Making Sense of the Economy through the Lens of MMT

The point is, not every deficit serves the broader public good. Deficits can be used for good or evil. They can enrich a small segment of the population, lifting the yachts of the rich and powerful to new heights, while leaving millions behind. They can fund unjust wars that destabilize the world and cost millions their lives. Or they can be used to sustain life … Continue reading Making Sense of the Economy through the Lens of MMT

The BHB Project: Breaking Through to a New Way of Life

The tribal life doesn’t turn people into saints; it enables ordinary people to make a living together with a minimum of stress year after year, generation after generation. Daniel Quinn Lately, I’ve been mentioning BHBs a lot (Bigger Home Bases). But it’s been a long time, I think, since I laid out exactly how I envision getting these larger household formats into the public discussion. … Continue reading The BHB Project: Breaking Through to a New Way of Life

Trumpism’s Big Problem: Trump

In a democracy the people choose a leader in whom they trust. Then the chosen leader says, ‘Now shut up and obey me.’ People and party are then no longer free to interfere in his business Max Weber Like many liberals, I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to crawl inside the headspace of Trump supporters, attempting to figure out what, if anything, could … Continue reading Trumpism’s Big Problem: Trump

Population Panic & The American Micro-Household

Whether we accept it or not, this will likely be the century that determines what the optimal human population is for our planet. It will come about in one of two ways: Either we decide to manage our own numbers, to avoid a collision of every line on civilization’s graph — or nature will do it for us, in the form of famines, thirst, climate … Continue reading Population Panic & The American Micro-Household

The Weirdness of American Crony Plutocracy

Our society will always remain an unstable and explosive compound as long as political power is vested in the masses and economic power in the classes. In the end one of these powers will rule. Either the plutocracy will buy up the democracy, or the democracy will vote away the plutocracy. Irving Fisher Under Trumpism, we have entered a new age, but it’s a peculiar … Continue reading The Weirdness of American Crony Plutocracy

The Tyranny of Unserious Despots

The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence. Aldous Huxley As we enter the cornered-rat stage of “Trump 2.0; The Re-Deadening,” with his poll numbers tanking and the economy swirling down the drain, each day brings new outrages and tramplings of our republic. As the “Breaking News” emails continue to flood inboxes across the country, liberals have developed a Pavlovian … Continue reading The Tyranny of Unserious Despots

Trumpism After Trump

In a democracy the people choose a leader in whom they trust. Then the chosen leader says, ‘Now shut up and obey me.’ People and party are then no longer free to interfere in his business. Max Weber In our current plot position of “Trump 2: Revenge of Trump,” the question heard with increasing frequency is, “can this guy last another three years?” His erratic … Continue reading Trumpism After Trump

The Revolutionary Potential of Modern Money Theory

SCOTT PELLEY: Is that tax money that the Fed is spending? BEN BERNANKE: It’s not tax money. the banks have — accounts with the Fed, much the same way that you have an account in a commercial bank. So, to lend to a bank, we simply use the computer to mark up the size of the account that they have with the Fed. So it’s … Continue reading The Revolutionary Potential of Modern Money Theory

Twilight of American Idols

No one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. Luke 5:37-39 It is often observed that the United States is the only country in the world held together by ideas, notions of freedom, justice, equality, liberty, etc. But it would be more accurate to say that America … Continue reading Twilight of American Idols