national debt

Modern Monetary Theory: The Last Progressive Left Standing

correntewire.com — The headline progressives are in full retreat. They have found out the hard way that their bleeding heart pleadings -- 'yes, the financial markets might destroy us, but how can we cut this or that worthy cause' -- don't cut it. They have fallen into the out of paradigm world that takes it as gospel that the U.S. is at imminent risk of becoming . .

more »


Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Spare Me the “Middle Ground” Please!

In a debate at FiredogLake about Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) perspectives on the so-called deficit/debt crisis and the idea that there is no long-run deficit problem, powwow, a perspicacious commenter and occasional blogger at MyFD more »

More »»


Joseph M. Firestone's picture

President Obama: Stop Breaking the Law; Use Coin Seigniorage

Yesterday, The United States actually ran over the debt ceiling of $14.294 Trillion by $50 Billion or so, which means that the Treasury has issued $52 Billion more in debt instruments than is allowed by Congress's debt ceiling, which, in turn, means that the cu more »

More »»


Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Bernie Says: “. . . We're Tired of Bullying . . .”

more »

More »»


Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Gallup Scores Another for the Plutocracy

I don't really mean to single out Gallup here. Well, I guess I do; but they're certainly not the only guilty party in the polling industry of doing what I'm about to rail against. Let's begin by stipulating that public polls cannot escape ideological and selection biases in how they frame questions and alternative closed end response choices. more »

More »»


Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Brinksmanship On the Debt Ceiling

As the United States Government approaches “running of money” to pay its bills, news articles and pronouncements by politicians about the debt ceiling dispute focus on several things. First, they talk about the dire consequences of defaulting on our obligations. more »

More »»


Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Tell President Obama and Everyone Else: There's No Deficit Problem

Over the past year, in an attempt to head off the austerity program gaining steam in Washington, DC, I've blogged the truth about the deficit/debt problem on many occasions. That truth is that there is no deficit/debt problem, and that deficits and debts, no matter how large they may be, don't affect th more »

More »»


Joseph M. Firestone's picture

It's All In the Framing and That's Terrible

While some progressives are happy with the President's speech on the budget; others are suspicious, recognizing the President's repeated pattern of offering words that are reassuring to progressives while later acting to work against the general principles he asserts in a major speech. As Bernie Sanders is saying: “the devil is in the details.”

It surely is. more »

More »»


Joseph M. Firestone's picture

Use Coin Seigniorage Now!

(Author's Note: Most of this diary was previously published back in January; but I've revised it slightly for these reasons. First, a Government shutdown is now upon us, even though the debt ceiling issue isn't quite at the forefront yet. more »

More »»

Paul Krugman – The Conscience of a Neo--Liberal

dailykos.com — In a reply to Paul Krugman, Scott Fullwiler illuminates a lot of the deep thinking and knowledge developed by those following the Modern Monetary Theory approach to economics. If you read this, you can see just how much work PK has to do to really understand it, and how far from the truth his characterization of it is. Heavy, but worth the time.

more »