Peter's Blog

US Government Approaches $40T in Total Debt Outstanding

Current Trends The US government has borrowed nearly $450B in the last three months. While this is a gargantuan sum of money, it annualizes to ~$1.9T which would be the smallest year of borrowing since 2022. Unfortunately, the trend more likely to hold is the borrowing seen in Feb and March which clocked in at […]

When is Debt Good?

While one of the main talking points of Schiffgold is the great damage of national debt, there does exist a positive place for debt in the world. National debt is a problem because it forces the people to bear a risk that they have no desire for or understanding of. The people’s lack of care […]

Zero Base It ALL

Most governments that evaluated zero base budgeting and decided not to use it said that it would not be worth the work put into it. This begs the question of, “not worth it for whom?” The governments that actually did zero base budgeting ended up being very satisfied with the results, and this is even […]

The Two-Tiered Damage of the Iran War

Do not let them get away with the war in Iran. The stock market is up, but the war’s consequences cannot be wiped away cleanly with financial success. Politicians have long avoided accountability for any sort of foreign involvement. Trump led all of his voters into believing that he wanted an end to foreign wars […]

Federal Deficit: TTM Interest Expense Exceeds $1T

Federal Budget The Federal Government publishes the spending and revenue numbers on a monthly basis. The charts and tables below give an in-depth review of the Federal Budget, showing where the money is coming from, where it is going to, and the surplus or deficit. The government fiscal year closes at the end of September, […]

Trust the Market, Not Government Stimulus

Some commentators are of the view that one cannot trust the market economy, which is seen as inherently unstable. If left free, the market economy could lead to self-destruction. Hence, there is the need for the government and the central bank to manage the economy. It is held, in this framework, that successful management could be achieved […]

The Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act Robs Peter to Pay Paul

If you listen to politicians in Washington, the Working Americans’ Tax Cut Act proposed by Virginia Representative Don Beyer sounds like a gift to the middle class. But by decreasing taxes for some by increasing them for others, it only robs Peter to pay Paul. A tax decrease that is financed by a simultaneous tax […]

This War Isn’t Affordable – It’s Debt-Funded

Unsurprisingly, the United States’ latest war is expensive and will almost certainly be financed via debt and inflation. While right- and left-wingers bicker about the costs of conflict in Iran, both sides have lost sight of the fact that the US can’t afford either of their preferred slates of government services– whether it be regime […]

The Fed’s “Self-Financing” Is a Dangerous Illusion

With Trump’s latest attack on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell in the news, mainstream pundits have jumped to defend Powell from what is obviously an attempt to make the Fed less hawkish on inflation. In these defenses, however, an absurd myth is often advanced– that the Fed is somehow “self-financing.” The following article was originally published […]

The Bread & Circus effect: The Danger of Public Stadium Funding

In 2016 when the measure C initiative to raise hotel taxes to benefit a new San Diego Chargers stadium failed, the Chargers left their hometown of many years to go to Los Angeles. A team expecting government aid as a prerequisite to be in a location is an exceedingly common story in the world of […]