How did the US afford World War II?

World War II is one of the most striking examples of how a currency-issuing government can mobilize real resources when there's political will. The US spent approximately 40% of GDP on the war effort - far more than any peacetime program has ever cost.

How did we 'afford' it? The government simply spent the money into existence. It hired workers, contracted with factories, and purchased materials. The money was created as needed. Deficits were enormous, yet this didn't cause runaway inflation because the spending was directed at productive activities and price controls were implemented.

Unemployment dropped from about 15% to under 2%. Women entered the workforce in unprecedented numbers. Factories that had been idle during the Depression ran around the clock. The real resources - workers, factories, materials - were there all along; what was missing before the war was the money to put them to work.

This example shows that when we ask 'can we afford' some public priority like healthcare, infrastructure, or climate action, we're asking the wrong question. The right question is: do we have the real resources to do it? During WWII, we didn't let the lack of money stop us from mobilizing everything the country had.