The slow rug of government

Government loves debt. The US national debt is around 31.5 trillion dollars right now (roughly 123% of GDP). While this is the largest total debt of any country, almost every major country carries significant debt. Why?

Because the government controls the money printers.

Step back from the politics and focus on the economics. If I issue a cryptocurrency, but retain centralized control over the rate of inflation, buying that token would be a bad investment. In this scenario, the easiest way for me to make money is to short my own token. If I can get an exchange/protocol to let me open a short position, then immediately jack up the rate of inflation, the price will plummet and I'll win.

In real world terms, the easiest way to short a currency is to take out a loan. You have to pay it back, but you're counting on those future dollars being worth less. Sure, you have to pay interest, but if the rate of inflation is greater than your interest rate, you win big.

If you control the rate of inflation for your currency AND can take out loans in your currency, you can't lose.

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-Luke

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P.S. In crypto, this would be considered a rug pull. In politics, it's best practice.