TINA, I am breaking up with you

Sweet TINA,

I’m breaking up with you. Our relationship is far beyond its expiration date. We have experienced good times. But here it ends. Let’s be honest, TINA, you have expensive taste and you’re quite demanding. You’ve given me a lot of wealth, darling, but also a disproportionate amount of stress and headaches. I can no longer cope with this on my own..

I’ve always loved you but the budget deficit now appears to be twice as large than expected. Extensive measures need to be taken. Again, you show your true face, TINA. “There Is No Alternative”. Restructure, economize, cut back.

I do not want to hurt you, TINA, but there are nine known ways to organize an economy. There are undoubtedly more to be thought of. Why are we stuck with “the school of Chicago” (monetarism). Is there really no alternative?

We were doing well after WW2, darling, up until you exhibited your greedy claws somewhere in the seventies, back when you were still so beautiful.

As a child I’ve seen the news headlines. In the box on the news anchor’s top right the inevitable words appeared: CRISIS! Restructure, economize, cut back. I still find it funny how you can’t spell crisis without ISIS. But that aside.

Our generation has known nothing else, sweet TINA. Economic crisis is a recurring subject in our lives and we now respond with a shrug when hearing the news. Our babyboomer parents can reminisce about better times; When the june bugs were in every hedge and the children were still washed in a sink basin. Sounds romantic, I know. But then again, people still had outlooks on financial security back then.

The younger generations have accepted the uncertainty. They go along with the savings argument. Because that’s logical? These are difficult times, sir. We all need to contribute. You have them convinced, TINA. Neatly done! Thanks for stating that so clearly, or is it rather a stalemate?

According to the rules of chess, the pawn can only attack diagonally. Even the king can’t pay the exponents in grains per square because by the 64th he’ll be out of money. Shouldn’t we simply bend the rules, TINA? The rules are not set in stone. That’s not how it works!

What do you think of helicopter money? An alternate currency that you can’t use to pay multinationals, but only the butcher and the baker? What about basic income? What do you think about banning money lobbies? What if commercial banks cannot spend money they secretly do not own? Why don’t we relieve entrepreneurs from superfluous red tape and expenses? Why not rethink democracy, TINA? Why can ‘t the informed citizen take your place? Why not convert public property to the commons?

I won’t take no for an answer, TINA. I wish you all the best, but it’s over. My new loves are UBI, LETS and WIR. Yes, I’ve become completely polygamous. Let’s be clear about that. Today, I stand at the crossroads, and I will go left, right and straight ahead. Deal with it!

Good luck on another planet, TINA. You can keep the ring. Saturn has enough of them!

Loving regards
Earth