[noahadavis]

You don't see the side-effects of destabilizing a government as potentially disastrous for an economy? Governments and economies can have many different forms, but there are clear cases where destabilizing one will destabilize the other and ultimately lead to mass suffering for a period of time. Imagine what would happen if a government in a place like the Middle East or parts of Africa collapsed. History has shown that a new government often doesn't rise up from the ashes without lots of tears and bloodshed. What do you think happens to people's standards of living? How much of their time and money do you think it will take just to get back what they used to have?

[louloulou]

Allowing corrupt governments continue to steal the wealth of their citizens through printing money isn't a great alternative. At the end of the day people will use the money that works best for them if they have a choice.

[imtringued]

>Allowing corrupt governments continue to steal the wealth of their citizens through printing money isn't a great alternative.

How many times does this get repeated? No money is being printed right now. No MMT is happening. No helicopter money is happening. Barely any Keynesian fiscal stimulus is happening (the US has stimulus checks but the EU doesn't and it's suffering for it) and the fiscal stimulus that is happening is financed via debt. No money is being printed right now.

The majority of money that the Fed creates is primarily issued via debt. The part that isn't is used to buy assets that are being put on a balance sheet and the sale of the assets will often remove more money from the economy than it added. QE does nothing but fill bank reserves so that banks lend out more money.

[Geee]

Yeah, and that's the problem. All the debt is basically money that is stolen from people's savings in the form of inflation.

"Financed with debt" that is never going to be paid back. You have to think who is doing the actual financing here, and why they aren't getting interest on their financing.

[louloulou]

The world is much bigger than the US and Eurozone, maybe try travelling a bit once covid dies down.

Citizens of Turkey, Lebanon, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Venezuela, Iran, Belarus, for example, all have their savings being stolen through inflation to greater or lesser extents.

[lottin]

Of course, but adopting another currency doesn't make a dysfunctional government any more functional. It's like fixing a wobbly table while your house is on fire... probably not the most pressing problem under the circumstances.

[stickfigure]

> Imagine what would happen if a government in a place like the Middle East or parts of Africa collapsed.

The Zimbabweans that lost all of their savings to hyperinflation were literally counting the days until Mugabe's government collapsed.

[imtringued]

Technically it collapsed the moment land was forcibly repossessed because from that day on Zimbabwe could no longer feed itself. The government merely managed to survive longer than it should.

[TMWNN]

Indeed. http://imgur.com/a/VdQdD