As David Malpass, chief global economist at Bear Stearns, points out, "The two aren't tightly connected. Many countries with low interest rates have had strong currencies, including the German mark in the 1960s and the euro now. The dollar strengthened in the first years of the Reagan administration when he focused on it and put in good economic policies. We should do that again. The United States is a great country, and the dollar is normally a great currency."
McCain, I firmly believe, will do that again.
As I wrote recently, moving our nation toward a flatter, fairer and simplified tax code that is both pro-growth and pro-family while strengthening the investment climate in our country will immediately strengthen the demand for the dollar here and around the globe. McCain knows we need a tax policy for the 21st century that both recognizes the need for a competitive economy in an increasingly flattening world while encouraging capital formation and job creation here at home. His ideas for cutting corporate tax rates from 35 percent to 25 percent, expensing all investment in machinery, equipment and technology, making permanent the 15 percent tax rate on capital gains, dividends and estates while eliminating the alternative minimum tax would give us the answer to the dangerous simultaneity of inflation and recession.
These pro-growth initiatives by candidate McCain will force Sens. Obama and Clinton and their political advisers to say, "Oh no, we can't cut tax rates, we need higher taxes - but only on the rich." But soaking-the-rich rhetoric and policies to redistribute wealth will weaken the U.S. investment climate, further weaken the dollar and, in the end, exacerbate stagflation.
McCain's thesis of noninflationary growth will have the winning edge against Obama and Clinton's "antithesis." I truly believe this, among the other issues, like free trade, immigration reform, national security and a strong foreign policy, accompanied by McCain's pledge of strong appointments to the Supreme Court like Roberts and Alito, will give Republicans the opportunity to both win the White House and gain seats in the U.S. Congress.
|