When we talk about a debt limit, most people think of their credit card limit. The limit is set so you cannot overspend. It is the opposite when referring to the nation's debt limit, it is suppose to allow more borrowing power to the government (Przybyla). Currently, the nation's debt is "$16.7 trillion" (Przybyla). The recent government shutdown was because Republicans did not want to increase the debt ceiling (Przybyla). The fear of our country being downgraded for not paying our debts was a huge concern and both parties were urged to come to an agreement (Przybyla). The Democrats and President Obama would not negotiate so the Republicans conceded to a point, only temporarily extending the budget and the debt limit (Przybyla). What are the positions of the Democrats and the Republicans on the debt limit, and which side do you mostly agree with?
The Republicans main argument was to cut spending to equal the increase of the debt ceiling (United). Another argument was wanting the budget balanced in the next decade along with spending reductions "in the discretionary budget as well as for entitlements" (United). Democrats and the president wanted the debt limit raised without any stipulations because we were approaching a possible default on the nation's debt (United). The Republicans held the position that the government could pay interest on their debt (United). Some Democrats in the House wanted to get rid of the debt limit but several economists felt that it would "lead to uncertainty and poor fiscal outcomes" (United). Democrats and the president believed they already met budget compromises with the sequestration (United). The sequestration included spending cuts in "the defense and non-defense categories" with exemptions for "Social Security, Medicaid, federal pensions and veteran's benefits" (Budget). Many federal workers were also forced to take leave without pay (Budget). The Republicans wanted to extend certain parts of "Obamacare", but that was non-negotiable with the Democrats and the president (Przybyla).
The debate ended with an agreement to extend the budget until January and the debt limit until February (United). The shutdown caused the Republicans to lose approval with Americans and the Democrats lost approval over the budget issues (United) The crisis is not over, it has just been postponed. The problem is that all of this debt has to be paid back. Where will the money come from? The nation was experiencing a surplus in 2000, but several factors including increased defense spending created a deficit (Stone 242).
The political divisions between the Federalists and the Republicans first surfaced when Hamilton proposed his financial plan. It is no doubt that George Washington fortified the new government, but at that time, the United States suffered from severe fiscal problem. The government was in huge debt to foreign power and individual bond and securities holders. Aiming to establish financial stability in the short run and to establish the United States as a “major commer...
The financial crisis of 2007–2008 is considered by many economists the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. This crisis resulted in the threat of total collapse of large financial institutions, the bailout of banks by national governments, and downturns in stock markets around the world. The crisis led to a series of events including: the 2008–2012 global recessions and the European sovereign-debt crisis. The reasons of this financial crisis are argued by economists. The performance of the Federal Reserve becomes a focal point in this argument.
Hamilton's Federalist Party and the Democratic Republicans led by Thomas Jefferson had polarized views on the majority of the important political issues. These two political parties which possessed differing opinions and views pertaining to the future of the U.S. government were persistent in their respective arguments against each other. The strongly contrasting views of these two parties are the foundation of the puissant and sometimes callous attacks by the Republicans against Hamilton and his economic plan. Although Alexander Hamilton was viewed as an arrogant self-promoting individual, the primary reason he faced fierce opposition from the Democratic Republicans against his economic plans was strictly rooted in the fundamental differences that Hamilton and the Republicans held when debating their proposed structures of the U.S. government.
The national debt surfaced after the revolution when the United States government had to borrow funds from the French government and from the Dutch bankers. By 1790, the U.S. government accumulated millions in debt, but no one knew precisely how much. The Constitution mandated that the new government take over the debts of the old government under the Articles of Confederation.
Economics is the study of currency and how it is made and distributed through our economy. Taxation is one of those main issues in this category. The Democrats and Republicans both consider taxation a major issue but both have different ways they are trying to deal with the problem. The Democrats believe that extending tax cuts to the middle class families of America that make less than 250,000$ a year while raising taxes on the extremely wealthy and huge corporations to help parents pay for college (“Democrats Unveil”). While the Republican Party says it would “try to eliminate taxes on interest, dividends and capital gains altogether for lower and middle-income taxpayers also would work to repeal the estate tax and the alternative minimum tax” (“Democrats Unveil”). They both want to change the tax policy to try to help pay off our debt and or help Americans to live an easier life. Another Key issue in this category is Medicare. Both parties believe that the Medicare policy should be changed. "Democrats adamantly oppose any efforts to privatize or voucherize Medicare" when the Republicans pledge...
