If I may quote the right honourable 8th President of the United States

[Uncle Sparky]

Banks properly established and conducted are highly useful to the business of the country, and will doubtless continue to exist in the States so long as they conform to their laws and are found to be safe and beneficial.
Martin Van Buren

Well, banks have shown themselves not to be safe and financially benificial - LET 'EM BURN!
A president sais so.

[Hauldren Collider]

Van Buren was an idiot who led the economy into a depression, alongside his buddy n' pal Andrew 'American Adolf' Jackson, perpetrator of the destruction of the central bank and the trail of tears.

No points for you.

[Ben Kenobi]

Despite the fact that the 'Bank of the United States' was and is unconstitutional.



Three posters, three opinions.

[Hauldren Collider]

At this point the Federal Reserve can probably be justified under Congress' power to coin money. And hundreds of years of Supreme Court precedence, of course.

[regexcellent]

Ben, you do realize that the first national bank was established by the very people who wrote the Constitution, right? Now, seeing as Constitutional orgininalism is the officially conservative position, you presumably support that and for no other reason.

[Ben Kenobi]

Ben, you do realize that the first national bank was established by the very people who wrote the Constitution, right? Now, seeing as Constitutional orgininalism is the officially conservative position, you presumably support that and for no other reason.

One, the bank had a limited tenure. Why? Because the Constitution did not provide for a permanent, "First Bank" of the United States. It was supposed to be a temporary expedient, until the time when state banks could take over the task.

Two, it was VERY controversial among the founders, with Hamilton arguing for it's necessity, and most of the Southern states against.

[Ben Kenobi]

At this point the Federal Reserve can probably be justified under Congress' power to coin money. And hundreds of years of Supreme Court precedence, of course.

Fed Reserve was Wilson's baby and has been an unmitigated disaster for the US fiscal policy since it was instituted. And yes, it's unconstitutional.

[MRT144]

Fed Reserve was Wilson's baby and has been an unmitigated disaster for the US fiscal policy since it was instituted. And yes, it's unconstitutional.

Bigger disaster than all the years without the Fed? Nope, not by a longshot.

[Uncle Sparky]

I'm well aware of the 'Trail of Tears' which has little to do with banking. According to Van Buren, it was all quite successful. How many Cherokee or Seminoles currently live east of the Mississippi?

[Hauldren Collider]

I'm never sure whether to say Andrew Johnson or Andrew Jackson was the worst US president.

[Ben Kenobi]

Bigger disaster than all the years without the Fed? Nope, not by a longshot.

Look at US capital expansion from 1845 to 1913, and ask me the same question again.

The US went from being a wealthy nation to being broke.

[Ben Kenobi]

I'm never sure whether to say Andrew Johnson or Andrew Jackson was the worst US president.

It's Woodrow Wilson by a landslide. Look, the man managed to do what no one else could, he united the entire nation in opposition.

[Felch]

Andrew Jackson was our greatest president. He won more duels than anybody, and he also made sure that we wouldn't have any heathen dirt-worshippers on this side of the Mississippi. If we would just clone Jackson (D), Eisenhower (R), and Washington (I) we could do away with all these ridiculous elections, and move right on to the Triumvirate stage of the Imperial lifecycle. We have the technology to clone Presidents, when will we finally get off our asses and do the right thing?