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RS

FRONT PAGE CONTRIBUTOR

Just how broke are we?

Having had a chance to look at President Obama’s new budget, which he had the audacity to say will “help us live within our means.” It is clear Obama misspoke in his, I mean “Your Weekly Address.”

Obama’s budget proposes to spend $3.73 trillion, and includes another $1.1 trillion deficit. Worse, even with the Obama administration’s optimistic projections, the national debt would increase by another $7.2 trillion over the next 10 years.

In fairness, I must point out that President-elect Obama did promise us “trillion-dollar deficits for years to come.” Who knew he meant it?

But I digress. Even without the additional $7 trillion plus in additional debt in Obama’s proposed budget, you won’t be able to believe how broke the federal government is.

According to Duquesne University Economics Professor Antony Davies, the debt and unfunded obligations of the federal government are greater than the “economic output of the entire planet.” That’s right, the entire planet.

Watch Professor Davies detail how much the federal government owes in the following video:

We do not  have a good frame of reference to understand the concept of a trillion. Professor Davies shared the following analogy to provide a frame of reference we can understand.

If the Federal government were scaled down to the size of the average US household, here’s what its finances would look like:

  • The Federal government would earn $50,000 a year in tax revenue (the same as the average US household).
  • It would be $325,000 in debt.
  • It would pay almost $10,000 a year in interest on that debt.
  • Last year, it would have spent $79,000.
  • This year, it is hoping to spend $86,000.
  • The $100 billion in spending cuts (that some politicians view as draconian) would be equivalent to the household cutting its $86,000 in planned spending down to a mere $83,700. Not a bad start, but the household has another $33,700 to go before it balances its budget.

Take a closer look at Professor Davies’ chart:

  • Germany’s GDP – $3.5 Trillion
  • Intergovernmental Debt – $4.63 Trillion
  • China’s GDP – $4.99 Trillion
  • Japan’s GDP – $5.07 Trillion
  • U.S. Debt Held by the Public  – $9.46 Trillion
  • U.S. GDP – $14.26 Trillion
  • European Union GDP – $14.89 Trillion
  • Unfunded Social Security Obligations – $15 Trillion
  • Unfunded Medicare Obligations – $35 Trillion
  • World GDP (excluding U.S.) – $43.97 Trillion
  • World GDP – $58.23 Trillion
  • Total Federal Debt and Unfunded Obligations – $64.09 Trillion

Professor Davies offers these notes of clarification: The numbers are approximate in that, due to data availability, individual numbers come from reports over the span 2009 through 2010. The unfunded obligations figures come from the Social Security and Medicare Board of Trustees report. “Unfunded obligation” is (all in present value terms), the sum of all anticipated future SS and Medicare payments minus all future SS and Medicare tax revenues minus the current balance in the SS and Medicare trust funds. In short, it’s an amount of money the government would have to have on hand, today and in addition to future SS and Medicare tax revenues, in order to meet its anticipated SS and Medicare obligations for current and future retirees.

It is way past time that we stop this spend too much, tax too much and borrow too much fiscal insanity.

COMMENTS

  • wmeyer

    I believe that there are many in Washington for whom this seems a reasonable strategy. Their comprehension is limited to the theories of Keynes, and they believe that this will a) accomplish the redistribution of income they cannot do by other means and b) result in massive devaluation, leaving the holders of U.S. debt in the lurch.

    Treasonous, in my view. No other term suffices.

    • eastbaylarry

      If inflation causes the dollar to be worth 75 cents at some future time, then then GDP at that time will be ‘up’ to $19 Trillion while the total debt will still be $64 T.

      Now figure it for 50 cents, 25 cents, 10 cents, etc.

      Soon $64T is just a weeks’ worth of IRS collections.

      • eastbaylarry
  • mitomke

    It is clear to me that Obama and his administration is going to further bankrupt our economy. But what of the legacy of Bush , his war on terror caused much of the debt before the bank bailout. Both of these presidents are clearly globalists that do not have the interests of the USA in mind. I see no presidential candidate who will turn things around. Every single candidate is member of the Council of Foreign relations or a damned Freemason who spit on the Bible as a rite of admission to the lodge. You can talk about money until you are blue in the face but if you spit in the face of God you will be cursed. The love of money is the root of all evil. Since Obama has no stated faith in anything he likes to spend money and he wears the accursed ring of the Freemasons. He is no Lincoln or Kennedy who detested their organization. There may have been a few good men who belonged to their wicked club. But how did they get around disobeying the First commandment? It is clear that there are no men or women who have the courage to stand up for what is Right. The Bible is the only standard for Right as far as morals are concerned. There is no other book that can stand before it. There may be a separation of Church and State which protects the freedom of conscience. But that clause should not prevent a God fearing person from believing in the Everlasting God of the Universe and carrying out his duties with integrity. It is one thing to allow Freedom of Religion but it is quite another thing to disallow the teaching of Christianity in schools and public places. If that is to be the law of the land then government should get out of the education business. We live on a tiny planet in an immense Universe. We are not alone.

