Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: The US National Debt
April 5, 2021 1:20 AM - Season 8, Episode 7 - Subscribe
Another week from the White Void of Sad Facts. Right wing media loses their shit at a suggestive music video featuring Lil Nas X. Matt Gaetz is suspected of violating sex trafficing laws. A historic vote of whether to unionize has taken place among workers at an Amazon fulfillment center, which Amazon has fought in ludicrous ways, including anti-union propaganda in bathrooms. And Now: Some Very Unwelcome News Regarding Peeps. (It's the Peeps & Pepsi promotion.) Main story (22m): the US National Debt, and the massive disingenuousness with which it has been portrayed by Republicans. A lot of interesting information in this one!
F.37: "Largeus Bargeus," EVER GIVEN
F.37: "Largeus Bargeus," EVER GIVEN
Sorry, I guess I was just cranky. The housing crisis for the low- and middle- income in my neck of the woods has got me down.
Artificially low interest rates and increasing government debt will have knock on effects such as spiraling housing costs that aren't immediately captured by how inflation is reported.
I do strongly agree that austerity sucks as does tax breaks for the ultra rich and, generally, spending to get out of a recession is a good idea.
posted by porpoise at 4:42 PM on April 5, 2021
Artificially low interest rates and increasing government debt will have knock on effects such as spiraling housing costs that aren't immediately captured by how inflation is reported.
I do strongly agree that austerity sucks as does tax breaks for the ultra rich and, generally, spending to get out of a recession is a good idea.
posted by porpoise at 4:42 PM on April 5, 2021
Can they spiral even worse than they're already spiraling?
posted by bleep at 5:27 PM on April 5, 2021
posted by bleep at 5:27 PM on April 5, 2021
I think there's far more places in the country with a housing crisis than without one.
posted by bleep at 5:28 PM on April 5, 2021
posted by bleep at 5:28 PM on April 5, 2021
Also, why isn't it called Peepsi?
posted by Marticus at 6:21 PM on April 5, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Marticus at 6:21 PM on April 5, 2021 [3 favorites]
Marticus: My guess is someone else already trademarked that name.
posted by JHarris at 8:29 PM on April 5, 2021
posted by JHarris at 8:29 PM on April 5, 2021
I enjoy any content that debunks deficit hawking bullshit.
Until someone can successfully draw a though-line from "injecting a couple trillions worth into something specific like education/homelessness/healthcare/social safety net when those problems are out of control" to "oh no, now the price of bread has increased" I absolutely refuse to believe that printing money and using it in targeted ways, while taxing rich people to take the excess money back out of the economy, somehow automatically equals inflation - or explain how it would lead anywhere near the catastrophic Venezuelan levels we are fear-mongered with.
posted by windbox at 7:29 AM on April 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
Until someone can successfully draw a though-line from "injecting a couple trillions worth into something specific like education/homelessness/healthcare/social safety net when those problems are out of control" to "oh no, now the price of bread has increased" I absolutely refuse to believe that printing money and using it in targeted ways, while taxing rich people to take the excess money back out of the economy, somehow automatically equals inflation - or explain how it would lead anywhere near the catastrophic Venezuelan levels we are fear-mongered with.
posted by windbox at 7:29 AM on April 6, 2021 [4 favorites]
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
Or he and his writers have transcended into the economic upper class. qv HBO masters.
posted by porpoise at 2:24 AM on April 5, 2021