It’s safe to say that conspiracy theories are officially mainstream. The president of the United States tweets out a new one every week. But perhaps no civilian government agency has been the target of more conspiracy theories over the past few decades than the Federal Reserve, established in 1913 to oversee monetary policy in the US.
Letters from members of the public to various government agencies can be an interesting snapshot of any given era. Take, for instance, wi-fi complaints at the National Parks. Or US military service members’ letters to the American Forces Network. So with that spirit in mind, I filed a Freedom of Information Act request this past summer with the Federal Reserve asking for messages that regular people have sent through the Fed’s “Contact Us” portal. (And I used to think my hate mail was bad.)
The Federal Reserve gets a ton of unsolicited mail, so back in August I gave the Fed’s FOIA Office a specific list of words to search for in order to narrow it down. Some keywords I asked them to search were pretty innocuous, to hopefully reflect legitimate concerns from average Americans: Words like Trump, Hillary, Democrats and Republicans.
Other words that I asked them to search for were the kinds you’d find on conspiracy websites about the Fed, including “lizard people,” “reptilian,” “Jewish,” and “Alex Jones.” I also tossed in a few swear words for good measure like “shit” and “fucking.”
Long story short: The Fed decided that they’d search for words like “Trump” and “Clinton” but wouldn’t search for some of what the Fed called “random” and “obscene” words. The agency refused to search for words like “reptilian,” “garbage,” “lizard people,” “fuck” and “Jews.” The reason they gave was that these words would not “shed light on the Board’s operations or on any government activity.”
And while I’m somewhat sympathetic to the Fed’s reasoning here under the strictest reading of the Freedom of Information Act, I think that this particular FOIA request is useful (if admittedly a bit silly) to show how a large sample of the American public views the Fed through the lens of the popular media now driving the conversation about it.
Who are these people driving the conversation? People like Ron Paul, who has spent decades trying to abolish the Fed. And people like Alex Jones who has called the Federal Reserve “the slavemasters” and launched a campaign in 2011 to “Occupy the Fed.” And people like David Duke, the ex-Klansman and Donald Trump supporter who claims that the Fed is a Jewish conspiracy to control the world’s money, leaning heavily on anti-semitic lies that are as important to counter as ever now that hate crimes against Jews are soaring across the US.
Exposing the effect that the Ron Pauls and the Alex Joneses of the world are having helps us to understand just what we’re up against. Which is to say, how to battle the bigotry and hate that sometimes drives these conspiracy theories, using the Federal Reserve’s public mailbox as a case study for the spectrum of ridiculous claims permeating through American society—from the reptilian control of politics to the Jewish control of the money supply.
Conspiracy theories have always been with us. But in the era of Trump they’ve become the norm. And while the Fed may have some real issues to address and reform, just as any government agency does, conspiracy theories harm real efforts at reform.
As a reminder, Alex Jones believes that the 20 children and 6 adults who were massacred at a school in Connecticut in 2012 were actors. And he’s no longer a fringe character. Our current president has appeared on his show as a friendly guest and Alex Jones has had nothing but great things to say about President Trump. This is where we’re at in 2017 and I believe that showing how this poison is seeping into the halls of government is important.
I will not be appealing this particular FOIA request, because I don’t want to use up any more of the Fed’s resources than necessary, but I do believe that they made the wrong call in this instance to exclude the more extreme words that they deemed arbitrary. (Why won’t they admit that the Fed is controlled by Lizard People?)
You can read all of the letters to the Fed that were released to Gizmodo here. The period covered is January 1, 2015 to August 2016. The redactions made to protect the privacy of the letter writers were made by the Fed.
I’ve pulled out a sample below, just to give you a taste of what people at the Fed have to wade through every day. And, of course, they’re not all conspiracy theories. They give a fascinating glimpse into the mind of our fellow Americans, conspiracy theorist and concerned citizen alike.
Spelling errors and rants in all caps have been retained from the original. As you can see from the messages sent to the Feds, comments about Donald Trump really start to pick up in late 2015.
