The National Debt Crisis

National Debt can be a pretty confusing topic to the average American.  We hear news reports about the National Debt and the Budget Deficit, but most people aren’t totally clear about what those terms mean.  Most people know that we have a big national debt, and they assume that’s not a good thing, but that may be just about all they understand about the topic.  If you find yourself getting confused about the National Debt, this post is intended to help you understand it in very simple terms.  Read the rest of this entry »

This article addresses the Per Capita Debt calculation of the United States National Debt.  As I write this article, the National Debt is approximately $12.1 trillion according to the Treasury Department.  According to Census Bureau estimates, there are approximately 115 million households in the United States with a total U.S. population of 308 million.

So using the above figures from the U.S. Government, we can calculate the following per capita debt figures. Read the rest of this entry »

What is the debt solution when it comes to America’s national debt?  We hear our politicians talk about the “need” to reduce our national debt, but month after month the federal government debt keeps rising.  The counter below gives an approximation of the national debt at this very moment.  I think you’ll notice it’s going UP, not down! Read the rest of this entry »

Deficit….Debt.  Are they the same thing, and if not, then what’s the difference?

The terms National Debt and Budget Deficit can be very confusing when it comes to discussing United States government spending.  The terms often get used interchangeably, but they are not at all the same thing.  Even among politicians and news reporters, it’s not unusual for them to refer to the National Debt when they are really talking about the Budget Deficit, and vice versa.  So in this post, I want to explain the difference between the two terms. Read the rest of this entry »

A crisis is headed our way in Social Security Insurance.  For years, we’ve been hearing that the Social Security Trust Fund would run out of money. The recent economic recession only worsened the outlook for Social Security Insurance.

According to current projections by the trustees responsible for the Social Security Trust Fund, the Social Security program will begin to pay out more benefits than in collects in taxes beginning in Read the rest of this entry »

Why are we addicted to debt in America?  We go into debt to buy our cars; we borrow money to finance our college education; we get mortgages to buy our houses; we use credit cards to pay for our everyday expenses.  It seems like every time we turn around, we are taking on more and more debt.

Our federal government is in on the act too.  The government debt is over $12 trillion, and growing rapidly.  We have become a nation totally dependent on debt to function.

I don’t mean to imply that all debt is bad.  Used wisely, debt can be an important tool.  For example, most Americans Read the rest of this entry »