Why Not Just Print Money and Give It to the Poor?

Wherever you walk, you’ll find homeless people sleeping on sidewalks, children begging for coins just to buy food, and young kids who can’t go to school because their parents can’t afford it.

It’s heartbreaking. And that’s why I asked myself: Why can’t the government just print money and help them?

It felt like a kind and practical solution. After all, many families are struggling, and the government has the power to create money. 

But as I looked deeper, I realized it’s not that simple, and printing too much money can actually make things worse.

At first, I thought printing money would solve poverty. But I learned that money is only useful when it matches the amount of goods and services available. If the government prints more money but the supply of food, clothes, and other essentials stays the same, prices will go up. This is called inflation.

Imagine there are only 100 pieces of bread in a town, and each person has ₱100. The price of bread might be ₱100.

Now imagine the government gives everyone ₱1,000 more. People now have more money, but the bread supply is still 100. Everyone wants to buy bread, so sellers raise the price to ₱500 or more. That’s inflation.

Printing money to help the poor can actually hurt them the most. When prices rise:

- ₱100 can no longer buy what it used to.

- Savings lose value.

- Salaries don’t increase fast enough.

Poor families feel this the hardest because they spend most of their money on basic needs. If prices double or triple, they suffer even more.

Why Governments Don’t Just Print Money

I used to think printing money was a quick fix. But I learned that:

- The peso loses value compared to other currencies.

- Investors lose trust, and businesses may stop investing.

- The country can face a financial crisis, like what happened in Zimbabwe and Venezuela, where people needed stacks of cash just to buy food.

What Can Be Done Instead?

Helping the poor is still very important. But it must be done wisely. Here are better ways:

- Create jobs through public projects and support for small businesses.

- Improve education and healthcare, so people can escape poverty long-term.

- Targeted cash aid, like the 4Ps program, which gives money to the poorest families with conditions like sending kids to school.

- Support farmers and producers, so food supply increases and prices stay stable.

My takeaways

I started with a simple idea: print money and help the poor. But I learned that too much money without enough goods causes inflation, and inflation hurts the very people we want to help.

The real solution is not just more money, but more opportunities, better services, and smart policies that help people grow and succeed.