From: Dumont, New Jersey
February 8, 2015
Just saw a headline that Janet Yellen will speak to Congress in February. Now is this just for Democrats or all of congress? She should resign or get fired for the last little meeting for just select people!
From: Utica, New York
February 25, 2015
Dear Chairwoman Yellen....on behalf of my wife [redacted] and I we would like you Thank You for your consistent stance on the fed funds rate and for standing up to our dysfunctional congress. Under any republican administration they favored the rich, and made them richer. The democrats were consistently for the working class, the average person trying to earn a living and take care of their family. This issue I know is not about politics and is not a democratic or republican issue. It is a people issue, the people on Main St. USA not Wall Street. We do not believe the FED needs to be audited, one only has to look at congress and the games they play to see if anyone needs an audit it is them. Keep up the great work, you and those free thinkers that support your ideas are to be commended. Congress should be ashamed of themselves for all their inane antics.
From: Powhatan, Virginia
February 27, 2015
WWIII STARTED! ANOTHER AMERICAN REVOLUTION NEEDED! AMERICA WILL TOTALLY COLLAPSE! ALL WILL DIE! GULLIBLE STUPID LOW INFORMATION AMERICANS HAVE ALLOWED OBAMA MARXIST DEMS TO DESTROY AMERICA! MANY CRIMINALS = BIG BRO OFFICIALS. OLD FARTS (BOTH PARTIES) PUT THEIR POWER AHEAD OF COUNTRY! “COWARDLY REPUBLICANS” = AFRAID OF DEMS/MUSLIM DOMESTIC TERRORIST OBAMA!” FEDERAL AGENCIES (UNELECTED OFFICIALS) HAVE DESTROYED AMERICA VIA OBAMA’S MARXIST IDEAS! ***ANTI GUN LAWS HELP MUSLIM TERRORISTS/CRIMINAL ILLEGALS!*** FCC OBAMA MARXISTS WILL DESTROY FREE SPEECH/RAISE MASSIVE TAXES/DESTROY JOBS! ISIS TERROR CELLS IN AMERICA THANKS TO DHS/DOJ/TSA/ETC. AMERICA = NO NATIONAL SECURITY. MARXIST OBAMA/DEMS = DESTROYED AMERICA’S DOMESTIC FREEDOM/JOBS/ENERGY/ETC. THE WILL OF HARD WORKING AMERICAN PEOPLE IGNORED BY OUR SOVIET STYLE GOVERNMENT! **(THANKS FOR HELPING OBAMA/MARXIST DEMS IN DESTROYING OUR FORMERLY GREAT NATION COMRADE SOVIETS!)
From: Warrenville, Illinois
March 19, 2015
It appears that the W.T.O. and N.A.F.T.A. have opened the flood gates of American jobs to low wage countries. In addition, there is a tariff imbalance between China and the United States! China puts a 25% (repeat) 25% tariff on our exports to China, but the U.S. puts only a 2.5% (repeat) 2.5% tariff on Chinese imports to the U.S.! A 10 to 1 tariff ratio against U.S. exports! Senator Dick Durban has written a 2010 proposal that would stop tax loop holes that currently out source and in source jobs to low wage countries My suggestion is for the President and the Republicans to work with Senator Dick Durban and his fellow senators on passing his 2010 proposal. We need to return to the days of fair trade, not free trade! Presently (as of 9 9 2014) we are at a GDP of 1.8%. During the Reagan and Clinton terms, our GDP was at 3.0%! Pat Buchanan stated that countries that practiced protectionism saw their GDP increase to 4 and 5%! It’s time to PUT AMERICA BACK TO WORK, by returning foreign jobs back to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA by lowering corporate tax rates to 19%, and then cancelling the W.T.O., N.A.F.T.A., C.A.F.T.A., and, T.P.P.! The corporate taxes could be waived only if the profits are re invested in additional American jobs! In addition, the State of New York has started tax free zones to encourage corporations to locate to New York, with a successful response. I believe New York is a successful flag ship state for the other 49 states to follow!
