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Comment by skybrian | Hacker News Reader

Could you explain why you think democracy is important and has much to do with how U.S. currency is managed? It seems to me that voters have very little influence on decisions made by the Federal Reserve, and that's intentional. We wouldn't want a central bank to be much influenced by the latest election.

The Federal Reserve is a consortium of banks and tends to make decisions that are good for banks, so if you're worried about corporatism, it's already here.

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The chair and board of the federal reserve are appointed by the president.

Also it has a government enforced monopoly.

That’s a ridiculous statement if you consider the fed a part of the government. I.e. the fire department and police both have “government enforced monopolies”. The government itself is a “government enforced monopoly”

Hardly.

The alternative would be a repeal of legal tender laws. This would allow consumers & businesses to transact in the currency of their choice.

“The alternative would be a repeal of laws establishing police, allowing consumers & businesses to choose between law enforcement providers.”

Look I’m not saying you can’t criticize the existence of the fed, but calling them a “government enforced monopoly” is inane. They are a _part_ of the government.

If using a given telephone company were mandated by the government, it would be by definition a government enforced monopoly. Similarly, legal tender laws force businesses to accept USD to settle all debts. From this point, Gresham's law also plays a role.

There is a long history of private policing in the United States.

The Federal Reserve Bank is not owned by the government. It is considered a public private partnership.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_police_in_the_United_S... https://mises.org/wire/private-policing-isnt-fantasy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresham%27s_law

This is true, but being appointed is important. Much like the Supreme Court, they are expected to be independent, not "accountable".

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