As of today America’s national debt is 18 trillion dollars and approximately 5 trillion of that is held by foreign countries including China and Japan. In the last few years we seem to hear more about balancing the country’s budget and politicians raising the debt ceiling so we can pay on this debt. How have we gotten into such an overwhelming and complicated problem with our nation’s money? Ironically the same can be said for our individual household debt as well as making the same mistakes and trying to find creative ways to be accountable to our financial responsibilities. Teaching the basics of personal finance n our schools can culturally change our financial practices, leading to a more financially literate public and a stronger, more stable, America. If the younger generations can become more financially savvy, then there is an opportunity for our nation as a whole to become less dependent on debt to survive.
The US has been in and out of debt countless times throughout history, going as far back as the Civil War. However, debt did not become a truly relevant problem until much later, in the 1980s (Budget Deficits). Up to that point, large budget deficits were generally only allowed during wartime, but this pattern ended after the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s New Deal meant that the government spent much more than it previously did, even after the economy improved (Budget De...
- In the 1990's conservatism strife to reduce the size of government, reduce public spending, reform the taxation laws to encourage investments, deregulate business to promote economic growth, and manage the fiscal and monetary sides of the economy
Health care is one of those issues where the political spectrum shows some overlap. Both sides want the same outcome: a healthy and happy society. However, the ways they want to accomplish this varies greatly. The Republicans are staunchly against government-organized healthcare. They believe that the less government the better, believing that “government run affordable health care leads to inefficiencies and can be disastrous to the nation’s health overall.” They believe that health care should be left to doctors, HMOs and insurance companies to decide and manage. However, the democrats’ main point on health care is that it should be funded and controlled by the government for the people. They hold that all people should be able to have the assurance of health without worrying about losing coverage or going into debt. This would be most effective for the poor and elderly, those who normally would not be able to afford coverage and need it most. As such, Med...
How did the U.S. arrive in such a state where the country owes so much money? The recent accumulated debt is due to war, economic recession, and inflation. The country has been in debt since 1790, when it assumed the Revolutionary War debts of the Continental Congress. At the end of that first year, the debt was around $75 million. Surprisingly, at one point the national debt was virtually zero, but in the midst of World War I, the debt rose to $1 billion in 1916. The debt peaked in 1919 at 26 billion dollars. The debt rose to this level solely because the United States needed to finance the war. Over the next ten years the debt slowly declined.
It seems Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan beat the Treasury secretary to it. Greenspan could not wait for the economy to fix itself by paying of the debt. The United States economy is roaring ahead at about 5% annual growth rate, much faster then the federal reserve considers safe. In an attempt to keep inflation under wraps and fix the imbalance of the economy, the Federal Reserve raised federal fund rates half a point, overnight, to 6.5%, the highest in nine years. However the fed is not sure this wil...
Historically, the Democratic and Republican parties have clear and opposing viewpoints. Quite simply, the Democrats whole-heartedly oppose change to a program initiated under Roosevelt's New Deal. The Republicans consider this social program contrary to capitalism. However, over time the Republicans learned that it's popularity with the voters has made this issue untouchable.
The article titled “You Are What You Owe,” centers around the recent gridlock in Washington over the debt ceiling (Mallaby, 2011). The article explores what would have happened had the United States government not come to an agreement on the American debt ceiling. The article also relates the United States crisis to previous counties that have faced this crisis in the past (Mallaby, 2011). The article reports on the finance and economic conditions in 2011 in the United States during the debt crisis (Mallaby, 2011). The article also discusses the American credit and bond strength and government’s securities, as well as the United States federal debt (Mallaby, 2011). The Gross Domestic Product or GDP, for different countries is also discussed in this recent article (Mallaby, 2011). The United States foreign economic relationships are also explored in the article titled, “Yo...
In a nutshell, debt crisis should be treated immediately with actions such as providing sufficient training and courses, improving individual’s personal finance skill, and filtering the recruiting of employees’ process in order to prevent it from extent. The upcoming generations should have given more awareness towards this issue. If no immediate actions are taken, I believe in future the debt crisis will get worse.
Veldhuis, Neil. “Beyond our means: Government debt tops $1.2-trillion and spending is still rising.” Financial Post. National Post, 16 May 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.