Who controls the Economy?

Question

Many people say the house controls the economy, others say the president.

Who knows who controls the economy??

Please only intelligent answers, and websites on this would help TREMENDOUSLY!

So does the President have anything to do with it?

Can one president being in office make it better or worse?

Answer 1

The President has been giving unprecedented pressure on Alan Greenspan to artificially lower the interest rate. This is like writing bad checks to yourself, which the Bush admin has been doing for 8 years now. The long term result will be the bankrupting of the Federal treasury, and a collapse of the US government (and a subsequent inability to defend itself against its enemies).
Good luck.

Answer 2

In reality, the government only exerts a small amount of control over our (the US) economy. It's very complicated, and beyond all serious attempts at steering.

Answer 3

the government likes to think that it is in charge of the economy, and the regularity with which they futz it up suggests they aren't as smart as they think.

many of the critical decisions aren't the ones you think, especially in the long run.

example: the GI (education) Bill of 1945 was critical to promoting the world wide strength of the US economy for the next few decades.

example: patent and copyright law is critical to the process of invention, which determines (with education and other variables) where (in which country) new ideas come to the fore and are implemented.

example: private property and capitalism are crucial to overall economic progress, yet the basic decisions to implement them were made long before we were born.

Answer 4

No one "controls" the economy except the economy. The government can influence it, but not "control" it.

Answer 5

In all practicality, the government does. We make it go, the governnment runs it. The government can raise and lower interest rates, print money, and set tax rates and trade deals, that nobody else can do.