Priorities: War, Wealth and Welfare.
Coronavirus exposed the American budget and monetary policy as giant myths. Turns out, we can afford to pay for just about anything we want. Unfortunately, until now it seems we’ve only wanted to pay for things like war and prisons. We demonize welfare, education and healthcare and protect billionaires like fragile little eggs. In this episode we unf*ck the national budget and expose the lies behind how it’s constructed.
Show Notes
Clips
Episode Timestamp + Link | Clip Link
- 00:02:10 | Team America: America Fuck Yeah
- 00:04:40 | Sling Blade: $25
- 00:06:44 | Cypress Hill: When the Ship Goes Down
- 00:06:49 | Scary Movie: But Wait... There's More!
- 00:12:56 | The Never Ending Story: The Nothing Scene
- 00:15:28 | Tupac: Keep Ya Head Up
Resources
- Politico: Where in the World Is the U.S. Military?
- CBO: The Cost of Supporting Military Bases
- Center on Budget and Policy Priorities: Policy Basics: Where Do Our Federal Tax Dollars Go?
- CBO: Mandatory Spending in 2019: An Infographic
- CBO: Discretionary Spending in 2019: An Infographic
- Fortune: Donald Trump Would Be Richer If He’d Have Invested in Index Funds
- Labor 411: Here Are All of Trump’s Bankruptcies and Failed Businesses
- Center For Migration Studies: The US Undocumented Population Fell Sharply During the Obama Era: Estimates for 2016
- Brookings: What do we need to know about the border wall?
- FRED: All Employees, Manufacturing
Book Love
- Bernard E. Harcourt: The Illusion of Free Markets: Punishment and the Myth of Natural Order
- Stephanie Kelton: The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy
UNFTR Quick Links