122 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 40 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 4/18/11

Solving the debt crisis without raising taxes or cutting spending: U.S. Notes

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   32 comments, In Series: Economic Reform
Follow Me on Twitter     Message Scott Baker
Become a Fan
  (79 fans)

(Image by Unknown Owner)   Details   DMCA

I sent the following email off to a couple of reporters at CNBC - that right-wing in-the-box bastion of capitalism.  It had to be short, pithy and succinct.  If we even get the solution mentioned in the email on the air, even to be ridiculed, it'll still be a major victory over what passes for solutions right now to our twin revenue shortfall/debt increase disaster.  Right now, all that's talked about is raising the debt ceiling, raising taxes, cutting spending (but not on the wars, taxes for the rich, oh no, not that!), and even eliminating Medicare as we know it.  None of these solutions are necessary nor desirable.  Read on...


To CNBC:
There is a way to solve the unsustainable debt crisis without raising taxes, cutting spending (in fact, you could increase it and provide jobs in underfunded areas like infrastructure), or even raising the debt ceiling.  Looked at the proper way, it should increase our debt rating too, because we would be generating less debt.   Furthermore, there is ample precedent from Lincoln in the Civil War. 
Simply follow Lincoln's example, as well as the Sovereign right of all nations and the mandate from Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution to "coin money" in the form of United State Notes.  Unlike Federal Reserve Notes, U.S. Notes are not "borrowed" money, they are real money, produced by an act of Congress.  Congress did this at Lincoln's request to the tune of $450 million (a huge sum in those days), and the true Greenbacks (because they had a green back) were in limited circulation all the way until the 1990s !  Immensely popular in the late 19th century, the banks hated them because they wanted to keep the monopoly to manufacture money and loan it out at interest to themselves!  If Obama is serious about taking on the self-destructive Tea Party faction, he should do what his Illinois predecessor did in during our country's darkest hours and re-issue Greenbacks, dedicated specifically toward weak areas of the economy like infrastructure and the energy grid.
Must Read 3   Well Said 3   Valuable 2  
Rate It | View Ratings

Scott Baker Social Media Pages: Facebook Page       Twitter Page       Linked In Page       Instagram Page

Scott Baker is a Managing Editor & The Economics Editor at Opednews, and a former blogger for Huffington Post, Daily Kos, and Global Economic Intersection.

His anthology of updated Opednews articles "America is Not Broke" was published by Tayen Lane Publishing (March, 2015) and may be found here:
http://www.americaisnotbroke.net/

Scott is a former and current President of Common Ground-NY (http://commongroundnyc.org/), a Geoist/Georgist activist group. He has written dozens of (more...)
 

Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Follow Me on Twitter     Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

Obama Explains the FEMA Camps

Was Malaysian Flight MH370 Landed Safely in Afghanistan?

Let the Sun Shine on a State Bank in Florida

Batman, The Dark Knight Rises...and Occupy Wall Street Falls

The Least Productive People in the World

Detroit is Not Broke!

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend