Lesson # 1:
* U.S. Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000
* Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000
* New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000
* National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
* Recent budget cuts: $ 38,500,000,000
Let’s now remove eight zeros and pretend it’s a household budget:
* Annual family income: $21,700
* Money the family spent: $38,200
* New debt on the credit card: $16,500
* Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
* Total budget cuts: $385
Got It ? OK. Now your second lesson:
Lesson # 2:
Here’s another way to look at the Debt Ceiling:
You come home from work and find there has been a sewer backup in your neighborhood — and your home
has sewage all the way up to your ceilings. What do you think you should do ? Raise the ceilings, or pump out the crap?
Your choice is coming Nov. 2012
Re: Understanding the U.S. Budget in Two Easy Lessons
The U.S. Federal deficit is not comparable to a Household or Municipality or State, or Greece deficits.
The U.S. federal deficit is equal to the U.S. private sector savings.
Here is a chart going back to 1960 demonstrating that this is so: http://www.brianripley.com/1/post/2012/06/mmr.html
It is a simple accounting fact.
The best site I know of to learn how the U.S. Monetary and banking system actually works is here: http://monetaryrealism.com/
Their Recommended Reading is here: http://monetaryrealism.com/recommended-readings/
So relax, there is no fiscal cliff except if your government votes to send you over it. The discussion should be about fiscal policy… where and how to spend money at the federal level.