Episode 152[2/2]: Five Torrens graduate students discuss the job guarantee

Activist #MMT - podcast

#Economics #Modernmonetarytheory #Jeff Epstein #Modernmoneytheory #Podcasting Education #MMT

46:55

The War and Treaty’s Michael and Tanya Trotter grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and Washington, DC, respectively, but both have family roots in the South. They also grew up in the musical traditions of their churches – Tanya in the Black Baptist Church and Michael in the Seventh Day Adventist Church – where they learned the power of song to move people. After becoming a father at a very young age, Michael eventually joined the armed forces and served in Iraq and Germany, where he took up songwriting as a way of dealing with his experiences there. Meanwhile Tanya embarked on a singing and acting career after a breakthrough appearance in Sister Act 2 alongside Whoopi Goldberg and Lauryn Hill. Now, after a long and sometimes traumatic journey, Michael and Tanya are married, touring, winning all sorts of awards, and set to release their fifth album together, and their fourth as The War and Treaty. Sid talks to Michael and Tanya about the new record, Plus One , as well as their collaboration with Miranda Lambert, what it was like to record at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, and how they’re blending country, soul, gospel, and R&B. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices…

год назад 54:14

MP3•Главная эпизода

Welcome to episode 152 of Activist #MMT. Today's part two of my conversation with five of my Torrens classmates, this time about the job guarantee, from a now-much more educated point of view, given our experience at Torrens. We are also joined by John's wife, Martha, who is highly educated on topics related to the job guarantee.

(Here's a link to part one.)

But for now, let's get right back to our conversation.

275 эпизодов

Episode 152[2/2]: Five Torrens graduate students discuss the job guarantee

Activist #MMT - podcast

20 subscribers

published год назад

MP3•Главная эпизода

(Here's a link to part one.)

But for now, let's get right back to our conversation.

275 эпизодов

#Economics #Modernmonetarytheory #Jeff Epstein #Modernmoneytheory #Podcasting Education #MMT

Все серии

Activist #MMT - podcast

1
John Harvey reading Contending Perspectives: Chapter 7: Institutionalism [EDITED] 32:45

3 дня назад32:45

32:45

John Harvey reads the next chapter of his book, Contending Perspectives. Here's the original video from where this audio came. Here's a list of links to John reading every chapter (released so far) in his 2021 book Contending Perspectives. I have edited both the video and audio to eliminate mistakes, coughs, interruptions, and etc. Sections in this chapter These timestamps are exact for the audio. For the video, you'll need to add around seven seconds in order to get to the precise spot. (This is because of the opening credits, which are over around seven seconds of silence.) Note: At around 10:40, there is a weird cut in the audio when John says "...part of being human -- ceremonial values." This is an error in the original raw audio, not in the editing. It's unfixable. 9:15 - Section: The Institutionalist approach 18:03 - Section: Application 21:30 - Section: Method 24:21 - Section: Views of human nature and justice 25:23 - Section: Standards of behavior, primary and secondary 27:55 - Section: Contemporary activities 28:50 - Section: Criticisms 29:52 - Section: Final rejoinder 31:43 - Section: Further reading…

Activist #MMT - podcast

1
John Harvey reading Contending Perspectives: Chapter 6: Post-Keynesian economics [EDITED] 54:46

6 weeks назад54:46

54:46

John Harvey reads the next chapter of his book, Contending Perspectives. Here's the original video from where this audio came. Here's a list of links to John reading every chapter (released so far) in his 2021 book Contending Perspectives. I have edited both the video and audio to eliminate mistakes, coughs, interruptions, and etc. Sections in this chapter These timestamps are exact for the audio. For the video, you'll need to add around seven seconds in order to get to the precise spot. (This is because of the opening credits, which are over around seven seconds of silence.) 1:04 - Section: The Great Depression and Keynes' General Theory 4:08 - Section: Uncertainty, animal spirits, and demand 21:12 - Section: Investment and the business cycle 26:26 - Section: Financial markets and money 35:17 - Section: Method 41:14 - Section: Views of human nature and justice 43:05 - Section: Standards of behavior - primary and secondary 50:30 - Section: Criticisms 51:33 - Section: Final rejoinder 53:12 - Section: Further reading…

