Not Much of a Debate: Inflation is Part of the Plan

Forget about lost decades. Forecasts that we'll be turning Japanese couldn't be further from the truth. Here's why. It's simple, really. Deflation is not in the interest of anybody in power, so it's very unlikely to happen. The U.S. Federal Reserve's policy move to target inflation last week just re-emphasizes this point. That's not to say deflation is a bad thing for everybody. For savers and those living on fixed incomes, deflation would be a very good thing indeed. Their income would gradually increase in real terms, and their savings would become steadily more valuable. Holders of Treasury bonds would also gain mightily from deflation. However, the very people who would gain from deflation are not in power. The People's Bank of China can't vote in the U.S. (yet!), Ron Paul is not president, and there is not an organized and powerful savers' political movement. After all, this is not Germany or Japan! Meanwhile, in the real world, the U.S. government is spending far more than it takes in, and its debt is rising to dangerous levels. This has been happening on a bipartisan basis since at least 2001. The Tea Party may have elected a Congress committed to reducing spending, but none of the battles of 2011 actually reduced spending - they just slowed the rate of growth somewhat. Since much of the debt is borrowed long-term at low interest rates, the best way to reduce its burden on future generations is to encourage inflation. Savers may lose out on the deal, but to those in Washington, the idea of inflating our way out of debt is irresistible. Of course, sometimes we can depend on an independent central bank to resist this temptation. But at present, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is committed to near-zero interest rates in his fight against deflation. Now you don't have to be a conspiracy theorist to realize that, if the power structure is committed to at least moderate inflation, inflation is what you are going to get. In fact, it is already brewing.