MMP Blog #12: Commodity Money Coins? Metalism vs. Nominalism, Part 1
As promised, this week I will begin try to dispel the view that coins used to be commodity monies.
As promised, this week I will begin try to dispel the view that coins used to be commodity monies.
In this blog we will examine the implications of exchange regimes for our analysis.
We will go through the details of keeping track of stocks and flows in the money of account. That will also lead us into a discussion of the relation between “money” and “spending”—how do we “pay for” things?
The best kind of payment is an obligatory one—one that must be made to stay out of prison, or to avoid death by thirst. An obligatory payment that must be made in the sovereign’s own currency will guarantee a demand for that currency.
Frauds and hucksters have always relied on false dichotomies and thought-terminating cliches to misdirect the attention of their audience from more appealing alternatives.
In short, to avoid the penalties imposed for non-payment of taxes (that could include prison), the taxpayer needs to get hold of the government’s currency.