In order to tell the truth you must know the truth
Photo by Brian Wertheim on Unsplash
This is an aphorism focused on the media and politicians. It sounds simple, but what if you don’t know that you don’t know the truth?
I tire of the endless media questions, and politicians talking about, a return to surplus. The key point that is never discussed (the elephant in the room), is - why do we want the government to run a surplus? What are they, and we, trying to achieve?
The media and politicians believe this question does not need answering because it’s obvious - it’s common wisdom. The problem is common wisdom doesn’t need to be true, it just needs to be generally agreed. It used to be common wisdom that the Sun orbitted the Earth.
Do you know why a surplus is a “good thing”? What if it isn’t? What if the government taking more money out of the economy than they put in (a surplus) is a bad for business?