Activist #MMT - podcast

1
Ep154[2/2]: Dirk Ehnts: MMT makes "I can't" (provide healthcare) impossible. Also: Who gets to decide value? 1:08:00

10 weeks назад1:08:00

1:08:00

Welcome to episode 154 of Activist #MMT. Today's part two with German MMT economist Dirk Ehnts. (Here's a link to part one .) Above is the episode in audio form. Below is the episode in video form: In addition to talking about Dirk's books, we discuss two major concepts. First is the idea that a major characteristic of human beings is they really don't like saying "I want to" do something horrible. They want to instead be able to say "I must." Conversely, instead of saying "I don't want to" do something good and necessary they will do whatever it takes to say "I can't." A simple example is when you ask a friend to join you for lunch. Today they just don't feel like going out. They don't want to say something like "I just don't want to go out with you today. I still like you a whole lot, but I'm just feeling like staying at home and vegging with my TV." They'd rather say "I can't", such as due to a family obligation or sickness ("I'm really not feeling well today"). A bigger example is those in power denying healthcare to the masses. They want to profit, but even more, they want the power. "If you quit, you'll lose healthcare for not just you, but your entire family." Instead of admitting this, they would rather be able to point to the taxpayer myth and say "I must deny you healthcare because how're you gonna pay for it? ". Understanding how the economy actually works makes it impossible to use these kinds of excuses. The other concept we discuss is how value is decided on by those in power. I'm a full-time singer is senior centers. It disgusts me to have to discuss money. When asked what my fee is, I always respond "the best you can do, such that I can keep returning in the long term." I never give a specific number. Some facilities have small budgets, some have large. I don't want to take advantage of them, they (at least, the activities director whom I know personally) doesn't want to take advantage of me. All I ask for is the best you can do. It's worked out well enough. I maintain good relationships and it's turned out to be financially viable, if not lucrative. The real value of singing for seniors is far removed from money . But because I must pay taxes and bills in order to survive, that non-financial value must be translated into financial terms. The very fact that I must do this negotiation with every activities director at every facility, and that I must use great effort to confirm I've received payment after every performance (which sometimes takes a couple months to arrive), is a testament to the fact that my job makes no rich person richer. If it did, there would be systems in place to greatly reduce these burdens.…

Activist #MMT - podcast

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Ep153: Dirk Ehnts: Imposing individualism (part 1 of 2) 52:17

13 weeks назад52:17

52:17

Welcome to episode 153 of Activist #MMT. Today I talk with German MMT economist Dirk Ehnts. He discusses his books, and the courses he teaches, including one called "Equity, Equality, and Employment" at Torrens University. (This is part one of a two part episode. Here's a link to PART TWO.) Above is the episode in audio form. Below is the episode in video form: We then talk about concepts related to individualism versus community, and how society imposes individualism on all of us in many ways. One example I experience personally is how, in my home state of New Jersey, it is virtually impossible to exist without a car. Public transportation and bicycle riding is inconvenient. Everyone having a car means more cars must be produced, shipped, maintained, monitored, and etc (roads, parking, and on and on). Although this provides jobs to those who do these things, what else could all those people be doing? Another example: Just like everyone must have a car, every homeowner is expected to have, for example, their own lawn mower. This means almost all of those mowers sit unused for most of the year, and the burden of maintaining those mowers is on every individual owner. A more community-based solution would be to share a single mower among everyone on the block. This would let the mower be heavily used all the time (but within its design limits!), and the burden of maintaining would be distributed among all those neighbors. Having more public transportation and a community mower would eliminate jobs, but that's a good thing! These people should be doing other things! We currently have an excess of cars and mowers in order to give people jobs . As if these are the only kinds of jobs possible. Excessive individualism, as we currently have, requires excessive resource and energy use and, ultimately, perpetual growth. This is unsustainable. It is indeed possible to employ everyone with much less resource use, but it takes imagination and a paradigm shift.…

