Friday, December 7, 2012

More Platinum Coin Thinking

This was posted on Naked Capitalism.  I view the poster, Jack Hepler as a guy like me looking at the situation like Darwin trying, struggling with determination to make sense out of what he sees.  See his post and all the various comments it elicited for some interesting reading displaying a variety of viewpoints and ideas.

I posted this comment:

Public debt can’t be wiped out by making more (debt) money. Public Debt and private savings are in equal balance. Minus amount equal to plus amount. There is another way to balance: Plus equals Plus. A single $16 trillion platinum coin on the government public side = the sum of all the individual single dollars on the private savings side. It is a balance just like $16 debt eqauls $16 asset. $16 coin = $16 single dollars. The whole = the sum of its parts. Let it be and it is.
But wait, the $16 trillion coin also equals all the dollars due to the holders of the National Debt. But the holders of the ND are due that money over time, plus the interest I guess. In any event over time. Meanwhile the $16 trillion coin equals the present private asset savings upon implementation establishment. Even if done today there would be no change impact on the private asset revolving fund savings side?
The National Debt is a revolving debt fund. We must pay it off as due over time. If no new debt must be issued because todays private savings (also a revolving fund) has been balanced by the $16 trillion coin then we do not have to sell more debt to replace old debt as it is retired over time. It becomes a self liquidating revolving fund.
Where does the money come from to retire the existing National Debt revolving debt fund over time if not from selling more debt?
(insert answer here)
The paid off ND investors can put their money anywhere they want. Sounds like a boost to free private enterprise investment to me. Would it drive scams or better, safer investments? China (as well as everyone else holding the ND) has to do something with its $1 trillion but only as that trillion is paid off over how many years? They will find another (safe?) place paying something in return? The market maybe? The common public good in some way if it benefits them?
Any validity to these ideas about the coin?
The coin: Something about E pluribus unum appeals to me. It sound American. Like many from one or one from many. Quibble about semantics but the idea is the same. The many combine to one. One serves the many. Did we invent that idea or just apply it?
$16 trillion digital dollars private savings from (but equal to) one $16 trillion public coin. E pluribus unum used to be the defacto motto of the USA until the official one “In God We Trust” was established by law in 1956. The coin has two sides, one for each motto or choice of core value statement by either political party. Or two advertising spaces to the highest bidder.
If people must cling to the idea that debt must be a part of money then put the word “Debt” on one side of the coin and “Asset” on the other. One day when the National Debt is gone through retirement without replacement then a change can be made on the “Debt” side of the coin.
Like: “Paid in Full” or: “Its All Our Money Now” Funny thing: It is all ours now. That is why we can make the $16 trillion coin. It is our soveriegn right. Maybe all we need is the will of the people, or some kind of government to express that will.
We could have a “National Debt Countdown Clock” and in some future year celebrate two “New Years”. Two new beginnings with a clean slate and hope for a better future in the same year.
There could be a futures market in when that day and time would be.
Read more at http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/12/links-12712-2.html#MGRWPBhYHPTOVoXx.99

My subsequent post:

$60 trillion is total debt or some number in that general area.
$16T is MMT vertical public debt money. Called exongenous. Outside the private debt system. Government debt that funds and balances the private sector savings revolving account. (plus and minus balancing stuff.) Subtracting public debt from total debt leaves private debt which is MMT horizontal money. Called endogenous. Inside the banking balance sheet “money out of nothing” portion of the total debt money system.
Did I get that right?
If so, I think the $16T exogenous money is what the coin can reasonably address. The ball park National Debt revolving account public money that equals and supports the existence of the private sector savings revolving account.
While $60T coin is a wildly out there idea for horizontal debt money it is entirely reasonable for application to the vertical debt money side of National Debt/Savings. My prior post suggests the alternately balancing concept of a plus = plus balance using the coin to replace the Minus = Plus balance.
 

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