From: Greensboro, North Carolina
March 23, 2015
OPEN LETTER TO THE FEDERAL RESERVE I, AND MANY AMERICANS, INCLUDING FORMER U.S. REP RON PAUL ARE IN FAVOR OF ENDING THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: IT HAS ENABLED THE FINANCE OF ENDLESS WARS SINCE ITS VERY INCEPTION. WARS THAT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN FINANCED OTHERWISE. EXAMPLE, WWI FINANCED, LEADING TO BANKRUPTED ENGLAND, FRANCE AND GERMANY, RESULTING IN CRUSHING AND UNAFFORDABLE WAR REPARATIONS AGAINST GERMANY, LEADING TO THE RISE OF HITLER AND WWII. SINCE THE FED’S CREATION, THE U.S. HAS EXPERIENCED INFLATION, ERODING SAVER’S DOLLARS BY 97%. FRACTIONALIZED BANKING IS UNSUSTAINABLE WITHOUT CONTINUOUS GROWTH, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SYSTEM IS LEVERAGED. IT DOOES NOT ALLOW DEFLATION WITHOUT BANKS GOING INSOLVENT. THEREFORE, IT IS A PONZI SCHEME. MONETIZATION PENALIZES RESPONSIBLE SAVERS AND REWARDS RECKLESS BEHAVIOR. THERE IS NO TRANSMISSION TO THE WORKING/MIDDLE CLASS. THE 10% GET WEALTHIER. QUANTITATIVE EASING BORDERS ON CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, AS THE FED IS AIDING AND ABETTING RECKLESS BANKERS AT THE EXPENSE OF PRUDENT SAVERS AND INVESTORS. AND LAST, THE FED IS UNWITTINGLY DESTROYING PRICE DISCOVERY AND WESTERN CAPITALISM AS WE KNEW IT.
From: Edgewater, Maryland
March 31, 201
No comments needed much corruption and Fed is backing it all. Thieves, tramps, and the prideful will fall and I am wanting to see all of you get what is coming to you. http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-03-30/four-tbtf-banks-threaten-withhold-funds-democrats-over-elizabeth-warrens-wall-street
From: Waukegan, Illinois
April 15, 2015
This is for the Federal Reserve Chairman: Who is supporting the Asia and not the USA? Who is repaying the USA with evil for good by taking jobs and giving them to democrats (liberals) only? Why are gentiles (conservatives) not allowed to work in this country? Or have wealth? We are constantly being underemployed the jobs going to Asia or special interest that support Asia. Why aren’t catholic gentiles allowed to work/have money/wealth? Why is this chairman getting paid alot of money and favoring Asia? Why are gentiles being discriminated against?
From: Ann Arbor, Michigan
April 30, 2015
Dear Janet Yellin You may pretend not to know me, but I am Source Economic, named by the Melchizedeks who govern the planetary economy. I wear THE ROBE.You are nothing comparable, having only congressional approval. Every government official who has ignored and denied me has met his demise. I recently emailed President Obama detailing my plans to put back up the HEX that says “Obama is a Pompous Dithering Bonehead”. It was that HEX that enabled the Republicans to win all those seats in the last election. Obama earned that HEX by failing to fund the cure for Alzheimer’s, which I invented and proved. Not only that, if the payments for using my economic ideas is not forthcoming, then a new HEX, an impeachment HEX, will appear over the Rocky Mountains (http://autonne.org/hexmanhort.html). The US Treasury has usurped my ideas about Free Issuance, and gone and printed $15 trillion. I have that on the authority of the issuer in the Spirit Dimensions. The standard consulting fee paid in all free issuance dominions is .005%, so you owe ELLESYS2.com $8 Billion, cash acceptable. FREE ISSUANCE has taken over from TAX AND WAR economics on a million trillion worlds, including advanced planets, stars and Spirit Realms. Our staff is likewise Spirit Beings, and the staff of Gendex Bank in the Spirit
From: Santa Cruz, California
May 17, 2015
With reference to Senator Ron Paul’s video in which he claims an imminent currency collapse in order to sell a Porter Stansberry’s newsletter to vulnerable retirees, and in which he claims the Federal Reserve is a major contributor to this coming catastrophe, why is the chairman silent? Many people like me would welcome a statement from the Board. It would help to save many people from investing their hard earned savings in a fraudster’s newsletter.
