We are in a deflation and the Fed has been trying unsuccessfully to reflate; unfortunately for the Fed they don't really understand deflation as well they think they do. What they don't understand, and what some on this thread don't understand, is that deleveraging is deflation.
Base money supply expansion is merely the predicate to inflation; fiscal deficit spending on consumption by government is a solvency and credit worthiness issue, not an inflation issue. Inflaiton requires that money be multiplied through credit formation, in order expand money in use in the private sector, to the point where it will show up in the price change indexes.
The main driver, modulater, of credit supply is not interest rate, amount of base money at the Fed or 'willingness to lend;' the driver of money supply multiplied by credit expansion is the leverage ratio applied to tangible and financial assets.
The reason therefore, that we are having deflation is that the leverage ratio on most assets is declining; aggregate credit is delining and assets that used to command a liberal leverage ratio are declining in value. The Money the Fed has pumped into the interbank and government finance system has simply pooled at the Fed in excess reserve accounts so it has no effect on the price change indexes.
If it were not for emerging market growth and the Government borrowing money and giving it away to pump up GDP in an unsustainable way, asset values would have already collapsed. Nonetheless they will continue to decline as leverage ratios continue to decline and the Fed's attempt to reflate expires...note that price index measures, PCE and CPI, continue to decline even with volatility in oil and food,...and the 'Stimulus' spending waste will come to a forced end as credit worthiness becomes an increasing issue...and from Basell III to Financial Reform the call for decreased leverage passes as wisdom...be careful what you wish for...and oh, Lucky, I didn't say that we would deflation for ever, I just said we are having it now and it appears to be continuing and getting worse...but even though it won't last forever, that transition from uber leverage to deleverage is not going to be a walk in the park.
If you really think we are having a runaway inflation...buy my house!....or buy oil futures...I'm on the other side of the trade. Presently, 2009 Porsche 911 GTs that were originally listed at $110,000 can be bought new for $65,000 cash...I'm waiting for $50,000.