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There are no easy choices. Easy choices are long gone.

Alan Greenspan

But how do we know when irrational exuberance has unduly escalated asset values, which then become subject to unexpected and prolonged contractions as they have in Japan over the past decade?
ALAN GREENSPAN

Asset Escalate Exuberance Irrational Unduly Value
And whatever their publicized angst over Saddam Hussein’s ‘weapons of mass destruction.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Destruction Mass Over Publicize Weapon Whatever
People dont realize that we cannot forecast the future. What we can do is have probabilities of what causes what, but thats as far as we go. And Ive had a very successful career as a forecaster, starting in 1948 forward.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Cannot Cause Far Forecast Future Go People Realize Probability
What we have found over the years in the marketplace is that derivatives have been an extraordinarily useful vehicle to transfer risk from those who shouldn’t be taking it to those who are willing to and are capable of doing so.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Derivative Extraordinary Marketplace Over Useful Year
I came to a stark realization: chronic surpluses could be almost as destabilizing as chronic deficits.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Almost Came Deficit Destabilize Chronic Realization Stark Surplus
Regulators have not been able to achieve the level of future clarity required to act pre-emptively.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Able Archive Been Clarity Emotively Future Pre Regulator Require
I’ve always argued that this country has benefited immensely from the fact that we draw people from all over the world.
ALAN GREENSPAN

All Always Argue Benefited Country Draw Fact Immensely Over People World
In the process we have created [a] privileged elite whose incomes are being supported at non-competitively high levels by immigration quotas on skilled professionals.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Competitively Immigration Income Level Process Profession Quota Support
I have one other issue I’d like to throw on the table. I hesitate to do it, but let me tell you some of the issues that are involved here.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Hesitate Issue Other Some Table Throw
Remember what we’re looking at. Gold is a currency. It is still, by all evidence, a premier currency, that no fiat currency, including the dollar, can match.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Currency Dollar Evidence Gold Look Premier Remember Still
If I say something which you understand fully in this regard, I probably made a mistake.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Made Mistake Probably Regard Something Understand
In the absence of the gold standard, there is no way to protect savings from confiscation through inflation. There is no safe store of value.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Absence Confiscation God Inflation Protect Save
The need for values is inbred. Their content is not.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Content Inbred Need Value
If we allow terrorism to undermine our freedom of action, we could reverse at least part of the palpable gains achieved by postwar globalization. It is incumbent upon us not to allow that to happen.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Action Allow Freedom Terrorism Undermine
Many of those who purchased their residence more than a year ago have equity buffers in their homes adequate to withstand any price decline other than a very deep one.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Adequate Ago Buffer Decline Deep Home One Piece Purchase Residence Year
It is regrettably the way human nature functions, whether we like it or not. What successful economies do is keep it to a minimum.
ALAN GREENSPAN

Function Human Keep Minimum Nature Regrettably Successful

There are no easy choices. Easy choices are long gone.

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There are no easy choices. Easy choices are long gone.

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