A 5,000-Year-Old Plan to Erase Debts Is Now a Hot Topic in America

— In ancient Babylon, a newly enthroned king would declare a jubilee, wiping out the population’s debts. In modern America, a faint echo of that idea -- call it jubilee-lite -- is catching on.

While the current debate centers on college costs, long-run numbers show how debt has spread through the economy. The U.S. relies on consumer spending for growth -– but it hasn’t been delivering significantly higher wages. Household borrowing has filled the gap, with low interest rates making it affordable.

Rulers weren’t motivated by charity, Hudson says. They were being pragmatic -- trying to make sure that citizens could meet their own needs and contribute to public projects, instead of just laboring to pay creditors. And it worked, he says. “Societies that canceled the debts enjoyed stable growth for thousands of years.’’

Sanders and Warren plan to remove moral hazard by making state college tuition-free. But they’ve caught flak on the fairness question.A study by the Urban Institute said that wealthier households hold more student loans –- so writing them off would be regressive. Pete Buttigieg, another Democratic presidential contender, wants to direct financial support toward poorer students, saying there’s no reason to subsidize richer ones.

Source: Financial Digest (financialdigest.net)

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