Debt & Deficits

One of the problems with the debate over the “national debt” is that there’s no generally agreed upon definition of that term. Is it what the federal government owes, or what it owes foreigners, or what the whole country, private and public sector together, owes? Does it include off-balance-sheet items and contingent liabilities? There’s a hundred-trillion dollar gap between lowest and highest on this spectrum, which allows each commentator to confuse the rest of us by picking the measure that best suits their point of view. [Let's try to decipher the true state of the nation.] Words: 1468

StatsCan released a major report Friday that outlines the overall debt situation of Canadians... It only measured what is owed by Canadians who carry any form of debt, not those that are debt free, and according to the report, the typical borrower owed an average of $114,400 as of 2009. That number, however,...is almost certainly higher today due to...[the fact that] low lending rates have been at 1% since early 2008...More worrisome could be that two-thirds of all Canadians who carry debt owe more than the average. Words: 585

Meredith Whitney has resurfaced on the subject of U.S. Municipal defaults stating that a "tidal wave" of defaults in the municipal bond market is still building and will eventually hit the United States [although her views are at odds with those of] Moody's Investors Service [who only see] a small but growing number of defaults. [Here is a critique of her latest views.] Words: 385

"An essential point in the social philosophy of interventionism is the existence of an inexhaustible fund which can be squeezed forever. The whole system of interventionism collapses when this fountain is drained off: The Santa Claus principle liquidates itself." [This article discusses the reality of the current economic crisis and] what is required to revive the economy. Words: 1666

With the U.S. election just six months off, political pressures will mount to favor fiscal stimulus measures instead of restraint. Such action can only accelerate higher domestic inflation and intensified dollar debasement culminating in a Great Collapse - a hyperinflationary great depression - by 2014. [Let me explain why that is the inevitable outcome.] Words: 2766

Households with credit card debt carry $16,000 at an average rate of 15% and, given that some households have little credit card debt, you can imagine how high the debt is for others.. Imagine, $16,000, but that is actually down by 17% as the grand American household deleveraging continues. [Be that as it may, credit card debt is still excessive with all ages and all income groups. Here are the facts.] Words: 760

Is it a coincidence that Greece, a country with a 40% smoking rate, has dug itself into such a financial mess? What is fiscal irresponsibility, if not an unwillingness to deal with discomfort today in exchange for future financial health? [Let me explain why an analogy to a country's addiction to smoking is so appropriate when considering the Greeks' attitude to their country's sovereign debt woes.] Words: 650

Today’s western financial world operates much like government-sponsored medical systems. Mask the problem and give the bankers the pharmaceutical drugs (bail out money) to help them dull the pain and keep them on life support. Letting the free markets work in curing the ailment is not an option because then there would be little need for doctors (governments) or the manufacturers of these drugs (central banks). The banks are sick and should be allowed to pass on...so the virus known as debt does not affect the rest of the population. Unfortunately, the governments and central bankers have only one prescription drug of choice to keep them alive [and that seems to be the supposed cure-all of] printing money... [Let me explain further.] Words: 970

A monumental change is coming, and for most Americans, it will be painful—especially for the unprepared. [Let me explain just what is happening, why it can not go on as is and what we can likely expect in the future.] Words: 1144

One of the things that's being lost in the welter of rhetoric around the debt crises of sovereign nations is that these are not normal debtors, and government debt is not the same as personal debt. If you or I are in debt we are obliged to fulfil the terms of our repayment obligations or to go bankrupt or to pretend to die and go off and live on the life insurance. A country in the same situation has a range of other measures available to it...[Let's explore their options and what their implications would be for the country and its citizens.] Words: 1145