What THE WEEK Magazine said, and what they really meant.

Sometimes (often), a print medium writes a set of words that imply one thing but really mean something quite different.

Here, for instance, is the exact wording of a short article that appeared in the November 8, 2019 issue of THE WEEK Magazine, followed by a translation into more accurate wording:

National debt nears $1 trillion — THE WEEK
The U.S. federal budget deficit increased 26 percent over the past fiscal year and is expected to top $1 trillion in 2020 the U.S. Treasury reported last week.

That puts the deficit at its highest since 2010, following four straight years of red ink.

The deficit has jumped nearly 50 percent since President Trump took office, largely because of shrinking tax revenues.

Massive tax cuts in 2017 have not paid for themselves, as Republican backers promised, and federal spending is now rising at twice the rate of revenue.

In a decade, the national debt is projected to represent a bigger share of the economy than at any point in U.S. history, except the period immediately following the massive expenditures of World War II.

Someone reading the above article, with its use of such pejorative wording as “debt,” “deficit,” “red ink,” “shrinking tax revenues,” and “not paid for themselves,” might be led to believe that the economy and the federal government are in trouble.

But exactly the reverse is true. The article actually describes the primary reasons why the economy has continued to grow, even under the feckless leadership of Donald J. Trump.

And now for the translation. What follows are exactly the same facts, but corrected to convey the true meaning:

Investments in Treasury Securities nears $1 trillion
The U.S. federal government’s financial contribution to the economy increased 26 percent over the past fiscal year and is expected to top $1 trillion in 2020 the U.S. Treasury reported last week.

That puts the federal government’s net contribution to the private sector at its highest since 2010, following four straight years of sending increased growth dollars to the economy.

The economy’s surplus of economic growth dollars has jumped nearly 50 percent since President Trump took office, largely because of shrinking deductions from the private sector.

Massive tax cuts in 2017 have not been matched by massive tax increases, as Republican backers warned, and federal inputs to the economy are now rising at twice the rate of federal deductions from the economy.

In a decade, the total of investments in Treasury Securities is projected to represent a bigger share of the economy than at any point in U.S. history, except the period immediately following the massive expenditures of World War II — the period when the economy grew faster than at any point in U.S. history.

Rather than stressing over federal “debt” and “deficits,” neither of which is any burden whatsoever on the U.S. economy, the U.S. government, or on the U.S. taxpayers, the rewrite demonstrates that increased federal spending and reduced taxes help grow the private sector (i.e the economy) grow.

Now if only we could convince the media to write that way.

Rodger Malcolm Mitchell
Monetary Sovereignty
Twitter: @rodgermitchell
Search #monetarysovereignty Facebook: Rodger Malcolm Mitchell

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The most important problems in economics involve:

1. Monetary Sovereignty describes money creation and destruction.
2. Gap Psychology describes the common desire to distance oneself from those “below” in any socio-economic ranking, and to come nearer those “above.” The socio-economic distance is referred to as “The Gap.”

Wide Gaps negatively affect poverty, health and longevity, education, housing, law and crime, war, leadership, ownership, bigotry, supply and demand, taxation, GDP, international relations, scientific advancement, the environment, human motivation and well-being, and virtually every other issue in economics.

Implementation of Monetary Sovereignty and The Ten Steps To Prosperity can grow the economy and narrow the Gaps:

Ten Steps To Prosperity:

1. Eliminate FICA

2. Federally funded Medicare — parts A, B & D, plus long-term care — for everyone

3. Provide a monthly economic bonus to every man, woman and child in America (similar to social security for all)

4. Free education (including post-grad) for everyone

5. Salary for attending school

6. Eliminate federal taxes on business

7. Increase the standard income tax deduction, annually. 

8. Tax the very rich (the “.1%”) more, with higher progressive tax rates on all forms of income.

9. Federal ownership of all banks

10. Increase federal spending on the myriad initiatives that benefit America’s 99.9% 

The Ten Steps will grow the economy and narrow the income/wealth/power Gap between the rich and the rest.

MONETARY SOVEREIGNTY