It’s common wisdom in North America that debt is bad. Most of us think its best to avoid debt and save rather than borrow. But if you’re a part of the working class, saving the old fashioned way will simply handcuff you to your job. Working and saving is what those in power want you to do. They want you to compliantly sell your labour and slowly save for your retirement. Its a low risk strategy that keeps you in your place.
When you work and save, you’ll never be rich and you’ll always be forced to sell your labour. The only hope you have of a materially better life is when the the standard of living generally rises. When you work and save, your station in society will always be the same. When you work and save, your life will go by, and you will always be stuck in the working class. Sure, you will retire, and pay for your kids education, and consume all the products being offered by the capitalists. Common wisdom tells us that those who work hard and save their money are admirable. But when you borrow to invest, you give yourself the potential of lifting yourself out of your class and making yourself a capitalist too.
When I talk of debtors, I’m not referring to those who borrow to consume. I’m referring to those who borrow to invest, whether its in real estate, the stock market, or their own business.
What’s the risk of debt? If you are born rich, getting into debt risks your capital. A rich person who borrows could slide down the ladder of society back into the working class. Rich people would rather lend their capital to others, rather than borrow to gain more if they already have enough capital to provide for their lifestyle. The working class should do the opposite. We should borrow as much as we can for the lowest rates possible and find good ways to profit from this borrowed capital.
For someone who starts with nothing, what’s the worst that can happen after they are highly indebted? Bankruptcy? So now the poor person who started at zero is bankrupt and they are right back to zero; right back to where they started. Nothing lost, nothing gained. Doesn’t sound so bad. At least they tried. At least they didn’t just follow instructions. At least those who borrow to invest tried to claw their way out of their station.
I can see why the rich are so worried about debt. All those working class people who are in debt might one day default, and this hurts the capitalists. At the same time, the working class have promoted government policies that benefit themselves. A generous social safety net helps the poor who lack their own resources. If you borrow to invest and it all goes wrong, the government will still provide you with a basic pension and health care. The welfare state helps debtors.
Artificially low interest rates also benefit the working class at the expense of the capitalists. Low interest rates benefits borrowers, while lenders receive less interest income from the capital they lend out.
