Question:
Should the government just let us all start printing our own money?
anonymous
2008-09-18 12:35:58 UTC
If it's good for the government, why not just make it good for everyone?

Put some templates up on the treasury's .gov web site and let people put their color printers to good use.

Economic crisis over, we're the richest country in the world, and everyone is an instant millionaire!

And this way congress can spend all they want, the national debt will be eradicated, we'll have no more budget deficits, there will be plenty of money in social security, no one will care how much health benefits and services cost, universities and colleges can charge $25000 - $75000 per semester and no one needs college loans, and fuel costs, hey it can be $20 a gallon.

Just make it illegal to raise the price of paper. No more than $5 a ream for 500 sheets.

I think it's a great idea. Should be a lot of fun too. And just watch how quickly grandma learns how to use a computer and get her color printer working. Suddenly she's a PC expert.

What do you think?

Who's ready to start printing?
Fourteen answers:
Suicide Blonde
2008-09-18 12:46:57 UTC
Oh hell yes I'm all for it ! Let's go baby!
Skatta
2008-09-18 13:51:22 UTC
you are looking at it too simply. the government prints money, because it needs to. it prints more because of the way banks work, and in the states, the federal reserve.



to really understand this you would need to take economics courses, but i'll try and help you out.



if everybody printed their own money, everything might as well be free for one thing, or if the government just printed more and more, willy nilly giving everybody a million dollar pay increase every year, inflation would go through the roof like crazy.



however, (i'm not totally sure of how it works in the US, but i think it must be this way) in the US the federal reserve lends money to banks, the federal reserve sets the interest rate. this controls the spending of the people living there, and how people use banks, i.e. either for saving or borrowing. since the federal reserve has control over this, it can control the rate of inflation.



if everybody had money printing devices in their basements none of that part would happen. that's why you can have one and not the other.

i don't know what you mean, businesses using fake money and dot coms with no actual value. a thing has as much value as people are willing to pay. i'm not willing to pay anything for monopoly money. but i am willing to pay for a dot com that is technically worth nothing, because it could be worth something some day and if i pay less for it now, then it will be worth in the future, i made money. if somebody is willing to pay for something it has legitimate value. there is no authority that goes around placing price tags on things.



tangible doesn't really matter. stuff doesn't need to be tangible to be worth something. time is worth something, banks pay extra for security, as in will choose to pay almost certainly too high interest rates, just so they can set it now, so they can be sure what it is.







an idea can be worth millions. but these are so easy to steal. but if you have an idea and the rights to it. then you have something you can sell. you can sell it for as much as people think will make them money in the future if they buy it now. ideas like dot coms.



in terms of value, the only thing that matters is what people are willing to pay for it. that's all the tangible you need.



even just a false rumor can cause stock to rise or fall.
Opinu8ed
2008-09-18 13:20:51 UTC
I'm game, but printer ink/toner is so darn expensive. The paper and ink will be worth more than the money you're printing. I rather have an unlimited US Debit cards that don't expire. It saves trees. It's the green thing to do.
anonymous
2008-09-18 12:46:57 UTC
This is a stupid idea.

If I can print money then why I need to join college.

No knowledge no progress and there will be no desire to do anything but fun which will not last long because there will be nobody working at the airport, nobody in tourism department or grocery shop or gas pumps.

I will have billions of dollars but I have to grow my own food which will bring me back to stone age.
Army of lulz
2008-09-18 12:45:53 UTC
It is a bad idea because it wont solve anything. If any idea all money in the world should be eliminated and we should go back to trading goods for goods. This would eliminate the capitalist pyramid which is causing this crisis for a lot of countries.
Anti - Barbie
2008-09-18 12:45:06 UTC
Printing more money actually makes the economy worse as opposed to better.



Just look at 1930's germany. You had people with suitcases stuffed full of money, and the suitcase was worth more than the cash it contained
lenghartk
2008-09-19 15:06:17 UTC
Not yet, but pretty soon our money will look like Zimbabwe's money with notes of half million to billion dollars a month ie.
anonymous
2008-09-18 12:45:39 UTC
This is insane. It would be a big competition on just making money by printing it. I mean people wouldn't want to work then. The whole system would be bonkers.
CrowT
2008-09-18 13:12:29 UTC
I think *I* should, at least. Then I'd immediately freeze my monetary supply, thereby solving pretty much every single problem we've had since 1913.
Passion
2008-09-18 12:45:35 UTC
Yes we should be able to do this, although it would create a few problems, such as people no working as they have enough money.



xXx
TONI D
2008-09-18 12:49:46 UTC
Sorry, it doesn't work like that. You have seen what happens to anyone who thinks this will work. Those who choose to perform these illegal activities are hastily moved from their house to the jailhouse.

Now, I don't think we all can occupy the jailhouse--- do you? Please come up with a better one for the record!
An Inconvenient Thinker
2008-09-18 12:43:27 UTC
I think I've just found a topic for the Persuasion class I will have to take next semester. Thanks!
Cammie
2008-09-18 12:46:24 UTC
Are you serious or joking ?



Please take an economics class.
omgits_blaine
2008-09-18 12:45:42 UTC
hell no.


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