The growth of the federal debt as a percentage of GDP is prompted by the 
declining rate of profit. This decline is masked by the expansion of credit 
throughout the system of accounts held by major investors in banks and other 
repositories of titular wealth. Marx explained the growth of fictitious capital 
in Capital, Vol. III, Chap. 25. The component of all assets which is fictitious 
grows in such a way that the investors don't recognize it. They don't 
understand, or accept, the law of value that Marx elucidated. Without this 
understanding it is possible to confuse debts with assets. See, for example 
Thomas Piketty or Stephanie Kelton.

With the increasing federal debt, accompanied by growing unemployment and mass 
misery, there will be more political pressure on politicians to keep borrowing. 
This leads to hyperinflation. Much of the stimulus money will go to working 
people to pay rent or purchase consumer goods. This mitigates the pace of 
growth of fictitious capital. Some goes to the wealthy who use it to push up 
stock prices. The high stock prices of today signify mostly fictitious capital. 
A small fraction of the quoted "market capitalization" of this or that publicly 
traded corporation can be said to represent the underlying value of the real 
commodities under the control of the titular owners of the company. The 
excessive tax payments from the federal government to these corporations 
serves, in part to continue the process of driving up stock prices. All this is 
a result of the growing pressure of the falling rate of profit. For those who 
ignore or disagree with Marx's analysis, what I am saying here makes no sense.

James Miller
marxism-science.com


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