While complaining (just this morning once again) that its fiscal policy that is dragging growth, we suspect The Fed knows full well just how screwed the US is. The following chart comparing GDP growth to the elder demographic of the population offers some serious doubts that the Fed will ever be able to step away. With the Boomers retiring en masse, 65-or-overs will represent over 20% of the population within a decade and thus no economic growth. Japanization here we come... and no end to QE or the entire status quo is over.

GDP growth correlates strongly with the percent of population over 65 (with Greece, depression and Japan, hyper-QE the stand-outs)

It doesn't look good for the US...

You can't print more young people to change this percentage... so they'll have to keep printing money to prop up asset markets to maintain the bumpy illusion of growth.

Chart: @M_McDonough