Anytime you hear about the national debt and its unimaginable sum, it is either on the campaign trail of a politician or in an economics class. Little does the debt get publicity on a normal basis, even though a majority of citizens believe it is a problem. A recent Pew survey found just slightly above half of Americans consider the budget deficit a top priority. So, to dive deeper into this issue, I will be discussing the creation of our national debt’s recent exponential growth, its ramifications, and possible solutions. How did the national debt grow so large? While there are many reasons contributing to our large national debt, there are three important ones to note. First, the accumulation of budget deficits. Every time the government …show more content…
Unfortunately, I do not believe there is one magic solution to this enormous issue. But there are four important steps that we could take to try and right the ship. First, we need to become better educated about the national debt and its implications. Balancing your own checkbook is worlds different from the federal government’s. You also have to research the effects of fiscal policy, as to not perform a move that could potentially lead to another recession. Education is key if we are to make any substantial progress on this issue. Second, we need to make responsible fiscal policy reform a partisan issue. Fiscal policy is very much controlled by whichever party is in a majority. So, to make lasting, concrete solutions we need both teams to work towards the goal. That leads to my third point, the government must set an achievable goal for the future of national debt. A simple one that could be done over time, so a drastic change would never be needed. Such as a gradual reduction in deficit spending until we reach a surplus. As well as a plan for that surplus. Fourth, although it may sound too simple, the easiest way to solve the debt crisis is to cut spending and raise taxes to an equal amount. Each will reduce the deficit equally but will have different effects on the economy and the job market. In addition, the government should delay these changes for at least one year to provide businesses a chance to adjust to the new fiscal
This deficit has to do with having responsible leader who are willing to increase awareness and make beneficial changes in the nation. In my opinion, the federal debt is a serious threat to the US that must be politically address whenever possible. I believe that the candidates of the 2016 presidential election should make this issue one of the top priorities to discuss and to dictate a considerable amount of work to fix it. That is because the worse the federal debt is, the worse the future would be to the nation. Also, voters must be well educated about this issue in order to shape their decision in voting for the candidate that seems most powerful and confident about this problem. Solving this problem may be difficult and would take time and so much effort. Therefore, the changes and solution must be on both a national and individual levels as
Reduce it by placing higher interest rates and enforcing higher taxes and spending cuts (Smith David).
In general, an increase in government spending and decrease in the collection of government taxes and other receipts, increases the debt held by the local government. Government taxes and receipts fluctuate annually, and are frequently less than government spending. In the past, the U.S. public debt has increased for the duration of wars and recessions. When the government consumes more than what it accumulates in taxes, there is a budget deficit and the government then borrows from the private sector or from foreign governments to protect their spending. The compilation of historical borrowing is what materializes the government debt.
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...
The national debt is usually a frightening topic citizens of any country, however, in the United States, twenty trillion dollars of national debt is one of the major fears of the economy. Along with this fear comes every politician claiming to be the person to lower this astronomical debt to ease concerns in the modern American economy. In Hamilton’s Blessing, John Steele Gordon tries to alleviate these concerns by showing a plethora of benefits and good the debt has been able to do throughout the history of the United States. The central premise of the book and the main guideline for John Steele Gordon’s thinking is that the debt was used to save the Union in the 1860’s, the American economy in the 1930’s, and the wellbeing of mankind during
Employers consider a degree necessary for getting a job at their company. However, not many people can afford college. The solution is to take out loans, then college becomes affordable. These loans create a whole different issue, student loan debt. This can affect people their whole lifetime and has been happening for years upon years. But, in the more recent years America is starting to shed more light onto the issue and are becoming curious on why colleges charge twenty five thousand dollars, or more, for a year of education. Many different countries offer free college, but in America student loan debt keeps getting worse.
The political parties continually blame each other in a never-ending cycle, while the state of the economy keeps falling and the national debt keeps rising. Along with that, many functions of the government, such as tax reform and Social Security, have ‘leaks’ in them, where money is being lost. As researchers look into the crisis more and more, they keep finding scary results, such as the predicted debt in 2035 being 185 percent of the country’s (GDP). Despite the work of economists, an economic problem of this seriousness has not ever appeared before. The National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform worked to create a document that would lead Washington towards a solution, however this article has both advantages and disadvantages in it.
