The Federal Reserve regularly releases data on the U.S.

monetary base. You can access that data at various websites, including the website for the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Go to http://research.stlouisfed.

org/fred2/ and click on “Categories,” then on “Money, Banking, & Finance,” then on “Monetary Data,” then on

“Monetary Base,” and then on “Monetary Base; Total”

for the latest report. Then click on “View Data.”

a. The last two numbers in the column show the levels of the monetary base in the last year. How much did it change?

b. How did this help in the government’s efforts to finance its deficit?

c. Why is it important for the central bank to be independent from the part of the government responsible for spending?