Finding the Money

The core basis of this documentary is that the combined national debt is nothing more than the sum of the available capital in the private sector, being that the government creates the money it spends. It cannot spend what it does not create, nor can it exist in surplus without taking back more than it spent.

They reference the declining interest rate with the increase of the national debt as a means to show thst this debt it not bad, and without too much critical thought, you might think this is all a grand idea.

However, what it does not take into consideration is that this created currency is backed by something; in the case of our fiat currency system, our GDP. So let me explain it like this:

Let's say a currency is backed by a gold brick. We all decide that the gold brick is worth 100 pieces of paper. The value of that brick remains fairly constant and the value of those papers do as well.

Now, let's assume again that the value of the brick doesn't change much, but now we put another 100 pieces of paper into circulation. As the brick value remains constant (or near constant) that value if paper has now decreased. This is inflation.

So as the debt (amount of excess spending without tax recuperation) grows, the value of the dollar decreases, as it does not meet the same rate of growth as our GDP.

Short story long, this movie's core premise is easily debunked by even the layperson with a basic understanding of macroeconomics.

I consider(ed) myself to be a very knowledgeable about macro economics. This movie completely altered my understanding. I highly recommend. Taxation and government spending is obviously a subject that sparks a lot of political and ideological debate, but the film-maker exposes the hipocracy and misunderstanding that politicians of all ideologies share. I wish the movie was available by streaming it directly online. I would pay to see it again. I'd even give it away to friends for Christmas if it were possible to do so. Please try to increase the distribution of this really important information.

This is one of those films that sticks with you. We have all been brought up to believe a certain narrative about money, that it's like a scarce commodity or that it can only come from employers, banks, or taxation and borrowing. And, we all know the federal government can create money, but we're conditioned to believe it shouldn't unless it has to.

This doc takes all those assumptions and blows them up in your face. By demonstrating to the audience how a country's currency is simply a public tool that we have collective say in how to use, the film opens up new areas of debate in how public spending can and should be conducted.

Regardless of your political views, this film has something for you. Whether you hate the idea of taxes and inflation, or love the idea of ending climate change and inequality, you are doing yourself a favor by hearing the arguments laid out in this film. You will understand that we can afford to build any kind of world we want to build as long as we respect and understand the limits and flows of real resources in our economy.

Fantastic documentary. Explaining what money is and how the monetary system works. Pulling the veil back on many damaging misconceptions and misunderstandings which lead to terrible policy choices and terrible outcomes. Important and timely. Paradigm challenging, which will make many watching uncomfortable as it will go against everything they've ever heard and what they believe to be true intuitively, because it's what everyone says, it's what politicians say, what many economists say, and what many journalists and media say. But once you see it and it clicks, you can't unsee it. We can't solve the biggest challenges we face unless we understand the basics and how things actually work.

Finding the Money has the potential to completely upend the way you understand not only the economy but society as a whole. Few films, documentary or otherwise, can lay claim to that kind of impact upon the viewer. When the material presented is understood, suddenly everybody talking about govt policy-especially but not limited to fiscal policies like taxing and spending-starts to sound crazy. It's because they don't know what you now know. Or in some cases are pretending not to know it.

The myths that are propagated about the monetary system and the constraints it operates under are not accidents, but redound to the benefit of a power structure-a ruling class-that prefers the highly inegalitarian status quo. Economic inequality is not just an outcome of their preferred fiscal policies, but the very source of their political power. Understanding the power of fiat currency-and that money is not property belonging to individuals but a public utility-is essential to restoring egalitarianism and reclaiming democratic governance.