For many people, the mortgages they took out before 2008 are so high that they would be better off walking away from their houses. That is called "jingle mail," returning the keys to the bank and saying, "You can have… — Michael Hudson Copy Share Image
Everybody would be better off if they could buy housing for only, let's say, a carrying charge of one-quarter of their income. That used to be the case 50 years ago. Buyers had to save up and make a higher… — Michael Hudson Copy Share Image
Europe is creating the flight of refugees that's tearing it apart politically, and leading rightwing nationalist parties to gain power to withdraw from the… — Michael Hudson Copy Share
This is not really currency that circulates. It's like the old joke about expensive vintage wine. Wine prices will go up and once in… — Michael Hudson Copy Share
Nobody prefers to earn income any more, because that's taxable. Rich people prefer to make capital gains. — Michael Hudson Copy Share
If you end internet neutrality and permit mergers of the big information technology corporations, that's a form of rent seeking. It's part of today's… — Michael Hudson Copy Share
Deflation means a slowdown of income growth. Markets shrink, new capital investment and employment also taper off, so wages decline. That is what's happening… — Michael Hudson Copy Share
You could say that the vote to withdraw from Europe is, it's really a vote of the British middle class, the working class, to… — Michael Hudson Copy Share
Actually, high housing prices don't help the economy. They raise the cost of living. — Michael Hudson Copy Share
When economists speak of money, they neglect that all money and credit is debt. That is the essence of bookkeeping and accounting. There are… — Michael Hudson Copy Share
The United States and Europe are in a state of debt deflation, where people and businesses have to pay banks instead of spending their… — Michael Hudson Copy Share
On the flat tax, the more you compress the tax rates, the more you untax where the income is really made, at the top… — Michael Hudson Copy Share
Income is sucked upward to the creditors, who then foreclose on the assets of debtors. This shrinks tax revenue, forcing public budgets into deficit.… — Michael Hudson Copy Share
Debtor countries may postpone the inevitable by borrowing from the IMF or U.S. Treasury to buy out bondholders. This saves the latter from taking… — Michael Hudson Copy Share
No price is too high to pay to try to make the financial system go on a little bit longer. But ultimately it can't… — Michael Hudson Copy Share
