Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnyD
The whole budget situation becomes mythical to the average person when trillions, millions, billions are thrown around. The typical American doesn't comprehend how much money that actually is.
I'm glad I found that image. I appreciate the way it related our national debt to credit card debt. With it is put simply like that, we should now be asking the people of this nation: "How stable financially is a family that has credit card debt equal to 7 times their income?" When put into simple, relative terms like that, it is easy to comprehend how dire our national debt situation is... and why a surplus budget is required, along with *every* American having to make sacrifices.
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There would also have to be a guarantee that the surplus would go to paying down the debt. It has been a long, long time since the debt has been reduced, even in times of budget "surplus." Congress has this inevitable tic that requires all money to be spent so that whatever does go toward debt payment is never enough to reduce it and it constantly grows. If the annual budgets were honest, they would include the debt as part of the budget just as your chart does. But, then, the pols could not maintain power by "giving" us stuff, and the people could instantly see, by looking at a real, total budget, rather than the so-called "annual" budget, that they were not being given anything. Rather that they were being forced to pay very dearly for the trinkets. And, if we were taught throughout the 12 year captivity in public schools that the Federal Gvt. is not supposed to have the power to spend our money on things not enumerated in the Constitution, and that we, in our various States and localities, have the power to spend or not spend within those unenumerated powers, we would have more control and responsibility toward keeping "budgets" within reason and ability to pay.
Of course, the Constitution is a dead letter that no-one follows anymore. So then, the problem becomes "revenue" and "spending." What's the best way to get budget surplus revenue and how to control congressional spending. Taxing is problematic. At what point does it hamper growth in the "economy"? Is economic growth the best way to garner Federal revenue? As for spending--good luch with that.