More People Come Out in Support of Inflation

I have been saying for some time that this is the way out of the housing crisis, because it will devalue the mortgage loans to match real-estate prices returning to sanity.

Well, there are now some noted economic voices saying the same thing:

So say economists including Gregory Mankiw, former White House adviser, and Kenneth Rogoff, who was chief economist at the International Monetary Fund. They argue that a looser rein on inflation would make it easier for debt-strapped consumers and governments to meet their obligations. It might also help the economy by encouraging Americans to spend now rather than later when prices go up.

“I’m advocating 6 percent inflation for at least a couple of years,” says Rogoff, 56, who’s now a professor at Harvard University. “It would ameliorate the debt bomb and help us work through the deleveraging process.”

6% is a 12 year doubling time, and 3 years at 6% would get you an increase in prices of about 19%.

I think that the reason that he's talking about those numbers is because much above 6%, you start having real concerns about it getting away from you.

Meanwhile, Paul Krugman, while not coming out in defense of some inflation, says that he does not see it as a big deal.

He feels that the levels of debt under these circumstances are justified, and backs it up with historical examples.