Tomorrow, I have the honor of speaking to a very large group of high-school students in the UK. I only wish there was something exciting going on in the world of finance and economics over there. 😉 I was invited to talk about my book, which I will do, but obviously we have to do it in the context of recent events. Fortunately, I’ve been following things pretty closely, so I can draw on what I’ve written in these posts:
I suggest you mention that MMT has enlightened the fact that sovereign currency issuers need far less taxes from their people. That is a significant mental break through in economics. Then I suggest you offer the students the policy of a 50% Discount/Rebate at the point of retail sale that will immediately and forever end inflation by implementing beneficial MACRO-ECONOMIC price and asset deflation, thereby immediately doubling their purchasing power, greatly increases the actually available demand for every enterprise's goods and services which integrates their and consumer's self interests while isolating Finance whose monopolistic monetary paradigm of Debt Only has kept them on their knees for the last 5000 years. See if that doesn't light up their eyes a little. Afterall, this policy will be both a mental change and a complete temporal universe inversion of economic realities which are the cardinal signatures of all historic paradigm changes.
Ben Norton founder of MultiPolarista published an article and podcast about Bolivian President Arce's UN speech on his revolutionary 14-point socialist program to transform Bolivia and the world. This is the most comprehensive & pragmatic plan I've ever read from either an elected official or economist, & as y'all probably know, he's both. The article and 45-min podcast of Ben's can be found here
Stephanie, it would be great for you to evaluate & explain how MMT could be used to successfully implement this proposal or something comparable to it; And of course any flaws & improvements you'd recommend.
1. Declare the world to be a zone of peace
2. Substitute the manufacturing of weapons of mass destruction with just compensation for the poor people of the world
3. Against the commercialization of health care, systems of universal health care
4. Global program of food sovereignty, in harmony with Mother Earth
5. Rebuild the productive and economic capacities of the country of the periphery hurt by the logic of the unrestrained concentration of capital
6. The climate crisis requires responsibility, solidarity, and harmony between human beings and nature, not usury
7. The industrialization of lithium, for the benefit of the peoples and a fundamental pillar for the energy transition
8. From nationalization to regionalization of the struggle against drug trafficking
9. Strengthen international mechanisms for preferential treatment for landlocked countries
10. Widen our restricted vision of human rights and democracy
11. Intergenerational solidarity
12. Declare the decade of depatriarchalization to struggle against all forms of violence against women and girls
13. Reject unilateral sanctions
14. Guarantee the full validity of the UN charter and the principle of multilateralism
I was told during my engineering studies that it does not suffice to build a better mouse trap but that it is also necessary to reach out to and sell it to the market in such a way that the market is willing to pay for that mouse trap.
Stephanie you clearly practice such an approach as more than anyone you are reaching the global general public as well as other academics, policy makers and the world of business.
You have the skills to reach the public and your values and message are just what the world needs. It is not that difficult to win a seat in the House or a Senate seat with the right support possibly at a first attempt in 2024 but certainly the second or third. Warren Mosler could also do the same and perhaps more of the most outgoing MMT proponents could as well. It may be too soon as independents or with a third party such as the Green Party unfortunately given the US federal political system but as Democratic Party candidates I can see that working.
President Biden like most of us can’t serve forever, nor can Pelosi and Schumer and the VP is not gaining sufficient voter support. AOC and the other progressive Democrats need more likeminded colleagues and especially those that know how to build public support. Young Bernie appears to still be healthy and popular and most of all especially due to the urgency of global warming another Trump presidency simply cannot be. This is the time and this decade is the make or break period for limiting the global warming catastrophe. It is not just your country that needs you all.
I used the kids (students) acronym, CREAM (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) to introduce a high school course as a high school physics teacher at a Social Justice school. I had more difficulty talking about MMT to the administration and other teachers than to my students. The “adults” gained in the end leaving me with 6 opting out of the 14 students. Very dispiriting. Stephanie has stayed with this since ‘92! What a champ!! Good Luck in the UK!