From Powhatan, Virginia
May 20, 2015
LIFE IN AMERICA SUCKS THANKS TO YOUR PARTY! INFLUENCE BUYING = TREASON! IF a REPUBLICAN COMMITTED the CRIMES/TREASON/SCANDALS/ETC. COMMITTED by CLINTONS/OBAMAS/OTHER PROGRESSIVES, YOU WOULD GO AFTER THEM! You FECKLESS SPINELESS PIECES of DOG DIRT REWARD CORRUPTION! *** CLINTONS/OBAMAS SELLING their INFLUENCE/GETTING AWAY WITH IT! CORRUPT LEADERSHIP Face of DEM MARXIST PARTY! *** DOMESTIC/FOREIGN POLICY = DISASTER! AMERICA in a Deep DEPRESSION. OUR ENEMIES, FOREIGN/DOMESTIC POLICIES BIG BRO in GENERAL, CRUSHING AMERICANS WITH an IRON SOVIET FIST! AMERICA BEING ATTACKED BY CRIMINAL ILLEGALS/MUSLIM TERRORISTS/ILLEGALS TAKING AMERICAN JOBS/ETC. PROGRESSIVE DEMS FAVOR THEM OVER AMERICAN CITIZENS! FEDERAL AGENCIES ARE BRUTAL! WHY SHOULD SUFFERING AMERICAN CITIZENS SUPPORT A BRUTAL SOVIET GOVERNMENT? **ABOLISH THE SOVIET STYLE FED!
From: Pacific Palisades, California
May 21, 2015
Looking forward to when the Republicans take over the Presidency, and start dismantling the Fed. Retirees are tired of your gifts to VCs, borrowers and companies. There has never been as much financial engineering as today, and you are facilitating it. No one builds factories or creates jobs, they just borrow money for free, and buy back stock.
From: Altavista, Virginia
June 4, 2015
I don’t know where to start...basically my entire life has been destroyed in this country because from day one i have been called crazy...I do nothing but prepare for the collapse of industrial civilization due to the depletion of fossil fuels..i modified my cellular chromosomes when i was 23 in less than 3 days using wikipedia on a dell inspiron 9300 laptop.HTERT telomerase induction reverses cellular senescense,reverting the cell to a more youthful phenotype.Aging is known as senescence and senescence is disease..my father blew his head off when i was a child and my mother is a grown child thats dying from diabetees and living on candy and potato chips..iv been sneaking astragalus membranceus into her food to keep her alive..GERON corporation did research proving that astragalus from chinese medicine reverses cellular senescence..iv been talking to the white house and darpa trying to find a job or something? I have seen all the conspiracy movies ect online and i want george bush senior to live forever...POPs (the persistent organic pollutant) needs jello stat: [redacted]
From: Seattle, Washington
June 12, 2015
I understand that Janet Yellen has spent decades studying labor markets. I do not understand why she has remained on the sidelines as the $15 Now minimum wage campaign is winning in multiple cities and soon to sweep the country. It is scary to consider people who have worked hard to increase their compensation to $16 18 per hour by working hard and adding value will be demotivated and their employers will have less money for future increases. Given the lack of motivation that many younger members of the work force demonstrate (work ethic issues) this problem will be exacerbated. With less motivation, we will lose productivity. Not the recipe for success. Companies will reduce hours for employees due to budget issues. Companies will push jobs overseas. On shoring will stop and off shoring will be the new trend (again). In Seattle, I believe Sawant (the primary instigator of 15Now) is actually motivated to help her home country by pushing up the USA minimum wage which will drive more jobs and off shoring to India. I think her agenda is driven by her desire to help India, not her concern for unskilled workers in the US. She knows that US minimum wage workers live a much more comfortable life that 90%+ of the India population. Please be the voice of reason in the public debate. The politicians are worried about votes and the corporate leaders are worried about losing customers. The Democrats are trying to secure votes....the USA needs you!
