Activersity

"[The US] service payments on public debt are roughly equal to spending for the same period on both the Department of Defense’s military budget and the Department of Education. This equates to more than $88 billion in interest payments a month."

https://fortune.com/2026/04/09/us-goverment-speding-interest-defense-education-total

The US figuratively has 2 ministries of debt, and next year it might be 3. At some point, it can afford just enough services and police to prevent revolt — while maximising transfer of taxes to the financial system.

The U.S. government is spending $88 billion a month in interest on national debt—equal to spending on defense and education combined

The deficit was $1.2 trillion for the first six months of the current fiscal year, according to the CBO, with $163 billion of borrowing in March alone.

Fortune
Apr 13 at 12:20pmWeb
Show threadActiversityApr 13

Consider that 25-30% of corporate profits also go to the financial system.

https://conversableeconomist.com/2022/09/13/financial-services-share-of-profits/

Businesses must prioritise debt repayment; in case of difficulty, they must reorganise, and ultimately become organisations whose primary purpose is debt repayment, by selling whatever goods and services they can.

This is the meaning of "financial capture." This is the final form of capitalism.

Financial Services: Share of Profits - Conversable Economist

Like most economists, I'm not allergic to the idea of profits. I view them as a signal that, in a certain area of an economy, the willingness of people to buy a certain product exceeds the costs of producing that product--thus, profits are a way to encourage additional production in that area. Still, it's provocative

Conversable Economist - In Hume’s spirit, I will attempt to serve as an ambassador from my world of economics, and help in “finding topics of conversation fit for the entertainment of rational creatures.”