Activist #MMT - podcast

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John Harvey reading Contending Perspectives: Chapter 5: Austrian economics [EDITED] 25:53

19 weeks назад25:53

25:53

Activist #MMT - podcast

1
John Harvey reading Contending Perspectives: Chapter 4: Marxism [EDITED] 37:54

23 weeks назад37:54

37:54

Activist #MMT - podcast

1
John Harvey reading Contending Perspectives: Chapter 3: Neoclassical Economics [EDITED] 57:58

28 weeks назад57:58

57:58

Activist #MMT - podcast

1
John Harvey's Contending Perspectives: Chapter 2: Economics as a scientific discipline [EDITED] 1:15:34

32 weeks назад1:15:34

1:15:34

John Harvey reads the next chapter of his book, Contending Perspectives. Here's the original video from where this audio came. Here's a list of links to John reading every chapter (released so far) in his 2021 book Contending Perspectives. I have edited both the video and audio to eliminate obvious mistakes, coughs, interruptions, and etc. Audio chapters Use the below timestamps to navigate to each major section and occurrence in this section: 1:35 - Page 8: Chapter 2: Economics as a scientific discipline 3:25 - Page 8: Section: What is science? 4:40 - Page 9 10:03 - Page 10: A realistic version of science 17:39 - Page 13 30:13 - Page 17: Economics: Training and apprenticeship 44:01 - Page 22 58:38 - Page 27: Economics: Schools of thought 1:06:32 - Page 30: Economics: Primary and secondary standards of behavior 1:09:30 - Summary of table 2.1 on 32 (then skipping page 31, paragraph 2 through page 34, paragraph 2 – all of which is covered in future chapters) 1:10:43 - Page 34, paragraph 2 1:13:10 - Page 35: Conclusions 1:14:55 - Final comments…

Activist #MMT - podcast

1
Episode 152[2/2]: Five Torrens graduate students discuss the job guarantee 54:14

36 weeks назад54:14

54:14

Activist #MMT - podcast

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Episode 151[1/2]: Five Torrens graduate students reminisce about the first year. 1:03:21

41 weeks назад1:03:21

1:03:21

Welcome to episode 151 of Activist #MMT. Today I talk with five of my Torrens classmates about our first year in the new graduate program – its importance, some fond memories, and a few improvements we hope to see. In part two we discuss the job guarantee from a now-much more educated point of view. (Here's a link to part 2 . A list of the audio chapters in this episode can be found right below.) My guests are Gabie Bond who, along with Professor Steven Hail is the program's administrator, and all-around wonderful person. Susan Borden is the student-matriarch who is taking classes faster than anybody else, and may very well be the first graduate of the Master's program, in a class, literally, all by herself. Tom Foster is an insightful classmate who convinced me to change a major aspect of my view of the job guarantee, as discussed in part two. John Haly is a classmate and very good friend with whom, along with Susan, I've spent many a virtual hour talking and just quietly getting work done. Jackson Winter is a longtime collaborator on many different projects, from audio production to administering the primary private social platform (Discord) for our Torrens classmates, and creating major resources for current and future classmates to take advantage of. He's also a former guest on my podcast. This episode was recorded in late July of last year. Its release was delayed by my taking a demanding course at Torrens, switching careers, and by having to prioritize the release of the Steve Keen and Maren Poitras episodes. Thanks to all my guests for their patience. And now, onto our conversation. Audio chapters 2:40 - Hellos 5:38 - Susan first impressions 8:17 - What have you taken? What will you take? starting with Tom 11:35 - John 12:20 - Conflict between microeconomics and ecological economics 16:06 - John's classes 17:31 - Jackson classes 19:49 - Susan classes and response to John 23:18 - Susan and micro response, upcoming classes 23:57 - Steven and Gabie visiting the US 25:37 - Gabie's perspective of the first year as administrator. 28:17 - When will the final class of the initial set begin? 30:22 - Considering project-oriented electives 31:32 - The extra-curricular activities taken on by Torrens students (download directory, framing discussions) 37:27 - Framing discussions 38:42 - Between-trimester ideas 40:03 - Download directory, ramping-up advice, modern money lab resource repository 42:45 - Susan: Framing, messaging, and etc. 47:29 - Susan: Integrating Mazzucato's "Mission" 48:33 - Gregory Hayden's taxonomy 53:36 - Hayden's taxonomy final point 54:00 - Tom: more interactivity with classmates 55:34 - Final thoughts 57:09 - John: final thoughts 1:01:42 - Duplicate of introduction, with no background music (for those with sensitive ears)…

