General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Was Citizens United Correct? [View all]reACTIONary
(7,091 posts)... any more than anything else of value that might be traded.
Fractional reserve banking is not a ponzi scheme, it is the only economically viable form of banking in existence since its creation in the middle ages / early Renascence. That covers national banking systems, free market banks, and regulated banking. Nothing else exists because nothing else works as well.
If you are interested in a defense of fractional reserve banking against the current libertarian / austrian critique, I suggest you look into the work of Lawrence H. White, formally the F. A. Hayek Professor of Economic History at the University of MissouriSt. Louis and currently (I believe) at George Mason University.
Here is his review of Huerta de Soto's libertarian / austrian argument against fractional reserve banking:
Fractional Reserve 1
Fractional Reserve 2
Fractional Reserve 3