The Biggest, Most Harmful Lie (disguised as a begged question)

What is a "begged question?"

Here's the link to the Wikipedia article, "Begging the question." From that entry: 

In modern vernacular usage, however, begging the question is often used to mean "raising the question" or "suggesting the question." Sometimes it is confused with "dodging the question," an attempt to avoid it, or perhaps more often begging the question means simply leaving the question unanswered.

These days, I almost never see it used as Aristotle taught it, as "an informal fallacy that occurs when an argument's premises assume the truth of the conclusion, instead of supporting it." (A comic example of a begged question is that of a prosecutor, in court, asking the accused: "When did you stop beating your wife?")

The "modern vernacular usage" of this phrase is an example of "creeping Newspeak," the invented language George Orwell described in his novel "1984." from this blog:

By controlling the language, Big Brother controls the way that the people think. With a limited vocabulary, the people are limited in how much they can think, as well as what they think about. In another passage, Syme says to Winston, “Don’t you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. Every concept that can ever be needed will be expressed by exactly one word, with its meaning rigidly defined and all its subsidiary meanings rubbed out and forgotten.”  With the people’s inability to commit thoughtcrime, the hope of the party is that the people will no longer act out in disruptive or subversive behavior. Big Brother will have complete control of the people in every way, right down to their thoughts, and the people will become, essentially, mindless zombies who are willing to worship and do what they are told with no questions asked. They are able to achieve this by also destroying literature and controlling what the people are able to read."

1984 was supposed to be a cautionary tale of a future dystopia powered by thought control, not an instruction manual for the masters of Newspeak. It seems that the true meaning of Aristotle's "informal fallacy" has been replaced by its "modern vernacular usage," and that this fallacy has been effectively deleted from our language, and thus from our awareness.

What's my nominee for "the most harmful lie of all?" In the context of funding a federal program, this phrase is uttered by almost everyone, whatever their party or ideology:

"But how will we pay for it?"

Why do I consider this question "begged?" It assumes that (as "everybody knows") there are only one or two ways to fund federal spending,  either to raise taxes or borrow money. Therefore, the begged question asks the listener or reader which of these he will choose. Because the question is valid (if the spending is by a state or local government, or that of a family or individual), it's deceptive and misleading, because it simply does not apply to federal spending. 

Federal spending is unique, for under the financial system used in the United States since the Federal Reserve system became law in 1913, funds for federal programs are created as if from thin air (backed only by the "full faith and credit of the United States," which is effectively the credit lines of all Americans in aggregate). Under our Constitution, only the US Treasury can issue our currency.

The only practical limit to federal spending is the total productive capacity of our economy; spending above that limit causes real inflation (as opposed to the price gouging of corporations which think they can get away with it, and usually do).

This raises (not "begs") the question: if federal taxes do not fund federal spending, and they serve a function, what IS that function (or functions)?

There are two: to discourage behavior deemed undesirable by making it more expensive ("sin" taxes), and to shrink the money supply, to limit inflation. That's it.

I see two reasons why this question is asked so often. First, it's a valid question, in the context of personal experience (household spending), where spending is limited by income and savings, and state or local spending, where taxes actually do fund spending, under balanced budget constraints. In the context of federal spending, this question has been begged for over a century, and I see two reasons for this as well. First, financial literacy is seldom taught in our schools; secondly, kleptocrats who benefit from gaslighting us use this Big Lie as a weapon against us.

How do the kleptocrats benefit from the Big Lie? By invoking fear—fear that "deficit spending" will cause inflation, devalue the dollar, cost them (the taxpayers) more money, perhaps funneling money from their pockets to those "less deserving," and so on. These fears allow them to justify denying funds for one of government's biggest reasons for existence, to "promote the general welfare." By doing so, they promote general misery, which helps the kleptocrats maintain their control. People struggling to survive don't have the time or energy to defend themselves, being forced to work multiple low-wage jobs without benefits while having to support dependents who can't work or find jobs.

The Big Lie is so ingrained in the mass psyche that even good-hearted, smart people who should know better (Bernie Sanders comes to mind) fail to challenge it. He rails against "the 1%" and the mega-rich who pay little or no tax, advocating "fair-share" taxes on these folk, as a remedy for "budget shortfalls," when in reality we don't need their money to fund what We the People need to thrive, not just survive. 

Don't take my words as authoritative truth. Discover for yourself what I did, from those who understand and advocate "Modern Money Theory" (MMT). All the proof you need, and the tools to effectuate change, can be found at Real Progressives. (MMT is a "theory" in the sense of "the theory of gravity." It's demonstrably the way our economy actually works. There is more than one theory of gravity, but whatever its true nature, it serves to keep our satellites in orbit, and deters us from dropping hammers on our toes.)

Once the truth you will find there sinks in, I suggest that every time you hear the "Big Lie Question" (in the context of federal spending), you answer that question with this reality-based answer:

"We will pay for it just as we pay for all federal spending: spend the funds into existence." Elaborate as appropriate, using your new-found knowledge of MMT.

Visualize a new world where "we can have nice things:" the things we need, the things we want, the life-affirming, death-defying things the whole planet cries out for. Speak the truth to power, but realize that the power has been ours all along. Help me make that vision a global reality. Stop asking why so much is so terrible, see that vision yourself, and ask "why not?"