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Is the "monster money" chasing food? If so, some of us are going to get hungry.

Jeff Thredgold, economist for Zion's Bank, wrote an article in 2008 called, "Monster Money and Bubbles." He said, "In my view, there is an enormous pool of very aggressive investment money around the globe (let's call it monster money) that chases those assets with the greatest chance of a substantial gain. "Much of this money is in the management hands of hedge funds, pension funds, Wall Street and global commercial banks and investment firms, insurance companies and sovereign wealth funds." Yesterday I heard on the news that food prices are almost certainly going up due to weather and speculation. Is food the next target of the monster money? If so, there will be more empty cupboards.

Manias are nothing new. Anyone who bought Beanie Babies as an investment has certainly noted the fickle nature of public enthusiasm. Food, however, is not a fad item. It won't be possible to sit this out. We are all going to play. Where does the monster money come from? Huge profits are being made, legally and illegally. The money gained has to go somewhere. Money managers are charged with the task to increase the already overflowing coffers of the obscenely rich. Their job is to find a place to park the money where it will grow. So, the money managers chase the next big thing. Where has the monster money been lately? In 2000, the stocks on the NASDAQ rose precipitously and then fell off sharply. Then, the money flowed into real estate and everyone was suddenly flipping houses. Remember the painful rise of oil to $140 a barrel that occurred in 2008? After that, the smart money went back to the stock market and into gold. We didn't see riots over the price of gold, the falling price of houses or even over oil prices. But, food riots preceded the fall of Mubarak in Egypt. Food prices are a whole different game. With gas prices going up, one can economize by driving less or taking mass transit. Walking and bikes might cycle back into fashion. But, it's hard to eat less. In the U.S., we will all sit around helplessly over the next few years until food prices either fall or we just figure them into our budgets. Other people won't be so lucky. Is it just sad or is it criminal?

Sherri Park of Midvale is a retired teacher who likes to think and talk about things.