National Debt and Other Matters

Our national debt keeps growing. Congress continues passing laws to spend more money than the government collects as revenue. There is a danger in doing that. Each year that we have a budget deficit budget the national debt grows. The government has to pay interest on that debt, and they have to borrow money to pay the interest in the debt. If the amount of interest paid gets high enough, there will be an economic crises. There is a limit to how much interest we will be able to pay. If the amount is interest gets higher than the amount of revenues we take in plus the amount of money we are able to borrow, there will be a crises. There could be a point where prople will stop buying our bonds and stop accepting our dollars as payment in exchange for goods and services. Knowing that could happen does not give me a comfortable feeling. Not so much for myself but for future generations.

Part of the cause if the problem is in a democracy people can keep voting themselves benefits until they bankrupt the government. Other types of governments can also go bankrupt from overspending also, but also for different reasons. People voting to spend more money than country can afford is a process we see going on in the United States now. Many economists predict that at the present rate we will be bankrupt about in about twenty years.

It is if course possible that bankruptcy may not be our main problem in twenty years. The debt may not be our main problem then there may be other problems. We are said to be suffering from climate change, rising sea levels and food shortages. There is also toxic pollution of our soil, air and water. And always the chance of nuclear war or pandemics.

Those are issues to consider when we vote this year. What is the position of the candidates on these issues. What solutions do they purpose to deal with those issues. Those are the questions to ask about the candidates. More important than their age, whether they fall down, stumble, use bad and offensive language, or their personal, private lives. Those issues may be important if they interfere with their ability to carry out their policies and work toward their goals, but their positions and goals are the most important matters to consider. What good is it to have a healthy person in office if they are working toward the wrong goals and taking us in the wrong direction. Not good at all is my answer. I want someone working toward the right goals. And each voter has to decide for himself what the right goals are, and vote for the candidate working toward those goals.