The Wall Street Journal, in its edition of February 29, 2008, published the following letter by Ron Paul. It was posted by Lew Rockwell at http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/019692.html. Congressman Paul hits the bulls eye when he says, “Decades of manipulation by the Federal Reserve have benefited the government and certain politically-connected firms, while gradually destroying the purchasing power of middle-class Americans.” But it’s not only the malfeasance of the Fed that is to blame; it’s also the fiscal irresponsibility of the federal government in running almost perpetual budget deficits and allowing huge trade deficits to continue. Prospects are for the rate of inflation in the U.S. to accelerate as the budget deficits and trade deficits continue and the dollar loses its status as a global reserve currency. On the global scene, the dollar has already lost a major part of its value over the past few years, with the Euro going from about 92 cents in early 2001 to more than $1.50 at the end of February 2008. There seems to be no end in sight to the dollar slide. – t.h.g.
Ron Paul on the End of Dollar Hegemony
“I was delighted to read in Judy Shelton’s op-ed, ‘Security and the Falling Dollar‘ (Feb. 15), that at long last the security implications of the dollar’s collapse have made their way into the mainstream media. The dollar’s strength (or lack thereof) has been of paramount concern to me, and the subject of many of my statements over the past several years. Decades of manipulation by the Federal Reserve have benefited the government and certain politically-connected firms, while gradually destroying the purchasing power of middle-class Americans. Despite numerous warnings in the past, it is only now at a point of acute crisis that Washington insiders are beginning to awaken to the reality of the end of dollar hegemony.
“While I desire reform of our current monetary system, my own proposals have not been as all-encompassing as Ms. Shelton’s suggestion to return to a Bretton Woods-style system. Her recommendation, though, that gold backing should make up a component of a future monetary system, is one that we would all do well to heed. My own legislative proposals focus around eliminating the taxes and laws that dissuade individuals and institutions from using gold as currency or as a backing for currency. By allowing market processes to determine the issuance of currency, we can allow individuals to decide for themselves what currency they wish to use. This would lead to a gradual reintroduction of sound money and avoid the market shocks that occur when monetary decisions are mandated by government fiat.”
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Beyond Money 