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Tables Turn on the US Fiscal Agenda

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11/19/09 Baltimore, Maryland – Wow, don’t hear this every day…

“If we keep on adding to the debt, even in the midst of this recovery, at some point, people could lose confidence in the U.S. economy,” President Obama told reporters in China yesterday. His administration is offering no solutions to this coming crisis (quite the contrary, as you’ll read below), but we’re a bit taken aback nevertheless… can’t remember the last time any president offered this stern a warning over our debts. He even went as far as to say that this lack of confidence could lead to a “double-dip recession.” Gasp!

“Now the tables are turned,” our currency man Bill Jenkins wrote to his readers yesterday. “And the president’s trip to Beijing has proven it.

“The American president will make his scout’s pledge to take our debt seriously and not to spend too much more. He will also reiterate that we believe in a strong dollar policy. The Chinese president will smile and nod and promise to continue buying our debt. He allows us to save a little face and does not reprimand us publicly for our self-indulgence.

“They will pretend to believe us, and in gratitude, we (ignoring the beads of sweat accumulating on our brow) will not force any of the other issues.

“First, America wants China’s help with a laundry list of adversarial relations from North Korea to Iran. Second, we (and the rest of the world) would like a renminbi that floats, instead of being pegged to the dollar. Third, we want to pontificate on the issues of human rights, of which Tibet is the universal poster child. Fourth and last (but NOT least), we would like the Chinese to continue purchasing American Treasuries (our debt).

“I am certain President Obama will get us the last of the requests. He will pay for that by caving on the first three.”

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Ian Mathias

Ian Mathias is managing editor of The 5 Min. Forecast.  We discovered Ian working as a full time rock climbing guide and writing on the side. As it turns out, markets and global economics can be extreme too… at least enough to keep him around. Since working for Agora Financial, respected media outlets including Forbes.com, the Associated Press, Yahoo, and MSN Money have syndicated his writing. He received his BA from Loyola College in Maryland and is currently studying writing at the graduate level.

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2 Responses

  1. Wendell MacKenzie said

    Why in the hell isn’t he winding down the iraq and afghanistan wars (like he promised in the election)? Would this not save a few hundred billion per year?

    I guess that is not in the plan though…is it Obama. Bring your country to the very brink of catastrophe…we can hardly wait to see the outcome.

    on November 19, 2009.
  2. Stephanie said

    There are many things that Obama could be doing to reduce our debts, yes. However, China can be an important joint problem solver when it come to both countries economic problems.
    http://www.newsy.com/videos/obama_talks_economics_in_china

    on November 19, 2009.

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