From: Melbourne, Florida
August 13, 2015
So there is no inflation? Have any of you visited a super market lately! Is’nt it bad enough that you stabbed every senior citizen in the back by keeping interest rates at zero for this long, while taking care of your friends in wall street. Want to know why Donald trump is doing so well, because we the people know what a bunch of crooks you and that crowd in Washington are. Now you say there may not be an increase in September? what a joke. You all need to be thrown out!
From: New Orleans, Louisiana
August 24, 2015
I don’t know who is going to get this,but I’ll tell you one thing. INTEREST RATES need to go UP UP UP ! People work ,save their money and later in life NEED A RETURN ON IT. I am STRUGGLING to pay my PROPERTY TAX and FLOOD INSURANCE and I RELY ON THE INTEREST I GET.If interest does not go up I won’t be able to pay it and if I don’t pay the Propety Tax I can find myself in the park on a bench. There are many SENIORS for example who need medicine and have bills to pay on a little amount of Social Security and need the INTEREST I need that rate to go up to 5% overtime and they need to start raising it NOW ! This is URGENT ! They are useing people’s money the banks and giving them 0.Donald Trump will be the next President at this rate.People are SICK AND TIRED and I am one of them What is happening to me andother is WRONG !
From: New York City
August 27, 2015
Raise rates now! Stop hinting! Tax the rich tax the corporations tax all republicans and those who vote for and support them out of existence! Jail all those on wall street!!!
From: Manassas, Virginia
October 9, 2015
This letter is for Honorable Chair Janet L. Yellen : Current interests rates at U.S. banks have been at zero percent for 9 years. Such low rates encourage large speculation schemes by Wall Street investment houses. Stock market is like a super inflated balloon, which needs to be deflated. When Bill Clinton was president with economy in as good shape as today, interest rates were at about 5%, and that is where current 0% rates need to be increased, to 5%. Keeping interest rates at 0% weakens the U.S. currency. Germany printed German mark after WWI, and this printing damaged their currency a lot. Stop printing U.S. currency like wall paper, and do increase rates very soon, please.
From: Spring, Texas
October 12, 2015
Hello again I note that the Fed Bank Atlanta President states US economy is nearing full employment. What about the 100 million citizens who are employment age and have no jobs? Bernanke blames the radical Republicans what about the radical President? This statement is evidence of detachment from reality. I agree with a rate hike and would have done it 2 3 years ago. Think through these statements before publicly making dumb statements Regards [redacted]
From Austin, Texas
October 23, 2015
Did you know that simple awareness of the public banking protocol called Promise Language can be used to prove you are guilty of conspiracy to perpetuate human slavery? I have told you many times that a public bank protocol is necessary. Your failure to respond is evidence that you are involved in a conspiracy to enslave humanity. I have sufficient evidence to prove it in a public court of law.
From: Florence, New Jersey
December 11, 2015
hello. i want to know why the fed panics over any Paul that brings up the movement to audit the FED. you at the fed board are defaming any capitalist movement that wants real rates instead of paper fiat currency. why don’t you at the fed just reveal to the public what assests are being purchased? why so much fear and isolationism of such people like Ron Paul who have called for a comphrensive audit for the Fed and later to abolish it. it is because the fed fails in its objectives to protect the public such as their failed FDIC!
