Alan Greenspan, who previously chaired the Federal Reserve of the United States, attracted ridicule after he argued that there is zero chance of the U.S. ever defaulting on its debts as the country can simply print more money if ever it was needed. According to Business Insider, the claim is ridiculous in part because the U.S. is constantly printing money.

Indeed, there are many commentators who question the wisdom of just creating new money whenever you need it, pointing out quite sensibly that to do so runs the risk of devaluing the currency itself. Notably, critics of the idea often recall the hyperinflation crisis that hit the Weimar Republic of Germany in 1923, when a loaf of bread that had cost 250 marks at the start of the year was worth 200,000 by November, according to the BBC. In addition, workers found themselves having to use wheelbarrows to collect wages paid in an almost worthless currency.

But is hyperinflation something Americans should worry about? Not according to leading economist Asher Rogovy, who explains via Investopedia: “In the U.S., the central bank does not pay debt with the money it creates. Rather, it lends money at its targeted interest rate and the private sector employs that capital more productively. The money created is paid back, which is a crucial reason this monetary policy doesn’t produce hyperinflation.” Meanwhile, other experts have described the peddling of hyperinflation as an economic risk as a “scam,” per the same source.