to be producing cars now produce. What if they produce nothing? What if these people now collect unemployement or are hired by the government to dig holes and then fill them? What if the actual value generated to other citizens is zero, or in some cases negative because they displace an employee at a private firm that used to do the same job? I am not a smart guy so I always push something to the extreme and see if it makes sense. No one works. The government pays us all to do nothing. We then buy goods from someone offshore to meet our demands, which they sell to us in exchange for the dollars we get from the government. The offshore folks buy government bonds and everyone is happy. Now this is great, we don't work and we get goods, I understand that. But there is also no investment, no R&D, no development unless it is paid for by the government (and then you have decrease the payments to people not to work otherwise they have no incentive). It looks alot like the Soviet Union before the wall came down. You fall behind in all sorts of ways even if you live well. You also know that at some point in time the sellers of goods will decide to stop taking government IOUs in exchange for goods. Then we will have to produce our own goods and services but may not have the infrastructure, know how or ability to