From: Garden Grove, California
December 17, 2015
I am very worried about the interest rate hike. You say it is a sign of economic recovery, however where we are, we are still struggling. My son purchased a restaurant in NYC the year before the 2008 crash. His first year was great then the economy tanked. He has been struggling to stay afloat ever since while many restaurants around him went out of business. It has been very frightening. He can’t even take a salary. If people don’t have money to spend they don’t go out to eat and restaurants fail. Every time he seemed to start to get ahead the Republicans shut down the government causing turmoil again and business dropped finding him having to pull himself up again. Now just when it seems like he might find some breathing room, you up the interest rates! We just can’t catch a break! As a middle class American to me this means I have to watch my spending and use less credit. How is that going to help our economy when we are afraid to spend? You say it will create jobs? How many times have we heard that? Bush’s tax cuts were supposed to do that. Where is the evidence that that happened? I get tired of hearing how jobs are going to be created every time a finacial move is made which seems to be just talked to get us to buy into deceitful moves. How about letting our economy really recover before gouging us again. This may help big businesses but small ones like my son’s are still struggling to recover.
From: Silver Spring, Maryland
January 25, 2016
I support US Constitution and US Security first !President Obama and Hillary Clinton signature on NSA collecting and listen for the national security for USA security first. US Defense, US Homeland Security, NSA, CIA, FBI,US FED, US SEC US Banks, US companies cooperate with the spirit of USA. USA will stand! Yes! I support Hillary Clinton to be US President who is strongest iron lady with the experience and who will fight for USA for #1 country. USA need Iron President as same as Iron President Obama Hillary Clinton standing # 1 country USA
From Nortrheast, Maryland
February 6, 2016
Could you suddenly lower gold to $100/oz. for 2 mos. and contact CNN to cause a worldwide panic and blame Donald trump and all Republican and Democrat candidates for it except for the following candidates: Eric Cavanagh at ericforpres111.com,Hillary Clinton,Joseph Biden.
From: Jonestown, Ohio
March 13, 2016
I’m writing due to frustration and concern. Regrettably, academia has failed to teach you that you are creating bubbles and unrest. Your interest rate policies have bolstered the assets of the rich while savers and retirees are getting slammed. Please look at the political field... Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are very popular. How scary. No wait, Bernie is likely your candidate given the brainwashed students coming out of out liberal ivy league institutions. Free markets do work, but do create well deserved cleansing through closings and bankruptcies. What a bubble!!!!!
From: Houston, Texas
April 12, 2016
good job reinflating the stock market bubble. THanks for keeping interest rates artificially low so that companies can issue debt and buyback their overvalued stocks and continue the Ponzi scheme. Anyone with a grain of salt for a brain knows what is going on here. Companies are sacrificing their book values for the instant gratification of higher stock prices and highers values to their company issued stocks/options. It is funny that you guys are so willing to help out the super rich. And you wonder why Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump are doing well.
From: Dumont, New Jersey
May 6, 2016
Looks like the morally bankrupt skumbag fed officials have their reason to delay a rate hike, he jobs report. Last month the excuse was the global economy but that went away so you had to come up another feeble excuse and you skumbags got it. When Wall Street says jump, skumbag fed asks how high! Vote for Trump to dump Yellen!
From: Shelby, North Carolina
May 26, 2016
I can’t wait until Trump is president and we can say “Fed you’re fired!”and “Wall Street it’s time you paid for having the Fed in your pocket all these years!”
From: Washington
May 28, 2016
tax the rich tax all corporations tax all republicans and those who vote for and assist them out of business!!!you and yours going to JAIL NOW!!! Guilty of market manipulations, price gouging price fixing, abuse anti trust laws, violations Sherman and clayton acts, RICO, fraud, etc. TAX THE RICH TAX THE CORPORATIONS TAX ALL REPUBILICANS AND THOSE WHO VOTE FOR AND ASSISST THEM OUT OF BUSINESS!!! you and yours are UNAmerican Unpatriotic asshole NAZIS!! You are all corporate lackeys!!
From: Kenmore, Washington
May 31, 2016
“It was really the Federal Reserve that dictated the nature of this race. Neither Trump nor Sanders would be where they are today if it weren’t for three stooges Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen.” What the hell!
