Where is the USA getting the $$ for the stimulus package?

JEDI

Lifer
Sep 25, 2001
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THe banks are in financial trouble.

Who is lending us all this $$$ from both the Bush and Obama stimulus packages?
 

Fear No Evil

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2008
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Nobody is, they are just printing money.. which causes inflation.. but there's only a 30% chance they will fail so its OK.
 

Pocatello

Diamond Member
Oct 11, 1999
9,754
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The US government can borrow and print money. China is one of the biggest lender right now, Japan too.
 

bbdub333

Senior member
Aug 21, 2007
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An absolute belief that he knows what's best and his view of reality is not dependent on the facts.

Sounds a lot like what we hear every day from Congress/President... irony...
 

heyheybooboo

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2007
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Around $300 billion is tax breaks ...

The Social Security surplus over the next 2 fiscal years is around $618 billion and will cover the rest ...

 

heyheybooboo

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2007
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Originally posted by: masteryoda34
Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
Around $300 billion is tax breaks ...

For people who don't pay taxes. :disgust:

I believe everyone pays FICA payroll taxes (where the relief is targeted) so what is your point other than trolling?
 

compuwiz1

Admin Emeritus Elite Member
Oct 9, 1999
27,112
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Last time I checked the money in my wallet said Federal Reserve Note. Fancy words for debt. The US Treasury will just print more. ;)
 

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
Moderator
Aug 23, 2003
25,375
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From electrons that power the computers that generate all those ones and zeros zooming around from bank to bank.

It's not like they actually go and print $900 billion in bills. They add a few keystrokes to the tally.
 
Dec 30, 2004
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Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Nobody is, they are just printing money.. which causes inflation.. but there's only a 30% chance they will fail so its OK.

You do not understand how this stuff works. They are not printing money.
 

Stunt

Diamond Member
Jul 17, 2002
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Every nation in the world is seeing the potential drop in the US dollar and is worried that this will make US exports more attractive. Therefore they are offering stimulus, and lowering interest rates; it's a race to the bottom of the barrel for how much they can devalue the currencies.

Debt levels will drop because of the new value of money and people will re-gain confidence and continue the next leg of economic boom...

example. Buying a house with 100% debt in 1950 would have cost maybe $20,000 if you don't even consider paying that debt off and wait for the influences of inflation; that $20,000 is negligible relative to the current value of the house or your income. Debt will continue to exist and inflation is the way governments deal with it. They get the money first when it has the most value and allows them to increase spending without increasing taxes. It's an interesting little scheme they have going.
 

LegendKiller

Lifer
Mar 5, 2001
18,256
68
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What are you even talking about Stunt? Inflation exists for many reasons, namely to prevent wild disruptions to the money supply and potential deflation issues. Increasing spending without increasing taxes? WTF? If they are increasing spending it's to pay for more costly goods/services because of inflation, or to expand the government, taxes result one way or another if they have to take on more debt.

The money is coming from investors in US treasuries.
 

Mxylplyx

Diamond Member
Mar 21, 2007
4,197
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There is a flight to safety for US treasury bills right now, which makes it easy for the fed to find potential buyers for it's debt, and at a low interest rate too. Despite all the doom and gloom talk, much of it justified, when people get panicked, they still look to the US government as the safest place to park their money. This works to our advantage in that when times get tough and we need more money, it becomes cheaper to borrow. It doesnt seem to me that they are printing money, but instead putting peoples money to work, money that would otherwise be dormant in the economy. Now the might print the money temporarily until the next treasury auction.
 
Dec 30, 2004
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Originally posted by: Stunt
Every nation in the world is seeing the potential drop in the US dollar and is worried that this will make US exports more attractive. Therefore they are offering stimulus, and lowering interest rates; it's a race to the bottom of the barrel for how much they can devalue the currencies.

Debt levels will drop because of the new value of money and people will re-gain confidence and continue the next leg of economic boom...

example. Buying a house with 100% debt in 1950 would have cost maybe $20,000 if you don't even consider paying that debt off and wait for the influences of inflation; that $20,000 is negligible relative to the current value of the house or your income. Debt will continue to exist and inflation is the way governments deal with it. They get the money first when it has the most value and allows them to increase spending without increasing taxes. It's an interesting little scheme they have going.

