The Federal Reserve has lost control. Soaring national debt and its interest payments—the second-largest budget item—force policy decisions. This "fiscal dominance" is pushing the U.S. towards an inevitable sovereign debt crisis within a decade.

A core function of money is to be the 'final extinguisher of debt.' However, fiat currency is created as debt, meaning every dollar is both an asset and a liability. This inherent contradiction makes the entire financial system fundamentally fragile.

When national debt grows too large, an economy enters "fiscal dominance." The central bank loses its ability to manage the economy, as raising rates causes hyperinflation to cover debt payments while lowering them creates massive asset bubbles, leaving no good options.

All money is created as debt (credit) from private banks, but the interest required to repay that debt is never created. This forces a systemic need for perpetual growth through new debt to cover old interest payments. If the system stops growing, it collapses, creating a structural incentive for war and expansion.

Inflation is a political tool to manage national debt without raising taxes or cutting spending. The government repays debt issued in valuable pre-inflation dollars with newly printed, less valuable post-inflation dollars, effectively reducing the debt's real value at the expense of savers.

The endgame for unsustainable government debt is not austerity but monetization. Albert Edwards argues that political weakness and fiscal incontinence will eventually force central banks to print money to cover debts. This 'fiscal dominance' will mark a return to the double-digit inflation levels of the 1970s.

Facing unpayable debt, governments consistently opt to inflate their currency away (a soft default) rather than openly defaulting. This strategy works because the general public doesn't understand the mechanics of inflation, making it a politically survivable, though immoral, choice.

Governments with massive debt cannot afford to keep interest rates high, as refinancing becomes prohibitively expensive. This forces central banks to lower rates and print money, even when it fuels asset bubbles. The only exits are an unprecedented productivity boom (like from AI) or a devastating economic collapse.

Raising taxes or cutting spending are politically impossible for tackling the massive U.S. debt. The only acceptable route for politicians is to print more money, a "soft default" that devalues the currency and effectively acts as a hidden tax on savers and wage earners.