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Just a nit pick: The term "taxpayer money" is more accurate, I think. It isn't "government money" it's our money. When they give millions of dollars to someo

Just a nit pick: The term "taxpayer money" is more accurate, I think. It isn't "government money" it's our money. When they give millions of dollars to someone studying the effects of underwater basket weaving on the English parliamentary system it is our money that is being well-allocated and utilized, not "government money". I feel the distinction is important because it connects the burden or benefit of the decisions government makes to those who work real jobs to pay for those programs, investments and financial bonfires. It's money that came from a single mom working three jobs, truck drivers, engineers, doctors, high school kids, servers at restaurants and a million other people. It certainly isn't "government money".

RobertoG 11y ago
Fiat money is government money. I recommend anyone interested in understanding fiat money to read about Modern Money Theory (for instance here: http://neweconomicperspectives.org/modern-monetary-theory-primer.html http://neweconomicperspectives.org/modern-monetary-theory-pr...). It changed my perspective for sure.
- rebootthesystem 11y ago
  You are talking about something entirely different. If everyone in the US stopped paying taxes the government would not have money to spend. They couldn't just print it to pay themselves and whatever else. They couldn't even take out loans because there would be no money from us to pay for them. So it isn't in the end government money. They use taxes collected from us as well as loans that we, ultimately, pay for, to fund the operation of government and all other programs and activities. Without taxes government and everything funded through taxation, directly or indirectly, would collapse. Fiat money is, at the simplest, about a dollar no-longer being backed by an equivalent amount of gold. That has nothing whatsoever to do with the use of tax revenue to fund programs. Not one thing. Any program funded through taxation is being funded by you, me and every other tax-payer in the nation. It's our money they are spending.

RobertoG 11y ago

Fiat money is government money. I recommend anyone interested in understanding fiat money to read about Modern Money Theory (for instance here: http://neweconomicperspectives.org/modern-monetary-theory-primer.html http://neweconomicperspectives.org/modern-monetary-theory-pr...). It changed my perspective for sure.

rebootthesystem 11y ago
You are talking about something entirely different. If everyone in the US stopped paying taxes the government would not have money to spend. They couldn't just print it to pay themselves and whatever else. They couldn't even take out loans because there would be no money from us to pay for them. So it isn't in the end government money. They use taxes collected from us as well as loans that we, ultimately, pay for, to fund the operation of government and all other programs and activities. Without taxes government and everything funded through taxation, directly or indirectly, would collapse. Fiat money is, at the simplest, about a dollar no-longer being backed by an equivalent amount of gold. That has nothing whatsoever to do with the use of tax revenue to fund programs. Not one thing. Any program funded through taxation is being funded by you, me and every other tax-payer in the nation. It's our money they are spending.