Why A Universal Basic Income Need Not Be Inflationary by Ellen Brown

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by Ellen Brown
Writer, Dandelion Salad
The Web of Debt Blog
December 29, 2018

Calls for a Universal Basic Income have been increasing, most recently as part of the Green New Deal introduced by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and supported in the last month by at least 40 members of Congress. A Universal Basic Income (UBI) is a monthly payment to all adults with no strings attached, similar to Social Security. Critics say the Green New Deal asks too much of the rich and upper-middle-class taxpayers who will have to pay for it, but taxing the rich is not what the resolution proposes. It says funding would primarily come from the federal government, “using a combination of the Federal Reserve, a new public bank or system of regional and specialized public banks,” and other vehicles.

It Is All About Relative Power Of The One Percent by Michael Hudson + 10 Years Since Lehman Brothers Bankruptcy – Did the Economy Really Recover?

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Updated: Sept. 19, 2018

by Michael Hudson
Writer, Dandelion Salad
September 18, 2018

Wall Street did not let the Lehman Brothers crisis go to waste. The banks that have paid the largest fines for financial fraud are now much bigger and more profitable. The victims of their junk mortgage loans are poorer, and the economy is facing debt deflation.

Michael Hudson and Ellen Brown: Avoiding The Road To Serfdom

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by Michael Hudson, with Ellen Brown
Writers, Dandelion Salad
Michael Hudson, Jan. 28, 2018
The Web of Debt Blog
February 10, 2018

I appeared alongside Ellen Brown on Princetown Community Television in two parts. Enjoy!

Can Jill Carry Bernie’s Baton? A Look at the Green Candidate’s Radical Funding Solution by Ellen Brown

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by Ellen Brown
Writer, Dandelion Salad
The Web of Debt Blog
August 2, 2016

Bernie Sanders supporters are flocking to Jill Stein, the presumptive Green Party presidential candidate, with donations to her campaign exploding nearly 1000% after he endorsed Hillary Clinton. Stein salutes Sanders for the progressive populist movement he began and says it is up to her to carry the baton. Can she do it? Critics say her radical policies will not hold up to scrutiny. But supporters say they are just the medicine the economy needs.

Brexit and the Derivatives Time Bomb by Ellen Brown

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by Ellen Brown
Writer, Dandelion Salad
The Web of Debt Blog
July 1, 2016

Brexit could trigger a $500 trillion derivatives meltdown, by forcing the EU to allow insolvent member governments and banks to write down debt. Italy is in financial crisis and is already petitioning for that concession. How to avoid collapse of the massive derivatives house of cards? Alternatives are considered.

The Citadel Is Breached by Ellen Brown

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by Ellen Brown
Writer, Dandelion Salad
The Web of Debt Blog
January 16, 2016

In a landmark infrastructure bill passed in December, Congress finally penetrated the Fed’s “independence” by tapping its reserves and bank dividends for infrastructure funding.

The bill was a start. But some experts, including Congressional candidate Tim Canova, say Congress should go further and authorize funds to be issued for infrastructure directly.

Overt Money Financing: Raining Money on Main Street by Ellen Brown

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by Ellen Brown
Writer, Dandelion Salad
The Web of Debt Blog
September 22, 2015

Predictions are that we will soon be seeing the “nuclear option” — central bank-created money injected directly into the real economy. All other options having failed, governments will be reduced to issuing money outright to cover budget deficits. So warns a September 18 article on ZeroHedge titled “It Begins: Australia’s Largest Investment Bank Just Said ‘Helicopter Money’ Is 12-18 Months Away.”

Trumping the Federal Debt Without Playing the Default Card by Ellen Brown

Image by AK Rockefeller via Flickr

by Ellen Brown
Writer, Dandelion Salad
The Web of Debt Blog
August 19, 2015

“The United States can pay any debt it has because we can always print money to do that. So there is zero probability of default.”

— Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan on Meet the Press, August 2011

Michael Hudson: Should The Federal Reserve Taper QE, If Banks Get Most of the Benefits?

Image by Mike Licht via Flickr

with Michael Hudson
Writer, Dandelion Salad
michael-hudson.com
June 15, 2015

TheRealNews on Jun 15, 2015

UMKC professor of economics Michael Hudson explains how the bond-buying program helps keep interest rates low for everyday people but has also shored up bad mortgage loans of corrupt banks.

Michael Hudson: QE Intentions All Too Obvious + Kleptocrats who run Ukraine economy will grab IMF cash & run

Image by DonkeyHotey via Flickr

with Michael Hudson
Writer, Dandelion Salad
michael-hudson.com
March 11, 2015

TheRealNews on Mar 10, 2015

Michael Hudson says quantitative easing is a pretext to assist banks make even more profits

Amend the Fed by Ellen Brown

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by Ellen Brown
Writer, Dandelion Salad
The Web of Debt Blog
December 7, 2013

December 23rd marks the 100th anniversary of the Federal Reserve. Dissatisfaction with its track record has prompted calls to audit the Fed and end the Fed. At the least, Congress needs to amend the Fed, modifying the Federal Reserve Act to give the central bank the tools necessary to carry out its mandates.

Collateral Damage: QE3 and the Shadow Banking System by Ellen Brown

by Ellen Brown
Writer, Dandelion Salad
webofdebt.com
July 23, 2013

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Rather than expanding the money supply, quantitative easing (QE) has actually caused it to shrink by sucking up the collateral needed by the shadow banking system to create credit. The “failure” of QE has prompted the Bank for International Settlements to urge the Fed to shirk its mandate to pursue full employment, but the sort of QE that could fulfill that mandate has not yet been tried.

Money for the People: Grillo’s Populist Plan for Italy by Ellen Brown

by Ellen Brown
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
webofdebt.com
March 7, 2013

Default on the public debt, nationalization of the banks, and a citizen dividend could actually save the Italian economy.

Comedian Beppe Grillo was surprised himself when his Five Star Movement got 8.7 million votes in the Italian general election of February 24-25th. His movement is now the biggest single party in the chamber of deputies, says The Guardian, which makes him “a kingmaker in a hung parliament.”

How the Fed Could Fix the Economy—and Why It Hasn’t by Ellen Brown

by Ellen Brown
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
webofdebt.com
February 24, 2013

Image by Truthout.org via Flickr

Quantitative easing (QE) is supposed to stimulate the economy by adding money to the money supply, increasing demand. But so far, it hasn’t been working. Why not? Because as practiced for the last two decades, QE does not actually increase the circulating money supply. It merely cleans up the toxic balance sheets of banks. A real “helicopter drop” that puts money into the pockets of consumers and businesses has not yet been tried. Why not?  Another good question . . . .

How Congress Could Fix Its Budget Woes, Permanently by Ellen Brown

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by Ellen Brown
Featured Writer
Dandelion Salad
webofdebt.com
February 13, 2013

As Congress struggles through one budget crisis after another, it is becoming increasingly evident that austerity doesn’t work. We cannot possibly pay off a $16 trillion debt by tightening our belts, slashing public services, and raising taxes. Historically, when the deficit has been reduced, the money supply has been reduced along with it, throwing the economy into recession. After a thorough analysis of statistics from dozens of countries forced to apply austerity plans by the World Bank and IMF, former World Bank chief economist Joseph Stiglitz called austerity plans a “suicide pact.”