Activist #MMT - podcast

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[Mostly-not MMT] 2019 interview: Keith Errol Benson: The black experience is the American experience. 1:05:11

41 weeks назад1:05:11

1:05:11

THIS IS A BACKUP OF A GREAT INTERVIEW I DID IN 2019. IT TOUCHES ON MMT, BUT IS MOSTLY NON-MMT. --- A fascinating and insightful conversation on black history, music, religion, politics, economics, and more. More here: https://citizensmedia.tv/2019/07/07/kem/

Activist #MMT - podcast

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Ep150: Maren Poitras, creator and director of Finding the Money 1:09:39

46 weeks назад1:09:39

1:09:39

Welcome to episode 150 of Activist #MMT. Today I talk with Maren Poitras, the creator and director of the MMT documentary, Finding the Money. I had the pleasure of seeing this film on October 1st, 2023, in New York City, with my Torrens professor Steven Hail, Torrens administrator Gabie Bond, and Torrens classmate Susan Borden. After the film, we all went to a nearby bar-restaurant, and I got to meet and speak with Maren at length. (A list of the audio chapters in this episode can be found below.) In today's episode, Maren and I talk about how she came to the film and how it's informed by her background in ecological economics. We talk about the trials and tribulations of film-making, including the tortures of creating the intricate and subtle graphics used in the film. We also talk about her interactions with the non-MMTers as seen in the film. At the end, she says what you as a supporter can do to help this film be seen by others. In my view, the film is the most important milestone in the MMT movement since Stephanie Kelton's 2020 book The Deficit Myth (which was the most important milestone since US Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez said "MMT" out loud in 2018). The film has the power to change how we talk about some major concepts. It will be available to stream in early May. And now, on to my conversation with Maren Poitras. Enjoy. Audio chapters 3:35 - Hellos, European premiere 14:47 - When did the idea for the film happen and what is your background in film-making? 20:15 - MMT is the child in the Emperor's New Clothes. MMT forces people to question many deep fundamental assumptions about their lives. 38:59 - Printing fiasco 39:17 - Did feedback from the academics result in any major changes? 43:10 - Graphics (ripping open a wound) 47:46 - Non-MMTers in the film (attempts at critique) 55:35 - The film is unfortunately US-centric, due to time and resource constraints 57:18 - What can people do to help the film be seen? 1:01:00 - You never know where secret MMT people are lurking. 1:06:57 - Duplicate of introduction, but with no background music (for listeners with sensitive ears)…

Activist #MMT - podcast

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Episode 150 (preview): Maren Poitras: How can YOU help Finding the Money be seen by others? 4:08

47 weeks назад4:08

4:08

Here's a preview of my soon-to-be-released interview with Finding the Money director, Maren Poitras. It's a four-minute segment where Maren describes what YOU can do to help Finding the Money be seen by others. The big launch is less than three weeks away. This means the most important thing is to get people to buy tickets for screenings. The documentary's website ( findingmoneyfilm.com ) is the best place to go for this, and especially the "where to watch" page . Here are the major upcoming screenings: This Tuesday, April 16, is the New York City premiere with "DOC NYC" at IFC Center at 7 pm. Get your tickets here ./ New York City: May 3-9, each followed by a Q&A Washington, DC: May 9th at AFI Silver Theater, followed by a Q&A with Stephanie Kelton and Sara Nelson LA May 14-16 followed by a Q&A with Stephanie Kelton, Cory Doctorow, and Harry Shearer (Harry Shearer!) Other dates in Seattle, Portland, and San Francisco are coming The film will be available On Demand nationwide wherever you rent movies on May 3! (I'm going to stream it with my family as soon as it's available. I'm pretty sure my boys, 14 and 17, will sit through the whole thing, but I have carrots (homemade popcorn) and sticks (threat of no bed to sleep in) at the ready.)…

