Jeffrey Tucker and Dean Baker to Debate on Federal Reserve at Empire Unplugged

Jan. 31, 2012 - PRLog -- Washington, DC – Jeffrey Tucker, executive editor of Laissez-Faire Books, announced his participation in a debate with progressive economist Dean Baker to be held at Empire Unplugged. This will be the first “Unplugged” event hosted at the salon, and will take place on Friday, February 3, 2012 at 8:00 p.m.

The debate will focus on the legitimacy of the Federal Reserve Bank. Each debater will have 10 minutes to present their argument for or against it. Attendees of the event will learn how the Federal Reserve has functioned before, during and following economic crises; as well as how federal monetary policies affect citizens on an individual level.

“The actions – and inactions – of the Federal Reserve deeply impact the financial stability of our nation,” said Mr. Tucker. “I am looking forward to debating with Dean. This is a crucial topic, and Empire Unplugged will be the most interesting setting for a debate on federal monetary policy I have attended.”

“As with many policy debates, there really shouldn’t be a debate at all,” Tucker added. “That’s because, if you think about it, the idea of central banking makes no sense. If Dean says otherwise – and he is wrong – I will crush him.”

Mr. Baker responded: “The Federal Reserve's failure to recognize the housing bubble and to take steps to counter it produced the disastrous economy we have today. However, things would be even worse right now if we didn't have the Fed.”

Jeffrey Tucker is the author of several books including Bourbon for Breakfast: Living Outside the Statist Quo (2010), and It’s a Jetsons World: Private Miracles and Public Crimes (2011). Founded in 1972, Laissez-Faire Books is the nation’s leading Libertarian bookstore, publishing and distributing books on liberty, with a focus on economics and finance. The bookstore was acquired in 2010 by Baltimore-based research firm Agora Financial.

Dean Baker is the author of several books, including Taking Economics Seriously (2010) and The End of Loser Liberalism: Making Markets Progressive (2011). He is also the co-director of the Center for Economic Policy and Research in Washington, DC.

Empire Unplugged is a new salon show created to discuss the most controversial topics of our times. Live on-stage, guests speakers will tackle sacred cows and get to the meat of the matter, debating from both sides of the issue. At the end of each debate, the conversation is made open it up to the audience. Each salon is framed with Empire Unplugged theme music, after which a DJ takes over and the libations flow.

Empire Unplugged is located at the Montserrat House in Washington, DC (2016 9th St. NW).

Media Contact:
Andrew Keating – 410.864.2524 – akeating@agorafinancial.com