Tag Archives: modern money theory

The Real Fiscal Responsibility Talk Show Pilot Project

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Joe Firestone | 21 comments

This pilot project and the radio/video shows it will produce and place on the web is for everyone tired of hearing economic commentary from those who got everything wrong. For decades, the doctrine of “Fiscal Responsibility” interpreted as long-term deficit reduction and Government austerity has had a secure place in American politics. This doctrine is the economic equivalent of the medieval notion that patients must be bled to cure them of disease. And this truth is reflected in the economic history of the United States at least since 1976, when we first began to practice ideology-based austerity in its modern form by planning for deficit reduction and balanced budgets in order to decrease the debt-to-GDP ratio.

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Posted in Joe Firestone

Tagged Austerians, austerity, debt and deficits, expanded policy space, MMT, modern money theory, public purpose, REAL fiscal responsibility

Is the MSM Blackout on Inequality, Plutocracy, and Oligarchy Ending?

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Joe Firestone | 14 comments

By Joe Firestone

All of a sudden MSNBC cable commentators are talking about plutocracy and oligarchy. Surprisingly, the first occurrence of this I’m aware of was Chuck Todd, reacting on his Daily Rundown show to the spectacle of Republican candidates traveling to Vegas to seek funding from Sheldon Adelson and his group of hugely wealthy Jewish Republican donors. Todd began to explore the implications of that event. He seemed exercised, and more than the slightest bit upset, about its meaning for Democracy and used the words plutocracy and oligarchy. Andrea Mitchell also discussed it later and she, too, registered apparent dismay, while using the “p” and “o” words.

Chris Hayes has been on leave during this period, so we haven’t heard from him about this. But Chris Matthews, the “oh so very slightly left-of-center insider” has been making very unfriendly noises about Adelson, the Kochs, and the Supremes, culminating today (April 3rd) with nasty references to plutocrats, oligarchs, and candidates, kissing oligarchs somewhere or other, on both his program and Al Sharpton’s.

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Posted in Joe Firestone

Tagged Abby Hunstman, deficit spending, inequality, jamie galbraith, Krystal Ball, MMT, modern money theory, oligarchy, plutocracy, REAL fiscal responsibility, Susan Ochs, Thomas Piketty, threat to democracy

Still Not Over: CPC Update

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Joe Firestone | 7 comments

By Joe Firestone

The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) recently issued its “Better Off Budget” document as an alternative to the White House/OMB document, and the coming House budget document, a Republican/conservative alternative. The “Better Off Budget” has received enthusiastic evaluations from writers affiliated with the DC progressive community. Richard Eskow’s recent treatment is typical and provides other reviews that are laudatory. These “progressives” clearly see the CPC budget as anything but an austerity budget. But is it, or is it not?

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Posted in Joe Firestone

Tagged austerity, Better Off Budget, budget plans, budget projections, Congressional Progressive Caucus, CPC, debt and deficits, MMT, modern money theory

No, Virginia, the Austerity Era Is Not Over

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Joe Firestone | 19 comments

By Joe Firestone

If the President’s budget were enacted by Congress, and OMB’s projections over the next decade hold, it would almost certainly mean economic stagnation punctuated by recession over the next decade. Would it also mean austerity, however? Let’s see.

The Sector Financial Balances (SFB) model is an accounting identity, and these are always true by definition alone. The SFB model says:

Domestic Private Balance + Domestic Government Balance + Foreign Balance = 0.

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Posted in Joe Firestone

Tagged austerity, budget plans, budget projections, debt and deficits, macroeconomic austerity, microeconomic austerity, MMT, modern money theory, President's 2015 budget, Scott Fullwiler, Sector Financial Balances, Stephanie Kelton

How to Restore the Good Name of Government

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Joe Firestone | 63 comments

By Joe Firestone

Why is it that Washington village “progressives,” and their associates in other parts of the country who are nevertheless part of the Washington village culture, often ask useful questions, but, almost always deliver, underwhelming answers? Here’s an example from Richard Eskow, probably the best writer at Campaign for the American Future.

How do we restore the good name of government spending, which is especially important during periods of high unemployment and slow growth like these? First, by supporting those politicians who are unafraid to make the case. Second, by demanding that the reluctant ones take a bolder stand – without mixing their messages between spending and premature austerity. Third, by rejecting the insanity that today’s Republican Party represents. Some in the GOP are even opposing infrastructure spending – as America’s bridges, schools, highways and dams decay around us.

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Posted in Joe Firestone

Tagged Campaign for the American Future, debt, democrats, fixing the debt without breaking america, full recovery, High Value Platinum Coin Seigniorage, HVPCS deficit, medicare, MMT, modern money theory, republicans, Richard Eskow, rule of law, safety net, Social Security

The New Populism Needs to Get This Straight

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Joe Firestone | 25 comments

By Joe Firestone

Let’s look again at the new populism through the lens provided by Robert Borosage in his recent attempt to tell us what it is about. He says:

The apostles of the new inequality have unrelenting sought to starve the public sector. President Reagan opened the offensive against domestic investments. Perhaps the hinge moment was in the final years of the Clinton administration when the budget went into surplus, and Clinton, the finest public educator of his time, pushed for paying down the national debt rather than making the case for public investment. He left the field open for George W. Bush to give the projected surpluses away in tax cuts skewed to the top end.

