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Andre Allen's avatar

The other major benefit that would result from creating fiat currency to pay for universal childcare would be that households with two working parents would then have more resources to spend into the economy and parents who could not previously have performed a job or gone to school would be able to. Universal childcare would be a short term as well as a long-term investment in the economy.

JOHN ALT's avatar

Yes, thank you! That would go into the pot with the additional wealth the children will earn in their lifetime. The nuances of Public Benefit are manifold.

Steven D Grumbine's avatar

Sadly, the Princeton backed Gilens and Page study is the missing link.

JOHN ALT's avatar

Morning Steven, thanks for this "missing link." Very useful. This whole set of issues continues to grow in my mind.....

Steven D Grumbine's avatar

It is incredibly difficult to get there because the implications are absolutely terrifying.

JOHN ALT's avatar

Expand this thought, if you have time...

Steven D Grumbine's avatar

They found that the people have zero impact on public policy. Zero democracy. 100% oligarchy. So the idea that we can vote our way to this is fools gold. Then you have to understand class and power. We live in a dictatorship of capital as we speak. That oligarchy cannot be voted away. They have pillars of antidemocratic blockers at every level to ensure we cannot vote away their power. We are slaves. Some well paid slaves. But we live in inverted totalitarian society and celebrate a facade of democracy.

JOHN ALT's avatar

Thanks again, Steve. Yes, that's how I read it as well. I see your perspective much more clearly now.

Steven D Grumbine's avatar

I still speak to MMT but no longer from a "hey, we can do great things" perspective and more so from a "now that you understand the system, you can see how they are disciplining labor and maximizing profit and power". I think MMT is absolutely vital to demonstrate how the ruling class is doing battle through austerity and false scarcity.