Activist #MMT - podcast

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Episode 148[1/2]: Steve Keen: MMT says government spending creates money. It's correct. 38:46

1 year назад38:46

38:46

Welcome to episode 148 of Activist #MMT. Today I talk with post-Keynesian economist Steve Keen about his decades-long fight against mainstream economics, what MMT convinced him of, and the couple parts of MMT he still disagrees with. This first part is a half-hour long audio interview, which will be followed next month by an hour-and-a-half-long video interview, where Steve walks me through the basics of his Minsky modeling software, and why he believes it's an important tool for MMTers. (Here's a link to PART TWO. A list of the audio chapters in this episode can be found right below.) MMT and Steve are in complete agreement with how banks spend (lend money into existence). After reading Stephanie Kelton's book in 2020, Steve realized that government spending also creates money. National governments don't tax in order to spend, they spend in order to tax. Steve quickly created a Minsky model convincing himself that MMT is indeed correct regarding this. This insight is also completely compatible with his understanding of bank spending. As far as Steve's disagreements with MMT, they are important, and Steve lays them out in detail in the last ten-or-so minutes of this episode. But let it be known that they are far from core issues. In other words, the amount of agreement is far greater. It's good to understand what these disagreements are, but as Steve says, we have much bigger fish to fry. This is the first main episode of Activist #MMT since August. Although I've released three chapters from John Harvey's readings of his book Contending Perspectives (with lots more to come!), the past six months have been all consuming, starting with my third Torrens course – which was coincidentally taught by John on that very book. It was both incredibly enlightening and unbelievably exhausting. I've also become a full-time musician. I now sing several times each week at retirement communities and related facilities (independent living, assisted-living, nursing homes, etc.). Coincidentally, back in July, I met Steve in person for dinner in Princeton, New Jersey, which is about an hour north of my home. After dinner and conversation, Steve gave me an initial walk-through of Minsky. We ended the night with me singing a few songs on the sidewalk – just me, my phone, and a little Bluetooth speaker. At the very end of today's episode, after the closing theme music, you'll hear a small highlight from that experience. You can check out my singing website at seejeffsing.com . And now, onto my conversation with Steve Keen. Enjoy. Audio chapters 4:24 - Hellos, and the plan 5:53 - His journey fighting mainstream, and, in 2020, to MMT 8:19 - Marx's view of money, Steve's PhD, Minsky's financial instability hypothesis, double entry bookkeeping, thinking of government spending differently 9:43 - Modeling money properly with double entry bookkeeping 10:49 - Discovering MMT in 2020, which changed his view on government spending 12:56 - Mild criticism of MMT's consolidated view 14:29 - Money creation is the expansion of balance sheets. The same thing happens on both the asset and liability side. If it ONLY happens on the liability side, it's a liability swap it. If it ONLY happens on the asset side, it's an asset swap. 16:42 - Regarding government money creation, how does your model distinguish between money creation and the supposed recycling of collected money? 19:12 - The only insight MMT gave Steve was that government spending creates money. All his work on banking is exactly compatible. 20:09 - Steve's two disagreements with MMT 21:31 - Disagreement 1: MMT says that in general, imports are a benefit and experts are a cost. 25:48 - Disagreement 2: The JG and UBI are actually complementary 27:59 - A dangerous follow up question: danger of UBI is that it could undermine the job guarantees Price anchor. Steve's response: the UBI would need to be below the job guarantee wage 30:25 - Have you modeled these disagreements in Minsky to confirm your view? Answer: no. There are simply much bigger fish to fry. 31:16 - Goodbyes for audio portion, transitioning to video 34:38 - Singing for Steve on a sidewalk in Princeton 36:01 - Duplicate of introduction, with no background music (for those with sensitive ears)…

Activist #MMT - podcast

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John Harvey's Contending Perspectives: Chapter 1: Introduction [EDITED] 20:04

1 year назад20:04