Modern Monetary Theory - MMT

What is MMT and how could it completely change your perception of life in a nation with a sovereign fiat currency?

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MMT - What is it anyway??
"I've heard it called the Magic Money Tree"
"If we just keep printing money, we'll devalue the dollar!"
"Printing money will cause inflation!"
"OhEmGee the National Debt!!"

We've all heard loads of rumors...now it's time to get the truth!

Use the arrows or swipe through the slides to learn more.
Modern Monetary Theory or MMT
MMT is just a description of how sovereign fiat, floating exchange rate currencies like the US dollar actually work. MMT helps us move past the outdated gold-standard thinking that hasn't been right for decades.

It's not something to implement someday, it is exactly how our money works TODAY!!
Sovereign currency issuers...
Many governments issue their own currency. The sovereign issuer of a nation’s currency is nothing like the users of its currency - such as households, businesses, or state and local governments.

The currency issuer is not constrained to balanced budgeting in the same way as a currency user.
Government Solvency
Sovereign governments can never run out of the currency they issue.

No matter what politicians or talking heads on TV say, when a country issues its own sovereign currency, it can never run out.

That would be like the scorekeeper in baseball running out of points! Crazy, right?
Taxes and Federal Spending
Federal taxes are not collected in order for the government to spend later. They are actually deleted out of existence!

As a matter of fact, in order for us to pay taxes in the first place, the government, the CURRENCY ISSUER, has to create (or spend into existence) the money. Then, we CURRENCY USERS have to find a way to get some money to pay our taxes.
The National Debt
It is not possible for a currency issuer to go broke.

Most governments, most of the time, will run fiscal deficits. This is not a matter of concern, and is indeed a good thing, as it means most private sectors will be able to run the financial surpluses they wish to add to their net savings.

The government’s deficit is our surplus – we should be glad all that money hasn’t been taxed out of the economy!
Where Do I Learn More?
Look through our collection of articles below to learn more! They are conveniently categorized and there are plenty of resources from MMT Beginner to Macroeconomics Expert level.
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Browse our MMT focused articles and filter them using the tabs at the top to find a specific topic.

Browse our MMT focused articles and filter them using the dropdown tab at the top to find a specific topic.

  • All Articles
  • Federal Reserve
  • Hyperinflation
  • Inflation
  • Job Guarantee
  • MMT 101
  • MMT Academics
  • MMT Rebuttal
  • National Debt
  • Social Security
  • Taxation
All Articles
  • All Articles
  • Federal Reserve
  • Hyperinflation
  • Inflation
  • Job Guarantee
  • MMT 101
  • MMT Academics
  • MMT Rebuttal
  • National Debt
  • Social Security
  • Taxation

Government Debt and Deficits Are Not the Problem. Private Debt Is.

The “fiscally responsible” solution is probably not what you think it is.

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cityscape with gears

Functional Fiscalism

What I am going to imagine here is an argument that a progressive politician (for example, someone associated with a new Biden administration) could make …

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matrix

Framing the Progressive Platform

Progressives seem to genuinely wonder why mainstream Americans would object to these proposals. Why would American voters be put off by proposals they’d obviously gain so much real””and in many cases personal””benefit from?

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framers

Framing a Job Guarantee

Ms. McArdle is being disingenuous in planting the idea that everyone who is paid with federal dollars is a federal employee; it’s an idea that immediately discredits the JG program, and it should be proactively discredited itself.

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image of men playing poker

Four “Tells” That Show Krugman Knows He Cannot Win an Honest Debate

Calvinball is a mythical game without rules. Academic debates shouldn’t be a game of Calvinball.

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Tax forms on a desk with a calculator and pen

Four Purposes of Federal Taxes

Beardsley Ruml wrote in 1946 that taxes for revenue are obsolete. So what ARE they for?

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Five (5) Things to read to Understand Modern Money (MMT)

These simple references are to allay any source of confusion, with what media commentators are calling Modern Monetary Theory compared to actual Modern Monetary Theory.

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Federal Taxpayers Do Not Fund the Federal Government; The Federal Government Funds Federal Taxpayers

Well that title is blunt, isn’t it? I like blunt. That’s why I chose it. As I always say, blunt cuts through bullshit. It’s my bet that it is sure to cause irritation for those persons who play immature games of semantics with the word ‘fund’. Good.

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Federal Taxation: A Physician’s Prescription For Reform

This analysis of the pathophysiology of the taxation system informs the four taxation proposals presented here, which are crafted on the observed mechanics of the US monetary system as described in MMT.

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Federal Job Guarantee: Necessary Pandemic Auto-Stabilizer

It allows us to prevent shocks to our economy that cause suffering for the 99%.

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Memes for Sharing

Why we need to debunk the 'deficit myth' - BBC REEL

Government spending is increasing at an unprecedented rate to deal with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Many people worry this could burden future generations.

However, economist Stephanie Kelton, author of The Deficit Myth, argues that we need to rethink our attitudes towards government spending.

Could Modern Monetary Theory help us navigate our way out of this crisis – and even help build a fairer economy?

Producer: Dan John
Animation: Jacqueline Nixon

(Republished with permission from the BBC)

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Modern Monetary Theory and Economic Justice

Economic Justice

Modern Monetary Theory and Environmental and Ecological Justice

Environmental & Ecological Justice

Modern Monetary Theory and Peace with Justice

Peace with Justice

Modern Monetary Theory and Equality with Justice

Equality with Justice

Modern Monetary Theory and Democracy

Democracy

Modern Monetary Theory - Health and Wellbeing

Health and Wellbeing

Technology & Innovation - Modern Monetary Theory

Technology and Innovation

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