Fed chief Bernanke actually has produced some scholarship on the Great Depression from his days as an academic. A speech briefly touching on some of his ideas can be found here: http://www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2004/200403022/
Economy is a zero-sum game when you factor in the planet that we live in, let alone the energy & time expended by labor. But then that's why people who use labels such as "lefties" can't be expected to acknowledge that as they have already handicapped their logic & critical thinking to keep that closeminded view. It's very simple what is going on. The big banks, with their money printing power are running up assets and then will pull out the bottom in either a slow bleeding recession or a crisis crash. Really depends on the US$ behavior. A dollar selloff will transfer into economic turbulence. The average shmoe and even institutions, traders, hedge funds, etc will dump even if it makes no sense. Unfortunately, equity market is oversaturated with sh*t covering the companies that possess true value from means of production. Same for real estate, lot of overvvaluled hype that covers the true value. Then the banks step in and buy cheap and further consolidate REAL assets, while the masses keep on thinking in fiat currency terms. Slow but steady, these processes have been going on for over a century and not only in US. See in USSR, it was done crudely. Lenin, then Stalin tells the small farmers to give up their land, machinery, tools and cattle to the commune farms and go work there instead of their current poor, furgal yet self-sustaining existence. The farmers say "f**k no, this is MY land, MY cattle and MY tools, get the f**k outta here with that sh*t". Then the soldiers come in and do it by force under the name of the "mother country". Those that resist get shot or sent to gulags. Those that succumb, become forced workers as all their previous means of production have been taken away. In US, this is being done through debt, financial pyramids, consumerism, advertising, etc. Believe me or not, but if look up what the big banks have been doing, you'll see. Remember, the big boys are now retail, commercial and IB in one, this was allowed only in the last 4 years. HMMM.
So you're saying an abundance of dollars (inflation) will lead to a lack of them (depression)? How will that happen again??? Also, you're comparing lenders, advertisers, retailers and pyramid schemers to an army who will take our possessions by force? What if we just exercise a little intelligent consumerism? SM
So why do you play this zero sum game? Every dollar you make you are taking away from somebody else. You greedy capitalist pig!