jem, After re-reading what I wrote above, I rather like it. Having a little distance from my explanation above of what happens when the U.S. Treasury overspends (spends in deficit) has allowed me to recognize that what I wrote above is one of the clearest explanations of such that I have yet written. I hope all ET participants will read it, comment, add to it, and attempt to pick it apart with facts and substantive additions.
Politicians have for years either innocently misled the pubic or deliberating lied to them regarding the need for a "debt limit" and the dangers of the National Debt being visited on our progeny. Now, having recognized that there really is no National Debt, we must not, however, draw the false conclusion that any spending, no matter what on and no matter how much, is OK. Far from it! Irresponsible spending could lead to ruin. That's one of the few aspects of the Government's financing that mirrors personal financing risk.
Deficit spending on investments such as education and infrastructure, so long as it is well thought out, is the right thing to do and any politician that says we cannot afford it is spewing hot air. But the pace of spending is important. If it is too fast, it will lead to avoidable inflation; if too slow, it will hold back development and cause the U.S. to trail development in our sister nation's economies.
In the final analysis, spending must remain not to far away from a balance with productivity or we can get into trouble in either of two directions. If the pace of spending gets too far ahead of the pace of productivity increases, we will experience unacceptable inflation. On the other hand, if the pace of productivity growth gets too far ahead of the pace of spending, which is quite unlikely but nevertheless possible, we will experience deflation.* Deflation is very bad in any economy, such as ours, that depends on fractional reserve banking to grow. Our fiat money, whether we acknowledge it or not, is de facto backed by our productivity. Our Government issued money is on a "Productivity Standard!"
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*It is perhaps interesting to note that any serious, misguided attempt to pay off a fictitious "National Debt" by running repeated surpluses would cause this. As the economy would soon enough becomes starved for savings and investment money.
Politicians have for years either innocently misled the pubic or deliberating lied to them regarding the need for a "debt limit" and the dangers of the National Debt being visited on our progeny. Now, having recognized that there really is no National Debt, we must not, however, draw the false conclusion that any spending, no matter what on and no matter how much, is OK. Far from it! Irresponsible spending could lead to ruin. That's one of the few aspects of the Government's financing that mirrors personal financing risk.
Deficit spending on investments such as education and infrastructure, so long as it is well thought out, is the right thing to do and any politician that says we cannot afford it is spewing hot air. But the pace of spending is important. If it is too fast, it will lead to avoidable inflation; if too slow, it will hold back development and cause the U.S. to trail development in our sister nation's economies.
In the final analysis, spending must remain not to far away from a balance with productivity or we can get into trouble in either of two directions. If the pace of spending gets too far ahead of the pace of productivity increases, we will experience unacceptable inflation. On the other hand, if the pace of productivity growth gets too far ahead of the pace of spending, which is quite unlikely but nevertheless possible, we will experience deflation.* Deflation is very bad in any economy, such as ours, that depends on fractional reserve banking to grow. Our fiat money, whether we acknowledge it or not, is de facto backed by our productivity. Our Government issued money is on a "Productivity Standard!"
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*It is perhaps interesting to note that any serious, misguided attempt to pay off a fictitious "National Debt" by running repeated surpluses would cause this. As the economy would soon enough becomes starved for savings and investment money.
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