When governments engage in deficit spending to provide benefits or fund programs, the cost is not free. It is paid for by devaluing the currency through inflation, which erodes the purchasing power and savings of every citizen.

A government funding unsustainable promises has only three choices, all of which terminate in dead ends. It can tax harder, causing capital flight; borrow more, leading to a debt crisis; or print money, destroying the currency's value. Each path inevitably leads to economic ruin.

To fund deficits, the government prints money, causing inflation that devalues cash and wages. This acts as a hidden tax on the poor and middle class. Meanwhile, the wealthy, who own assets like stocks and real estate that appreciate with inflation, are protected and see their wealth grow, widening the economic divide.

Instead of officially defaulting on unpayable promises like Social Security, governments opt for massive inflation. This devalues the currency so severely that while citizens receive their checks, the money's purchasing power is destroyed, rendering the benefits worthless without an explicit, unpopular cut.

There is no plan to truly pay off America's debt. The actual strategy is to use the invisible tax of inflation to transfer the debt's burden onto citizens who don't understand monetary policy. Those who hold cash and lack hard assets will unknowingly finance the government's deficit by losing their purchasing power over time.

The US government faces a trilemma: it cannot simultaneously re-industrialize, curb inflation, and maintain a strong dollar. The most politically palatable sacrifice is the dollar's strength, as its devaluation is less directly felt by voters than high prices or job losses from a strong currency.

Money printing is a politically expedient way to provide voters with the illusion of "free" services. It allows governments to spend without immediate, visible taxation, playing directly into the human tendency to prioritize short-term ease over long-term consequences.

Public anger is misdirected at the wealthy. The true root of unaffordability is politicians and central banks running massive deficits and printing money to cover them. This devalues currency, functioning as a hidden tax on the poor and middle class while benefiting asset holders, thus fueling inequality and rage.

Since WWII, governments have consistently chosen to print money to bail out over-leveraged actors rather than raise taxes or allow failure. This long-term policy has systematically devalued currency and concentrated wealth, creating today's deep economic divide.