austerity


Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Disconnect: High Value Platinum Coin Vs. Austerity!

A little disconnect: what President Obama, through Treasury and the Federal Reserve, really said last Saturday:

"We're running out of money because the Republican House may not allow us to f more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

I Still Choose Using High Value Platinum Coin Seigniorage To End Austerity!

Yesterday, Ezra Klein reported in the Washington Post that:

The Treasury Department will not mint a trillion-dollar platinum coin to get around the debt ceiling. more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Ezra Klein Chooses Fear Mongering the Big Coin, I Choose Ending Austerity!

(H/t to Lambert Strether for the title!)

Here's a commentary on Ezra Klein's recent diatribe against more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Wake Up Progressives: the Trillion Dollar Coin Can Be Game-Changing!

Well, not really. But if you view the Trillion Dollar Coin (TDC) meme, as I do, as a short-hand for the more general idea of using Platinum Coin Seigniorage (PCS), then yes, it can change the whole political game for progressives if President Obama dares to use it. more »

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Dave Johnson's picture

Arm Yourself For Fiscal Cliff Arguments

I joined Campaign for America's Future's Richard Eskow to talk about the "fiscal cliff" scare, austerity, Social Security, Medicare and how we WON the election so we really should be talking about jobs instead. more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Neoliberalism Kills: Part Two

During Part One of this series, I approached the end of my post with this paragraph.

Apart from the political opposition from the insurance companies that Medicare for All would have engendered, I think the main justification for abandoning Medicare for All and switching to more »

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Dave Johnson's picture

Jobs Are For We, The People. Budget Cuts Are For The Billionaires. Who Will Prevail?

We have millions unemployed with millions more underemployed or just gave up looking, our infrastructure is literally crumbling, our trade deficit is horrendous, our "safety net" has eroded below minimum acceptable standards, pensions are cut or gone, the climate is getting more and more unpredictable and dangerous, and how many other problems can you name? more »

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Dave Johnson's picture

Austerity Suicide -- Literally

You might be hearing about the "Fiscal Cliff." And you might be hearing about a "Grand Bargain." You certainly have heard about "Simpson Bowles." You will be hearing more and more about these strangely-named things because the usual suspects are cranking more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Ryan's Follies: Bureaucracy, Austerity, and Depression

Here's the next group of Ryan's follies from his answer to the President's 2011 SOTU.

On bureaucracy and innovation:

”Depending on bureaucracy to foster innovation, competitiveness, and wise consumer choices has never worked – and it won’t work now.”

more »

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Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Ryan's Follies: Health Care Reform, Bankruptcy, and Tipping Points

Still more Ryan's follies from his answer to the President's 2011 SOTU.

On the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

”Then the President and his party made matters even worse, by creating a new open-ended health care entitlement. more »

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