I suggest you mention that MMT has enlightened the fact that sovereign currency issuers need far less taxes from their people. That is a significant mental break through in economics. Then I suggest you offer the students the policy of a 50% Discount/Rebate at the point of retail sale that will immediately and forever end inflation by implementing beneficial MACRO-ECONOMIC price and asset deflation, thereby immediately doubling their purchasing power, greatly increases the actually available demand for every enterprise's goods and services which integrates their and consumer's self interests while isolating Finance whose monopolistic monetary paradigm of Debt Only has kept them on their knees for the last 5000 years. See if that doesn't light up their eyes a little. Afterall, this policy will be both a mental change and a complete temporal universe inversion of economic realities which are the cardinal signatures of all historic paradigm changes.
Ben Norton founder of MultiPolarista published an article and podcast about Bolivian President Arce's UN speech on his revolutionary 14-point socialist program to transform Bolivia and the world. This is the most comprehensive & pragmatic plan I've ever read from either an elected official or economist, & as y'all probably know, he's both. The article and 45-min podcast of Ben's can be found here
https://multipolarista.com/2022/09/27/luis-arce-un-bolivia-14-point-program/
Stephanie, it would be great for you to evaluate & explain how MMT could be used to successfully implement this proposal or something comparable to it; And of course any flaws & improvements you'd recommend.
1. Declare the world to be a zone of peace
2. Substitute the manufacturing of weapons of mass destruction with just compensation for the poor people of the world
3. Against the commercialization of health care, systems of universal health care
4. Global program of food sovereignty, in harmony with Mother Earth
5. Rebuild the productive and economic capacities of the country of the periphery hurt by the logic of the unrestrained concentration of capital
6. The climate crisis requires responsibility, solidarity, and harmony between human beings and nature, not usury
7. The industrialization of lithium, for the benefit of the peoples and a fundamental pillar for the energy transition
8. From nationalization to regionalization of the struggle against drug trafficking
9. Strengthen international mechanisms for preferential treatment for landlocked countries
10. Widen our restricted vision of human rights and democracy
11. Intergenerational solidarity
12. Declare the decade of depatriarchalization to struggle against all forms of violence against women and girls
13. Reject unilateral sanctions
14. Guarantee the full validity of the UN charter and the principle of multilateralism
I was told during my engineering studies that it does not suffice to build a better mouse trap but that it is also necessary to reach out to and sell it to the market in such a way that the market is willing to pay for that mouse trap.
Stephanie you clearly practice such an approach as more than anyone you are reaching the global general public as well as other academics, policy makers and the world of business.
You have the skills to reach the public and your values and message are just what the world needs. It is not that difficult to win a seat in the House or a Senate seat with the right support possibly at a first attempt in 2024 but certainly the second or third. Warren Mosler could also do the same and perhaps more of the most outgoing MMT proponents could as well. It may be too soon as independents or with a third party such as the Green Party unfortunately given the US federal political system but as Democratic Party candidates I can see that working.
President Biden like most of us can’t serve forever, nor can Pelosi and Schumer and the VP is not gaining sufficient voter support. AOC and the other progressive Democrats need more likeminded colleagues and especially those that know how to build public support. Young Bernie appears to still be healthy and popular and most of all especially due to the urgency of global warming another Trump presidency simply cannot be. This is the time and this decade is the make or break period for limiting the global warming catastrophe. It is not just your country that needs you all.
I used the kids (students) acronym, CREAM (Cash Rules Everything Around Me) to introduce a high school course as a high school physics teacher at a Social Justice school. I had more difficulty talking about MMT to the administration and other teachers than to my students. The “adults” gained in the end leaving me with 6 opting out of the 14 students. Very dispiriting. Stephanie has stayed with this since ‘92! What a champ!! Good Luck in the UK!
I’ll keep trying.