From: Dumont, New Jersey
June 3, 2016
What happened with the jobs numbers in May? Was the phony Yellin running out of excuses for not raising rates that the jobs numbers had to be carefully reviewed for changes? Voting for Trump to dump Yellin! That lying phony needs to be shown the door and fast!
From: Bethesda, Maryland
June 9, 2016
The stock market feels a little toppy. Maybe you can find another Jew to give Janet an award in public? That seems to calm everyone down. When the audio tapes are released regarding Hillary’s purchase of Janet the Federal Reserve will do toast. In that moment it is important to remember that you chose this course of action. On a personal note it has been fun watching all of you make fools of yourselves on the way down. Everyone is laughing at you and you aren’t intelligent enough to know better.
From: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
June 13, 2016
It is absolutely RIDICULOUS the the U.S. Federal Reserve Board is acting like a bunch of COWARDS. RAISE THE DAMN INTEREST RATES 1/4 OF 1 PERCENT NOW !!! You folks are being pushed around by politics and occasional world events that have NOTHING to do with our economy. Are you serious? One bad jobs report sends the U.S. Federal Reserve Board running like scared chickens. Now it’s unrealistic fears of a BREXIT? Really? Next it will be a fart from President Obama that gives you people a reason to avoid doing a trivial rate hike. A 1/4 of 1 percent rate hike signals CONFIDENCE in the U.S. economic growth but no rate hike signals the Fed is a bunch of cowards who can easily be manipulated into doing nothing. The U.S. economy is being held back by your inaction and it’s long overdue for the Fed to raise rates on a steady and predictable path. The Fed must restore confidence that it can actually do the job. Lord knows the rest of our politicians cannot do their jobs... which is why so many voters favor Trump for President. Thanks
From: Bountiful, Utah
June 19, 2016
I read an interesting article by Ron Paul, regarding Mr. Andolfatto’s proposed FEDCOIN digital currency. I believe this would be a grave mistake. Every few months I’m having to replace one of my debit or credit cards because someone’s hacked my bank, or some other vulnerable points where criminals collect financial digital data. Once my husband and I were in the UK, and our daughter was in China when our bank’s credit & debit cards were suddenly deactivated. We found out our new replacement cards were sitting in our mailbox at home. Fortunately, my husband had brought an extra credit card, and our daughter was rescued by a couple, who helped her get to a hotel in Thailand where she was able to receive a replacement card. I learned from this the importance of having CASH with me. A 100% digital currency is a very very bad idea. There are far too many digitally talented thieves and dishonest waiters and the problem’s getting worse every day.
From: Hurst, Texas
June 24, 2016
BREXIT passing simply means that Great Britain’s citizens believe in nationalism over globalization. Clearly, most of the people who voted for Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump believe that nationalism would be a better policy than globalization. This is the change they are voting to see. Monetary and banking policy that helps increase manufacturing in our economy to increase it from 27% of GDP closer to 50% will increase the wealth of our nation. Fiscal stimulus invested in infrastructure like fixing the interstate highways and bridges and expanding the system to have 3 lanes on each side with no trucks in the left lane will help the economy grow. Redesign of airports like O’Hare to be distributed in nature instead of centralized will improve productivity and reduce risk of security bottlenecks and opportunities for mass murder. Investment in two way high speed under ground rail magnetic levitation vehicles will help US compete with economies in Japan, China and Europe. Laws or tax incentives that will balance out wage increased with profits and price increases will give the poor, working class and middle class the income they need to sustain themselves and grow the economy even more. Retaining earnings and profits in the hands of too few chokes capitalism to economic death.
From: Sudbury, Alaska
July 26, 2016
Hi, i recently started watching your meetings on youtube. I wanted to know if you would enable comments on some videos or make videos people could comment on. I know there is a lot of stupid conspiracy stuff out there, but I think that your channel is trying to be open and talk about extremely complicated issues. You make decisions regarding the stability or more than one country. please promote your channel a little more and show people that some of the big decisions are made through education and experience.
