Audit the Federal Reserve 
By Jessica Bernier

Last week Rep. Ed Towns and Rep. Dennis Kucinich issued letters from the House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. These letters highlight the lack of response by these men to produce documents pertaining to an investigation of the alleged strong-arming by these two institutions in the Bank of America acquisition of Merrill Lynch last year. The fact that they are now expanding the investigation into the matter and using much more forceful language for compliance is telling.

For all of the talk about government being more transparent I find it interesting that Peter Welch, who sits on this same committee has not joined over 100 of his colleagues in cosponsoring legislation which would provide transparency into one of these institutions-- the Federal Reserve. HR1207, The Federal Reserve Transparency Act, would require a much needed and never performed audit of the Fed.

The Federal Reserve is a private banking cartel, which has been controlling our monetary policy for the last 96 years. It's about time Congress acted on behalf of the American people. An entity which has so much control over taxpayer money ought to open its books and prove that it has been acting with the best interest of Americans in mind, not the best interest of banks which have proven their instability and reckless regard for the citizens of this country. Please call Peter Welch and urge him to co-sponsor HR1207.

Jessica Bernier is the Washington County Coordinator of the Vermont Campaign for Liberty