The Washington Post reports on the Pope's recent writing on economic policy:

In the first lengthy writing of his papacy — also known as an "apostolic exhortation" — Francis says such economic theories naively rely on the goodness of those in charge and create a "tyranny" of the markets. "In this context, some people continue to defend trickle-down theories which assume that economic growth, encouraged by a free market, will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world," the pope wrote. "This opinion, which has never been confirmed by the facts, expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralized workings of the prevailing economic system. Meanwhile, the excluded are still waiting."

The more I hear about "quantitative easing," the more it is clear that it amounts to fucking with our nation's currency in a dangerous way. It's making me queasy, and like many things, there's very little straight talk in the mainstream media. I've recently run across a few things that amount to some straight talk. Here's one, and here's the other: