When all of this is behind us, to the extent that it ever can be, let’s not forget what we’ve learned: Congress knows how to spend money when it wants to. Will be helpful when it comes time to address climate change. Source: $2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Nullifies “How Will You Pay … Continue reading $2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Nullifies “How Will You Pay for It?” Question

People will act on an emergency — when they understand that it threatens them. And money is no object. Source: Politicians blew off Gen Z’s climate goals. The coronavirus shows we can act fast. – The Washington Post Continue reading Politicians blew off Gen Z’s climate goals. The coronavirus shows we can act fast. – The Washington Post

The issue of “balancing the books” with taxes or via the issuance of debt is not only an afterthought — it is not even necessary. Our government holds a monopoly to “issue” the currency, it does not merely “use” it like the rest of us. An epochal shift in economic thinking that … Continue reading Coronavirus pandemic: politicians, CEOs believe in MMT, Modern Monetary Theory

Congress has all the firepower it needs. It just needs to send spending instructions to the Federal Reserve, as it always does. We can afford to keep the country whole, this article explains why. Source: Opinion | Stephanie Kelton: Just Use ‘the Computer’ to Give People More Money – The New York … Continue reading Stephanie Kelton: Just Use ‘the Computer’ to Give People More Money

Even deficit hawks like Joe Biden know that when faced with the genuine prospect of annihilation, the only adequate response is to do whatever it takes to prevent it. We’ve done it before, we can do it again. And money is no object at this point. Source: We Can Afford to Beat … Continue reading We Can Afford to Beat This Crisis | The Nation

The US government should pull out all the stops in mitigating the economic fallout from COVID-19, not just by disbursing cash to all households, but also by implementing a federal job guarantee and many other long-overdue policies. After all, for a self-financing government, money is no object. These are all things that … Continue reading What Would Roosevelt Do? by Pavlina R. Tcherneva

A region of Italy that took earlier and more aggressive measures to fight the coronavirus is now seeing fewer cases. One region, Veneto, tested everybody, even those with no symptoms, and the other region, Lombardy, only tested those with symptoms. The result is that Veneto is seeing a decrease in the spread … Continue reading Italian regions’ responses to coronavirus show testing, distancing work – Business Insider

The Trump administration has proposed $50 billion of emergency aid for airlines ravaged by widespread cancellations amid the coronavirus pandemic. But critics are deriding it as a bailout to an industry that made bad financial decisions. Resistance to the plan emerged among Democrats and even some Republicans. They’re concerned that extra money … Continue reading Airlines are begging for a bailout, but they’ve used 96% of their cash on stock buybacks over the past 10 years. 

The U.S. needs protection for households — that families are not foreclosed on or evicted, that they have income to weather the storm, that credit scores aren’t ruined, that kids are not denied school lunches. It’s not about lowering interest rates, it’s about making sure Americans who are living paycheck to paycheck … Continue reading Don’t look to the Fed for help on the coronavirus — Congress has the money and power – MarketWatch

“We just could not generate much interest,” a researcher said of the difficulty in getting funding to test the vaccine in humans. This is why you don’t cut budgets on these things. Source: Scientists were close to a coronavirus vaccine years ago. Then the money dried up. Continue reading Scientists were close to a coronavirus vaccine years ago. Then the money dried up.

The 14th Amendment says states that infringe the vote must lose representation in Congress. It’s time to actually make this happen. Interesting! Source: Politico – The Lost 110 Words of Our Constitution Continue reading The Lost 110 Words of Our Constitution

The United States ranks No. 39 in the world in measurements of children’s survival, health, education and nutrition — and no country in the world has excess carbon emissions at levels adequate … Continue reading US ranks lower than 38 other countries when it comes to children ‘flourishing,’ report says – CNN