we're not rich, we do not buy many american products.
most of the money goes into mortgage, food, school for the kids, and occasional local family trips. that's the bulk of my spending.
in my case i have a 6yo android phone, a 6yo benq monitor, a recent (2024) mac mini and some indie steam games. i do not own anything else american. i do pay for youtube premium and a netflix family account and do use amazon to buy non-american products.
a small part goes into retirement funds with a smaller part from that going to back to america.
the us runs a big trade deficit with my country so that money is not really seeing back the american shores but the part that is definitely does not head to the american people. increasing inequality mechanics imply it's proportionally more and more funneled and concentrated into the elite (stocks&bonds, rent-seeking "post"-capitalism, lobbying, fiscal optimization etc.).
When you deposit those USD, pay that mortgage, having received local currency as pay, to get you that local currency, or convert the USD INTO local currency, somebody wound up with USD. What does that somebody do with it?
Those stocks and bonds, those rent seeking post capitalism entities, they don't just sit on piles of USD like smaug. They have to do something with it. What do you do with USD?
These "giant trade deficits" are not the problem the current US government thinks they are. They aren't that giant. In any event, repatriating US jobs isn't going to "fix" whatever ails America.
> somebody wound up with USD. What does that somebody do with it?
the bank will get usd, aaand will probably put it into stocks/bonds/whatever financial instrument. in other things it will fund national debts.
so that's part government money, part investment money for big business.
with current government/finance policies it directly goes to feed the inequality wheel.
there are many aspects to that (tax-breaks, inflation policies, job market elasticity etc.) but the end result is the inequality is increasing and shows no sign of stopping, and that money that goes out from the bottom - in the form of less salary paid and more unemployment (leading into lower salaries) - and back through the top - national debt/big investment - is not helping.
i am not saying national debt/big corp. is inherently bad for inequality (i wouldn't know.. it s a complex topic) but i am saying that the current way they choose to spend money leads to it.
i'm not complaining, i'm on the poor side that receives usd. but i say it as i see it.
i'm not an expert, just a grunt coder wanting to start a business soon, but i try to keep informed.
we're not rich, we do not buy many american products.
most of the money goes into mortgage, food, school for the kids, and occasional local family trips. that's the bulk of my spending.
in my case i have a 6yo android phone, a 6yo benq monitor, a recent (2024) mac mini and some indie steam games. i do not own anything else american. i do pay for youtube premium and a netflix family account and do use amazon to buy non-american products.
a small part goes into retirement funds with a smaller part from that going to back to america.
the us runs a big trade deficit with my country so that money is not really seeing back the american shores but the part that is definitely does not head to the american people. increasing inequality mechanics imply it's proportionally more and more funneled and concentrated into the elite (stocks&bonds, rent-seeking "post"-capitalism, lobbying, fiscal optimization etc.).