covered, namely the housing prices which are now calculated as basically the rental equivalent of each home owners home instead of the housing price. Though, that is common among the OECD nations just like Canada and a few others. Check the US Consumer Price Index website and you will see. Also check this link, which explains some of the misconceptions out in the general public: http://www.bls.gov/cpi/cpiqa.htm As for the rest of the movie, well it hammers away at your intelligence with misinformation and jarring commentary. The movie was partly informative for creating an interesting story of Volcker, Greenespan and whatever the liar in charge of the Fed is called. Still too many logical fallacies and misrepresentations using often false information. I would give this more than 2 thumbs down if I could.

End the Fed is a 2009 book by Congressman Ron Paul of Texas. The book debuted at number six on the New York Times Best Seller list[1] and advocates the abolition of the United States Federal Reserve System. SummaryPaul argues that "in the post-meltdown world, it is irresponsible, ineffective, and ultimately useless to have a serious economic debate without considering and challenging the role of the Federal Reserve."[2]In End the Fed, Ron Paul draws on American history, economics, and anecdotes from his own political life to argue that the Fed is both corrupt and unconstitutional. He states that the Federal Reserve System is inflating currency today at nearly a Weimar or Zimbabwe level, which Paul asserts is a practice that threatens to put the United States into an inflationary depression where the US dollar, which is the reserve currency of the world, would suffer severe devaluation.A major theme throughout the work also revolves around the idea of inflation as a hidden tax making warfare much easier to wage. Because people will reject the notion of increasing direct taxes, inflation is then used to help service the overwhelming debts incurred through warfare. In turn the purchasing power of the masses is diminished, yet most people are unaware. Under Ron Paul's theory, this diminution has the biggest impact on low income individuals since it is a regressive tax. Paul argues that the CPI presently does not include food and energy, yet the these items are the items on which the majority of poor peoples' income is spent.He further maintains that most people are not aware that the Fed – created (he asserts) by the Morgans and Rockefellers at a private club off the coast of Georgia[3] – is actually working against their own personal interests. Instead of protecting the people, Paul contends that the Fed now serves as a cartel where the name of the game is bailout -- or otherwise known as privatized profits but socialized losses.Paul also draws on what he argues are historical links between the creation of central banks and war, explaining how inflation and devaluations have been used as war financing tools in the past by many governments from monarchies to democracies.

A gem in the movie industry, conveying the federal reserve as pacifist who hates the idea of forcing people to come to grips with reality. Conveying the federal reserve as having foresight all the time,even though there is some denial of this near the end. The very pacifist mentality was the ideal of the federal reserve to act as a cushion to protect the delusions of the public rather than act as moralist dictator. So the federal reserve allowed investment out self interest that had no direct long term benefit to society this was more acceptable than forcing a moralist view on the economy. One of the prime reasons the fed always acted as a cushion rather than a moralist was the monetary gain, which were only asset inflation and this was the delusion of the people. Against there better judgement they obeyed the people's will in general. The asset inflation is inflation mistaken as monetary gain, however when ever individuals profit by inflation inequity rules as they got the money for free or nearly free. For the investors get rich, those who own stock and houses and so on, and everyone else suffers poverty. No one wishes to change this as that would create the appearance of monetary redistribution. Worse yet because the market gains where an illusion, there are no new jobs for the youth as there shall always be to many people and not enough jobs, as industry is very efficient in the new computer robotic global economy.Hence everyone must work less hours so everyone can work otherwise pay for a welfare state which has negative effects in itself, for if neither of these are done The People shall and will starve to death as there is lots of food and shelter, but no self dependence everyone is dependent upon jobs to get those things, as in past the majority had their own land to farm upon and now they do not. To any length the problem can never be solved by the monetary federal reserve. It was never their fault in the first place. Blaming a bunch of pacifist who would do anything to ensure the economy kept going given the conditions of a computer robotic global economy is a sad lie. These federal reserve people call it the free market but what they are meaning is forcefulness is rape, they simply hate pushing their morals upon a people who do not want them, people wanted free money and so they got what they desired. The sacrifices we must make to remain a compassionate society is something that is going to be token by force. Plainly none of us are honest enough to admit we have stolen from ourselves a fair and equitable society. Where money is earned by giving to society a long lasting benefit in service, rather than just profiting our selves, I can say being a pacifist myself, I have lost everything by a forceful economy that was self serving and now I have profited being self serving. If someone takes by force what I have token without any benefit to society, at least I can say its fair enough to me.