What drop in the dollar....it is gaining in strength.
 

Elias824

Golden Member
Mar 13, 2007
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Most of it comes from bonds, as I recall china is no longer buying up us debt, although im sure we are borrowing money from other countries. One interesting thing I heard is that since we are taking money from bonds other people have bought, we are pretty much just moving money from on person to another so it would be impossible for that to create any meaningful difference in the economy.


Originally posted by: soccerballtux

What drop in the dollar....it is gaining in strength.

Relative to what? I heard something else funny too, that the US is actually trying to inflate the dollar so that we can actually pay back some of this debt.
 

palehorse

Lifer
Dec 21, 2005
11,521
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Originally posted by: heyheybooboo
Around $300 billion is tax breaks ...

The Social Security surplus over the next 2 fiscal years is around $618 billion and will cover the rest ...
I believe that the SS surplus was already allocated for other pre-existing entitlement programs. Therefore, the SS surplus will in no way, shape, or form, cover the new "stimulus" package(s). Wishful thinking.

Right now, even Congress doesn't know how the fuck they (we) are going to pay for all of this bullshit. They're just adding it to "the tab"...
 

Vic

Elite Member
Jun 12, 2001
50,422
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Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Nobody is, they are just printing money.. which causes inflation.. but there's only a 30% chance they will fail so its OK.

Sorry, I missed it... what inflation? The discount rate is effectively zero, the fed is printing money like crazy, and prices aren't going up (and are actually falling for many items, like houses, equities, and durables). And why? Because we're on the precipice of a deflationary cycle. Sounds like you might benefit from an econ course.
 

Fear No Evil

Diamond Member
Nov 14, 2008
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Originally posted by: Vic
Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Nobody is, they are just printing money.. which causes inflation.. but there's only a 30% chance they will fail so its OK.

Sorry, I missed it... what inflation? The discount rate is effectively zero, the fed is printing money like crazy, and prices aren't going up (and are actually falling for many items, like houses, equities, and durables). And why? Because we're on the precipice of a deflationary cycle. Sounds like you might benefit from an econ course.

Well this bill was just signed a couple days ago. It will take some time for the inflation to occur.
 
Dec 30, 2004
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Originally posted by: Elias824
Most of it comes from bonds, as I recall china is no longer buying up us debt, although im sure we are borrowing money from other countries. One interesting thing I heard is that since we are taking money from bonds other people have bought, we are pretty much just moving money from on person to another so it would be impossible for that to create any meaningful difference in the economy.


Originally posted by: soccerballtux

What drop in the dollar....it is gaining in strength.

Relative to what? I heard something else funny too, that the US is actually trying to inflate the dollar so that we can actually pay back some of this debt.

Entirely likely; this is why Social Security plans are so dangerous and should be avoided-- because when the bill comes due the government almost can't restrain themselves from printing the cash instead of actually paying it back-- so they print it until everything is inflated to the point where the Social Security payments are affordable to the gov't (and by extension are then too small in real $ terms to live on).

It's not hitting us yet. Currently the dollar is gaining in strength WRT almost all other currencies (not vs. Yuan, Yen; but is against everything else).
 

Hacp

Lifer
Jun 8, 2005
13,923
2
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Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Originally posted by: Vic
Originally posted by: Fear No Evil
Nobody is, they are just printing money.. which causes inflation.. but there's only a 30% chance they will fail so its OK.

Sorry, I missed it... what inflation? The discount rate is effectively zero, the fed is printing money like crazy, and prices aren't going up (and are actually falling for many items, like houses, equities, and durables). And why? Because we're on the precipice of a deflationary cycle. Sounds like you might benefit from an econ course.

Well this bill was just signed a couple days ago. It will take some time for the inflation to occur.

Inflation won't be too bad right around now. It'll force people to spend their savings instead of storing it in the banks(or treasury bonds).