From: Kingwood, Texas
August 12, 2016
I am very concerned with any appearance of the FED becoming involved in partisan politics. There is a suggestion that rates rise with the election of Secretary Clinton, and act in opposite with the election of Mr. Trump. I believe the FED should be driven by matters of the economy, monetary policy and economic direction. Once a person is elected president, discussions are critical but so is independence. I am hopeful the suggestion I mention is the opinion of someone who is seeking to create a wedge in the election process. This contested race needs no further amplification in my opinion. Thank you [redacted]
From: Unknown
August 17, 2016
janet yellen and all of you and yours are guilty of anti trust violations RICO, market manipulations and belong in jail NOW!! you and yours going to JAIL NOW!!! Guilty of market manipulations, price gouging price fixing, abuse anti trust laws, violations Sherman and clayton acts, loan sharks, RICO, fraud, etc. TAX THE RICH TAX THE CORPORATIONS TAX ALL REPUBILICANS AND THOSE WHO VOTE FOR AND ASSISST THEM OUT OF BUSINESS!!! you and yours are UNAmerican Unpatriotic asshole NAZIS!! You are all corporate lackeys!! MORE GOVT NOT LESS MORE LAWS AND REGULATIONS NOT FEWER!!! STUPID AMERICANS! STUPID REPUBLICANS! This IS what you get when you vote Republican’ts OR don’t vote at all! How gullible are you?! What kind of drugs including so called medical marijuana are you on?! STUPID AMERICANS! BELOW IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU VOTE REPUBLICAN OR DON’T VOTE AT ALL! There ARE consequences! BELOW IS WHAT HAPPENS when you vote Republican or don’t vote at all or don’t pay taxes or offshore profits/inversion, sedition and treason and abdication of their oath of office and UNConstitutional childish behaviors of Republican’ts or don’t want gov’t (so, if republicans don’t like gov’t then why are they in it or want to be in it?!) or regulations or unions which keep us safe how many corporations can claim that?!! REPUBLICANS ARE A DISEASE!
From: Manchester, Missouri
August 18, 2016
Dear Sir/Madam: Please raise interest rates so we of the middle class can make some money in our bank accounts. Keeping the rates so low or near zero benefits no one but the very, very well to do. We do not benefit whatsoever, no matter what you think. I know for we have had to live with no earnings from our bank for years now. What you are doing benefits Ms. Clinton. she can pretend the economy is booming when it is not, so she can make her points against Mr. Trump. This is political. Stop it!!!!!! WE need help. We cannot participate in the market to buy stocks at P/E’s 50 times. This is nonsense. XOM for instance has a P/E of 35 when it is normally 12. I am not going to buy stocks. at such levels. When they correct we get wiped out and those who can afford to buy insurance, make out fine. So we are forced to take risks and they make the money. How nice for you and the Demon crats. I am tired of this as we all are and some day the story of this market fiasco will come out and people will understand just what has been done to us. You are DESTROYING THE MIDDLE CLASS!!! LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD FOR EVERYONE SO EARNINGS FROM COMPANIES MEAN SOMETHING. Help the middle class for once and raise rates so the companies cannot cheat by buying back their own stock making the market look so good and Ms. Clinton too. She does not deserve this special treatment you are according her.
From: Stamford, Connecticut
August 19, 2016
In the coming weeks it will be reported in the press that Hillary Clinton accepted a campaign contribution from George Soros. The contribution was given with the promise that a meeting could be brokered between Soros and Janet Yellen. In addition, e mails from Clinton to Yellen will be released that show Clinton instructing Yellen to make no adjustments to interest rate policy throughout the 2016 election cycle. Does the Federal Reserve, or Janet Yellen herself, wish to comment on these claims? Furthermore, does the Federal Reserve wish to deny the existence of such communications? Thank you [redacted]