Why Everything You’ve Built Is on Shaky Ground
You probably don’t think about the economy much. Not the big picture, anyway. You’ve got a job, a mortgage, maybe a 401(k). You pay your taxes, try to make smart decisions, and hope things work out. When something feels off—rising prices, a blown tire you can’t quite afford—you tune in to the news and hear a familiar mix of concern and reassurance.
“The deficit is out of control,” they say. “We’ve got to get spending under control. Balance the budget. Pay down the debt.”
It sounds responsible. Sensible. Like a grown-up talking in a room full of children. But here’s the truth: That grown-up voice? It’s repeating a script written for a world that no longer exists. And if we keep following it, everything you’ve worked for—your job, your retirement, your community—will slip right through your hands.
Let’s take a quiet breath and walk through the real story.
The Rules Changed. No One Told You.
In 1971, the United States fully left the gold standard. That means our government no longer needs to “back” its money with gold or any other physical asset. It can issue dollars, just like it issues passports or driver’s licenses. This doesn’t mean it can spend without limits—but it does mean it can’t go broke in the way a household or business can.
The U.S. government is a monetary sovereign. It creates the money the rest of us use.
But here’s the catch: politicians and economists still talk as if we’re living in the gold standard era, where every dollar spent had to be “earned” or “borrowed” first. They invoke debt and deficits like thunderstorms on the horizon. “We’re out of money,” they say, when what they really mean is, we’ve chosen not to use the power we have.
The Real Danger Isn’t Debt. It’s Austerity.
When you hear leaders talk about “tightening belts,” it usually means cutting public services, laying off workers, or raising costs on people who can least afford it. They say this is necessary to “balance the budget,” but they never mention the side effects:
- Schools get worse.
- Roads fall apart.
- Hospitals close.
- Opportunities shrink.
And while that’s happening, the things we actually do need — like clean energy, affordable housing, child care, and healthcare — go underfunded or get handed off to corporations who charge more and deliver less.
Austerity doesn’t fix the economy. It chokes it. It’s like pulling the battery out of your phone because you’re afraid of charging it too often.
But What About the States?
This is where the problem gets even deeper. The federal government can issue money. But states can’t. They’re legally required to balance their budgets. So when Washington cuts funding and tells the states to “take responsibility,” it’s really saying: “Do more with less—and don’t you dare go into debt.”
Imagine you’re running a household, but you can’t borrow, can’t print money, and your income collapses in a recession. What do you do? You cut. You skip maintenance. You stop investing. You fall behind. That’s what states do. That’s what towns and counties do. And that’s how everyday life erodes—from the ground up.
Privatization Is Not a Solution—It’s a Racket
To fill the gaps, politicians and investors pitch a seductive idea: privatization. Let corporations run the water, the schools, the prisons, the roads. They promise efficiency, innovation, lower costs.
But corporations aren’t in the business of serving the public. They’re in the business of maximizing shareholder value.
That means:
- Cutting wages.
- Charging hidden fees.
- Reducing service quality.
- Abandoning unprofitable areas.
You already see this in healthcare. In broadband. In higher education. In insurance. Everything becomes more expensive and less accessible. And the “market” becomes a maze of phone trees, fine print, and frustration.
When everything is privatized, you pay more for less, and your money flows up, not out.
So What Do We Do?
We start by waking up. The stories we’ve been told—about debt, deficits, markets, and government—are not sacred truths. They’re scripts designed to comfort the powerful and confuse the rest of us.
We reclaim the truth:
- The federal government can afford to fund the future.
- The states need help, not hand-me-downs.
- Public services are investments, not liabilities.
- A healthy economy is one where people can live, learn, care, and build—without fear.
This isn’t about ideology. It’s about survival, dignity, and clarity.
If we want life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness tomorrow, we can’t let them be sacrificed on the altar of yesterday’s economics.