Apr 9, 2020
Welcome to episode 22 of Activist #MMT. Today I talk again with PhD political scientist, author, and MMT-er Joe Firestone (Twitter/@joefirestonephd). Joe and I first talk about our personal experiences during these first weeks under the new normal of the coronavirus quarantine. We then move onto a discussion of the origin, history, and basics mechanics of #MintTheCoin, concluding with Michigan Representative Rashida Tlaib's coronavirus relief bill, The Automatic BOOST to Communities Act, written in consultation with Modern Money Network founder Rohan Grey (Twitter/@rohangrey). The bill is funded by two platinum coins worth one trillion dollars each.
We then end with a hearty dual rant about the profound unfairness of the 2020 Democratic primary, highlighted by the Democratic Party and its frontrunner Joe Biden encouraging millions to vote in person, in the middle of a now-raging global pandemic. One of these states, Florida, on the very same day its primary was held, announced that all its schools would be canceled for a month, and perhaps for the rest of the school year. On the same day.
The state of Wisconsin held its own in-person primary the day before this episode was released, despite the CDC now classifying the state's community transmission of coronavirus as "widespread." As of last week, this decision resulted in the resignation of poll workers across the state, funneling more voters into even fewer polling sites, sharing even fewer door handles, pens, and voting touchscreens.
For an overview of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) with many reliable sources to learn more, here is a good place to start:
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