Absurd? I do not think you realize the magnitude of this type of meddling. This isnt capping the price of carrots for a week.

I am not arguing that "any influence" = planned economy. If you get that from what I said, you are showing a lack of understanding of the topic. What I am saying, is fixing the price of money is central planning - because it is. There are two ways to set the price of money, one is letting the market decide , and one is artificially setting it via policy. It is quite clear which is happening here. This is not a "nudge" or an "influence" , this is "we are going to produce X volume until price reflects Y" , and they are doing it because they believe that doing so will produce "Z effect".

If that is not central planning, then what is?

Secondly, the mandate of the Fed is not to "manage the economy". The Fed has two congressional mandates - one is to keep the dollar and inflation stable, the other is to strive for maximum employment. Neither of which objectives are being helped by this massive devaluation of the dollar/funneling cash to connected entities.

You want to talk about corruption and oligarchy... you have things backwards. The Fed is creating and maintaining oligarchy by handing out free money to a select group of.... oligarchs.

Go learn ye some economics before trying to call uncontroversial observations of fact "absurd".

For who could be free when every other man's humour might domineer over him? - John Locke (2nd Treatise, sect 57)