I continue to believe that the attraction of MMT to modern liberals like Jamie Galbraith and Warren Mosler (I consider myself a classical liberal) is that something like the trillion dollar coin enables an end run around the fecally impacted banking system to get an inflation going, when the debt-deflationary forces in the private economy and banking system—in which, it is true to say, all money is debt—are overwhelming even Helicopter Ben’s attempts to get a nice, mild inflation going.
It might work, especially if accompanied by starting (or expanding) a significant war effort, but of course the fundamental problem is the Fed, especially since that great conservative Richard Nixon took us off the gold standard (he also opened the door for that gi
Source: Rogoff via businessinsider.com
The fact an establishment economist like Rogoff could present such material at the annual economics meetings, and that Krugman and the White House won’t issue non-denial denials that they are taking this seriously, tells me that we are very close to the unraveling of the Bretton Woods II monetary system, and possibly to some fundamental change in the way the Fed operates. There are rumors of a new monetary system in the works, and the way this is being sent out suggests to me it’s a trial balloon—so that they can come up with “the better idea.”
I just can’t imagine that the better idea will not involve some attempt to accelerate inflation, given the grip of the creditors on the sovereigns, and aggregate inability to clear bad debt out of the system.
Europe is showing the world what austerity looks like, and it ain’t pretty.
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