    • http://theminorityreportblog.com Repair_Man_Jack

      Let’s say a patient has cancer. Let’s say that unless he gets treatment, he will soon embark upon his dirt nap. Now he could have gotten cancer from many sources. He could have smoked too much, eaten a destructive diet, drank polluted water or worked in a toxic building. It matters not. He fixes the cancer or he dies?

      Our national debt is analogous to this cancer. The question is not who to blame, the question is what are you willing to forfeit in order to get this problem fixed.

      Oblama can where the accursed ring of Ashtar and fornicate with demon-whores for all I care. Also, I’m genuinely empathetic that Bush II wee-weed in your breakfast cereal of choice. Blame, at this point is pointless.

      Look in the mirror instead. Have you called or written your CongressSlag and demanded that ObamaCare be defunded? If you haven’t, save your whinging for the next Oprah program.

    • jdwhit

      I know many Freemasons, and as a group, they are the most God fearing Men I know. It is a bald faced lie that Masons spit on the Bible. You do not have to be a Christian to become a Mason, but you do have to believe in God. You have to recognize God before your fellow man.

      Learn your history, Freemasons came out of the Mason Guilds that built the great cathedrals in Europe. Those men dedicated their lives building the greatest Architectural monuments to God that have ever been built. There modern day lodges are the Freemasons.

      America would never of won it’s freedom from Great Britain if not for the Freemasons. Our forefathers could speak openly in Masonic Lodges with out fear of leaks to the British. Without this safe haven it is very unlikely the Americans could have won their independence.

      • mitomke

        What god do they worship? It is obvious that Masons are deep into the mysteries of Egypt and the worship of their false gods. They claim to have secrets but who needs secrets from Satan. The founders of our country were not politicians but men and women who fought in the Revolution not those who wrangled over property and slaves. Americans are tired of listening to Rich men who want to do all the talking and will not fight on the front line. The secrets of the masons are a pile of lies and deception. Who needs Cathedrals but the hierarchy of aristocrats. Trees are the only cathedrals red blooded Americans will ever need. To hell with your European liberalism, WE Americans do not need the Masons to be free of the rotten Brits and their stinking Queen. In fact the Royalty of Britain have many of their rotten ilk running the Masonic lodges. A mason could never be my forefather. I would never follow the worship of false gods and religion in exchange for the riches of this world. Perhaps if your forefathers had not been misled We would not be in the predicament We are in today. You need only to look at the man Lincoln and his legacy to find the rebirth of Freedom in this land. There was a man who fought on the front lines and spurned the association of Masons.

  • actuarius

    is a great way to understand the extent of the problem. The analogy helps to be able to understand exactly what issues face us as a larger family. One obligation is missing: the funding of the SS and Medicare obligations that are not yet funded. If your average family making $50,000 per year were to recognize the SS and Medicare obligations, it would amount to about $1,200,000.

    There is the problem. The family makes $50,000 per year, spends $80,000, owes $325,000 and must raise an additional $1,200,000 before retirement to pay for its lavish pension and health care plan.

    The time for nibbling around the edges is past.

  • Ann_W

    You should make a YouTube video explaining the debt and deficit in these scaled terms, the household example makes things so easily understandable. You should then show the Republican proposal and Obama’s proposals in the scaled terms to show how crazy the situation really is.

    Something like this could really reach the masses and turn it into a voting issue for people. Please do something like this soon!

    Let us know if you do something like this. If I don’t see something soon, maybe I’ll do it, but it’s really your idea and your numbers, so you should.

    • Ann_W
      • actuarius

        with friends before while using whatever salary was typical of the audience, but Professor Davies used $50,000 salary to meet the average family. I like your idea of putting something on you tube. I’ll consider it, and I agree with you. Don’t wait too long for me.

    • graceunderfire

      You might want to take a look at this one, the “penny budget” video. You will be totally apalled!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWt8hTayupE