Ok, I can't argue with conspiracy theories re "true" inflation, its a bit like arguing about proof of God, but the Fed IS the US Govt in the same way that the IRS is the Govt or any other dept. for that matter.
If the Fed is private, how can I become a shareholder? :)
Zimbabwe's inflation was as much about output as printing money (actually all inflation is driven by a function of output and money supply) and despite the dommsayers, the US is nothing like Zimbabwe in that regard.