The comparison with America aside, the absolute level of interest rates has fallen to unprecedented levels.

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However, the absolute value of the benefit is not very high when interest rates are low.

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The right to family life is not absolute (unlike the right not to be tortured) but may yield in the public interest, including safety and economic well-being.

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Given the lack of transparency in Indonesian business culture, few believe Jakarta has the discipline to abide by a currency board's simple but absolute rules -- print no more money than can be backed by hard currency and let interest rates rocket as high as the market demands.

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He points out that the interest bite is only half the level of 20 years ago despite a rise in the absolute size of the debt.

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