The schism between what politicians say and what they do in fiscal and monetary policy is directly related to their desire to keep the little people from discovering the power they have to shape their own economy. If the voters believe that “they” fund the spending of their government via taxation or debt they can be enlisted as watchdogs over that spending and will apply strict criteria to recipients/beneficiaries. The concept of rugged individualism that is so unique to Americans is highly dependent upon it.

A “good steward” quickly becomes a monster when the truth of federal spending and money creation is known. Who else, other than a monster, would advocate for denying school lunches to kids, or cut the food stamps for their families if nothing was “saved” in the process? Ditto for many of the benefits other, much less affluent, countries take for granted. In fact, they are made more prosperous by providing many benefits to their citizens, such as healthcare and education, not to mention vital infrastructure.

The current pandemic is laying bare the weakness imposed by making the currency-issuing government “efficient” as if it were a business. Trump, quite predictably, dismantled the pandemic response team that Obama had formed to provide advance warning of such threats. He said he didn’t see the sense of having thousands of people on the government payroll doing nothing. As a result of this, he is now using our navy as literal pirates and confiscating ventilators and medical supplies intended for nations we have imposed sanctions on. His fan club sees this as “strength” in defending Americans, but the world will rightly see it as the reaction of a dangerous force against world peace.