The U.S budget deficit over the years has been a problem but lately the deficit has shrunk. However, what made the U.S budget deficit get to where it is today and what will it be like in the years to come. Throughout the past the U.S has operated under a deficit. This means that the U.S Spent more money than it was taking in. The cause of the excess in spending was different depending on which year. Some of the causes were war, increase in spending , and economic downturns. There were different acts passed to try and control the deficit problem. The deficit at the present time is declining. This decline is due to the improving economy, sequester, and a tax increase on high-income households. The big factor that went into the decline in the deficit for 2013 was the payment that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made. The deficit decline in the present time may make some think the U.S could get out of debt but it has been projected that the U.S deficit will start to increase once again.
Government spending is a controversial topic. Even though the government has a set budget each year that Congress and the President of the United States collaborate on, the United States continues to fall deeper in debt. According to U.S. National Debt, the U.S debt has been larger than our total annual gross domestic product since 2012. In other words, our debt is larger than the value of all the goods and services produced in the country within a twelve month period. “It is said that the U.S is currently $19.2 trillion dollars in debt (U.S. National Debt).” As long as Congress and the President continue to run yearly budget deficits, the U.S debt will continue to rise.
We hear about the debt almost every day: news talks about it, politicians argue about it, even President Obama gives speeches on it. So what is the significance behind it? In this article I am going to explain briefly what the national debt is, how big it is, and what it has to do with us.
Have you ever wondered how some athletes have gotten so good at a certain sport? Have you ever thought about what they did in order for them to get this good? For some the answer is simple; workout and train. But for others the answer is different; the use of performance enhancing drugs such as steroids. There are some people that argue that steroids should be legalized and allowed in professional sports. Other people argue that steroids should not be allowed. Today I am going to state my opinion and justify my reason. Steroids should not be allowed in professional sports because it can be very dangerous to the athlete’s health, it is a way to gain and un-fair advantage and it can be dangerous in both social and physical aspects.
The United States economy is racing ahead at dangerous speeds, and it may be too late to prevent the return of widespread inflation. Ideally the economy should move ahead gradually and grow at a steady manageable rate. Mae West once stated “Too much of a good thing can be wonderful” and it seems the U.S. Treasury Secretary agrees. The Secretary announced that due to our increasing surplus and booming economy, instead of having an outsized tax cut, we should use the surplus to further pay down the national debt. A tax cut, though most Americans would favor it initially, would prove counter productive. Cutting taxes would over stimulate an already raging economy, and enhance the possibilities of an increase in the rate of inflation. Paying off the national debt would actually help lower interest rates and boost investments, and therefore further increase the wealth of the population, while keeping inflation at bay.
One thing that I have learned about college is that you have to sometimes talk about things that make you uncomfortable or scared in order to learn. I do not think I am alone in saying that the United States’ current debt situation is terrifying. Ten trillion dollars alone is an expansive and unimaginable amount of money, and since PBS produced Ten Trillion and Counting in 2009, the national debt has grown to twenty-one trillion. As stated, the documentary was produced during the first months of former President Barack Obama’s first term and focused on former President George W. Bush’s relationship with national debt during his eight year tenure. Ten Trillion and Counting explains some of the questionable decisions that former President Bush made, especially regarding fiscal policy.
What is the federal budget? The federal budget is the yearly plan for how the US government will spend its money. After analyzing the federal budget, it was evident that the money was dispersed into three different clusters; the Big Five, the Middle Five, and the Little Guys. Although at first glance, the money may seem to be being evenly dispersed throughout the three, when taking a deeper look, there is clearly a fine line between what the government needs and what the government wants. The real question is; is the United States distributing its money correctly? In my opinion, after much research, the government could do a better job with the way it allocates its money. In each of the three budget clusters, the U.S. government should make