Casey Research Chief Economist Bud Conrad:
"QE1 only bailed out the big banks so they could buy $400 billion in government debts. New loans actually declined, so it was no help to the public and thus didn't help the general economy. QE2 is a direct subsidy to the federal government and will not help the consumer. It will debase the currency. Neither party gives you a realistic chance to fix the amount of government debt that is too big to ever repay. So protect yourself with gold, energy, and agriculture investments."