The hinge moment wasn’t then. It was when he decided, either early in his first term, or even before he took office, to rely on deficit reduction coupled with low interest rates from Alan Greenspan, on the advice of Robert Rubin and Larry Summers, rather than on deficit spending on human capital investments as advocated by Robert Eisner and Robert Reich. Rubin’s victory in the internal debates within the Administration was well-known at the time (1993), and set the deficit reduction course that played along with the Fed’s bubbles to create the private sector debt-fueled “goldilocks” prosperity, and surpluses of his second term. By the time Clinton faced the choice Borosage refers to, the die had already been cast. It was very unlikely that Clinton would turn away from further Government austerity policy, and turn instead toward investments in infrastructure, public facilities and “human capital.”

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Tagged #PCS, Alan Greenspan, bill clinton, CAF, Congressional Progressive Caucus, CPC, goldilocks economy, MMT, modern money theory, platinum coin seigniorage, Robert Borosage, Sector Financial Balances, the Job Guarantee, the new populists, trade deficits, trade surplus

Who Needs a Balanced Trade Policy?

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Joe Firestone | 43 comments

By Joe Firestone

It’s easy to recognize that after many years of trade deficits accompanying implementation of trade agreements beginning with NAFTA the US needs to change what it’s doing. Many, including Robert Borosage of the Campaign for the American Future (CAF), advocate for balanced trade and they contrast that with the so-called “free trade” policies we have now. The case for balance trade policy is summarized by Borosage this way during his discussion of the policies favored by the New Populism:

Our global trade policies have been defined by and for multinational banks and companies. They have shipped good jobs abroad and driven wages down at home, while racking up unprecedented and unsustainable trade deficits. Those imbalances, as the International Monetary Fund and former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke have noted, contributed directly to blowing up the global economy.

The new populists demand balanced trade policies. . . .

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Posted in Joe Firestone

Tagged Balance of trade, balanced trade, ben bernanke, CAF, MMT, modern money theory, modified unrestricted trade, Robert Borosage, the Job Guarantee, the new populists, trade deficits NAFTA, trade surplus

An AWESOME MMT Video

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Devin Smith | 18 comments

A big MMT thanks to Donna D’Souza aka Trixie aka @HaikuCharlatan. She has done an awesome job of animating J.D. Alt’s wonderful new ebook Diagrams & Dollars: Modern Money Illustrated. For your viewing enjoyment, Donna’s video is below.

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Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged Donna D'Souza, HaikuCharlatan, j.d. alt, MMT, modern money theory, Trixie, video

Bernie Sanders: Self-shackled Champion of the People

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Joe Firestone | 42 comments

I gotta love Bernie Sanders, because he seems so much like people I grew up with and like myself too, and he also seems to have that passion for equality and democracy that is so important for the future of America. Sometimes I think Bernie is one of the few champions of the people left in Congress. But I also think that along with other progressives he has constructed chains for himself that prevent him from being as effective a champion of the people as he otherwise might be. Continue reading →

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Posted in Joe Firestone

Tagged Austerians, austerity, bernie sanders, budget plans, budget projections, CBO projections, debt and deficits, Medicare Solvency, MMT, modern money theory, platinum coin seigniorage, progressives, Social Security Solvency, Social Security Works, tax justice

Dick Durbin Insults Everyone Else’s Intelligence About Social Security

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Joe Firestone | 20 comments

By Joe Firestone

Yesterday on Fox, Senator Dick Durbin said:

WALLACE: I’m going to talk about ObamaCare on a second, but you’re not answering my question. Why does taxes — why do taxes have to be on the table? Why can’t you just make a deal, short-term spending for long-term entitlement reform — which, Senator, you support and President Obama support. You have supported the idea of some entitlement reform.

DURBIN: That’s right. I do, and I’ll tell you why — because Social Security is going to run out of money in 20 years. I want to fix it now, before we reach that cliff.

Medicare may run out of money in 10 years, let’s fix it now. And that means addressing the skyrocketing cost of health care. That’s what ObamaCare is focused on, and yet, the Republicans want nothing to do with it.

If we don’t focus on the health care and dealing with the entitlements, the baby boom generation is going to blow away our future. We don’t want to see that happen. We want to make sure that Social Security and Medicare are solid.

The “. . . may run out of money. . . . ” and “. . . dealing with entitlements. . . “ memes, in reply to Chris Wallace’s question together suggest that a deal trading increased revenues for Social Security and other entitlement cuts is acceptable to him. So, Durbin’s argument is that because Social Security Trustee and CBO projections, based on very pessimistic economic growth projections for the whole period, show a shortfall in the Social Security “Trust Fund” in 20 years, it is acceptable to make entitlement cuts now if the Democrats can get increased revenue from higher taxes, as if entitlement “reform” were the only way to meet the perceived Social Security solvency problem. But who would it be acceptable to?

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