I think that even the Republicans on Lido Isle in Orange County, California, realize the steady rise in sea level, but they are fairly helpless to fix it. They can increase the wall, the barrier to the ocean, but it ruins the view. And Lido is tiny, not like Hawaii or other big islands that are impacted by storms more and more as the sea levels rise.

My question is whether you think it is socially efficient to raise interest rates now, knowing there is some bad inflation but no real price driven inflation?

Lol, Carol. The problem with most bottled water is that it is acidic. Most bottled purified water could very harmfully acidic. Since most people are acidic purified is not as good as alkaline water. You need to be PH balanced. The Life Water advertises that it will at least be PH neutral. I couldn't find any info about Smart Water being PH neutral.

The more people realize that tap water has too many particles, medicines and creepy crawleys, and that most bottled water is very acidic, they will gravitate toward neutral or alkaline water. JMO. So, I care about bottled water because it could help or hurt your PH levels!

I totally appreciate the fight the author is making against zero and negative interest rates. The Fed has been too timid. But the author was close to 10 years old in 1980, when inflation was running 14 percent. My coworkers and I were changing prices at an entire store multiple times per month in 1980. Inflation like that is a massive tax on the consumer and an inconvenience to retailers.

I just hope that we could find middle ground between those who want much higher inflation and those who want negative interest rates. I would hope there is a middle position. We will have the Great Depression of all time if the Fed cannot at least keep inflation under control. This is not 1980. The results would be far worse now.

I think the 100 year bond would be great, and I oppose stimulus that just goes everywhere but to the common man. That is a tax also. I just think that the Fed not keeping an eye on inflation will turn into a disaster.

We are pretty close to agreement Atle. It has been said by Lonergan, that inflation goals could be met and overshooting could be avoided by careful administration of HM. But now that there is cross border stimulus, interest rates have shot up as if inflation is on its way. Inflation should precede higher rates, but maybe the Fed thinks no one is paying attention. So, again, the bailout is for everyone but the man on the street. This stimulus, a tax on main street, surely will come back to impact demand on main street.

Then if you think it should all be sterilized, why not reduce the reserves at the banks as an offset to helicopter money? Kyle Bass says that won't be enough, that HM is the only way out. People like Edward Lambert have said that the abuse of labor, failure of labor to share in the spoils of the business cycle, will come back to bite us at some point. Face it, the only reason Christmas sales increased this year was more access to credit. People need money, not more debt.

The money supply is increasing but is not making its way into the real economy. So, base money is not creating a lot of broad money on main street. Something has to be done to change that. Since borrowing and lending to the regular guy is muted, why not make the regular guy a source of increased demand through HM. After all, everyone was bailed out but him. The elite were bailed out by QE. The banks were bailed out by the discount window and by QE. Counterparties to the banks were bailed out by low interest rates on their collateral. The stock market was bailed out. But the man on the street who demands real goods and services was not bailed out at all.

The rest of the world will become so more efficient than the United States we will be looked upon as a joke. Trade will not be important, only the ability of Americans to pay for almost all that is produced here. Not sure that is possible.

It would increase the money supply in a controlled way. Here is Eric Lonergan's take, Atle: www.talkmarkets.com/.../eric-lonergan-precisely-defines-helicopter-money

He is attacking native Americans. I don't see that going down well. As far as making products here, unions will be crucial to wage increases, as products will likely cost more. So, yes, unsettling changes are in store. Some people will be helped and some will be crushed.

Only #MiltonFriedman can fix this with his understanding of #HelicopterMoney. But of course, modern monetarists don't trust him like they should. He is gone, but he could have established a real stimulus.