National Debt

In Search of Budget Sanity: A Dispatch From the Belly of the Beast

John Milewski | Posted 12.14.2009 | Politics


John Milewski

At a session on the looming debt crisis comprised of Republicans, Democrats, and others, one of the key findings of the group is that the "process is broken."

Pete Peterson Teams Up with Kent Conrad to Undermine Democracy, Slash Social Security and Medicare, and Weaken Fragile Recovery.

Roger Hickey | Posted 12.14.2009 | Politics


Roger Hickey

Hedge fund mogul Peter Peterson and his Commission on Budget Reform are selling an undemocratic new budget process that would take the responsibility for budget-making away from the president and the committees of Congress.

Call Me Heartbroken

Paula Forman and Jeff Johnson | Posted 12.10.2009 | Politics


Paula Forman and Jeff Johnson

Never in our history have the rich been richer, and the poor been poorer. Never before have the national standards in education dropped so low for so many. Never have we been this sick and paid so much for care.

Beijing Quietly Signaling Intent To Flee U.S. Debt

Eric C. Anderson | Posted 11.25.2009 | World


Eric C. Anderson

Guess what, the Chinese are now ready to invest...in apparently anything but more U.S. Treasury notes. A great deal of evidence suggests they are seeking to diversify.

Deficit Commission Gains Traction In White House

Posted 11.25.2009 | Politics


A bi-partisan commission that would tame the federal deficit by limiting cost-cutting decisions to a select number of lawmakers is gaining traction in...

Beijing's Financial Lessons for Washington

Eric C. Anderson | Posted 11.23.2009 | World


Eric C. Anderson

We have much to learn from Beijing. The Chinese Communist Party wisely crafted a stimulus plan that called for up to 75% of spending be financed by banks and state-owned enterprises -- not the central government.

How Serious Is Our National Debt?

Patrick Takahashi | Posted 11.24.2009 | Business


Patrick Takahashi

The American debt as a percentage of GDP is at around 100%, which is expected to edge up to 101% in 2011, then begin to drop. However, Japan's debt as a percentage of GDP will go to 230%!

US Facing Waves Of Debt Payments

New York Times | EDMUND L. ANDREWS | Posted 11.23.2009 | Politics


WASHINGTON -- The United States government is financing its more than trillion-dollar-a-year borrowing with i.o.u.'s on terms that seem too good to be...

National Debt To Increase By $9 Trillion Over Next Decade, $4.8 Trillion Just In Interest Alone

Nov. 19, 2009 | Jeanne Sahadi | Posted 11.20.2009 | Business


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Here's a new way to think about the U.S. government's epic borrowing: More than half of the $9 trillion in debt that Uncle ...

A War Tax: A Strategic, Fiscal and Political Imperative

Paul Abrams | Posted 11.06.2009 | Politics


Paul Abrams

Without a draft, and without a war tax, 99.9% of Americans do not have to sacrifice at all to continue the war. It is too easy for war to become, for 99.9% of us, more like a video game played out on television.

Why We Need Even More Stimulus

Robert Reich | Posted 11.08.2009 | Business


Robert Reich

2009-11-05-reich2.jpgObama must return to Congress for more stimulus spending. Here's how he should sell it.

Big Pork at the Government Trough -- Again

Wayne Pacelle | Posted 10.26.2009 | Green


Wayne Pacelle

The public no longer wants a combination of financial bailouts and government deregulation. But Congress and the U.S.D.A. never seem to have gotten the memo when it comes to Big Agribusiness, especially the pork industry.

Lobbyists Urge Lawmakers To Raise Country's Debt Level

Jenna Staul | Posted 11.10.2009 | Business


Some of the nation's most influential lobbies are urging the Senate to lift the nation's debt limit above $12.1 trillion, reports the Hill. An associ...

Pork Industry Bailout Request Full of Fat

Wayne Pacelle | Posted 10.19.2009 | Green


Wayne Pacelle

Our government actually bails out the pork industry when it overproduces and buys up volumes of surplus pork, typically by dumping these surplus commodities into our nation's schools and food programs.

Banana Ben Strikes Again

Michael Pento | Posted 10.16.2009 | Business


Michael Pento

The world's reserve currency can't inflate its way to prosperity. The danger of causing a disorderly decline of the dollar is very high.

An Open Letter to Warren Buffett on Health Care: We Need You!

Dr. Paul Toffel | Posted 09.20.2009 | Politics


Dr. Paul Toffel

Mr. Buffett, you're not in the health insurance market, but this might be the opportunity to bring your successful Berkshire companies to the table, to help solve the major issue of our time.

Income Inequality: Can We Tax Our Way Out of Trouble?

Alan Schram | Posted 09.16.2009 | Business


Alan Schram

The top 1% of incomes in the country paid 40% of all personal income tax in 2007. You might think this is fair, and maybe it is. However, higher taxes on the top income will spawn a different problem.

Geithner Asks Congress To Increase Federal Debt Limit

Reuters | Posted 09.08.2009 | Business


U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner formally requested that Congress raise the $12.1 trillion statutory debt limit on Friday, saying that it coul...

Will The U.S. and China Ever See Eye-To-Eye?

Julie Farby | Posted 08.29.2009 | World


Julie Farby

To show the world we're not going to risk relations with our favorite creditor on account of a couple of crushed Uighurs, Obama dropped the whole human rights spiel in favor of sports!

The Weird Have Turned Pro

Garrett Johnson | Posted 08.24.2009 | Business


Garrett Johnson

The amount of money required to bail the world out of the current economic crisis, if this crisis plays out at a historical average, is nearly equal to all the private wealth currently in the world.

The Green Sprouts of Recovery and the Party Spoilers

Michael de Portu | Posted 08.23.2009 | Business


Michael de Portu

In this recession, it is unnerving how little attention has been devoted to how American manufacturing firms have been affected.

Politics Like Cancer

Sen. Fritz Hollings | Posted 07.19.2009 | Politics


Sen. Fritz Hollings

Politics is like cancer -- if you don't catch it in time, you don't have a chance. If the budget deficits and deficits in jobs from offshoring are not caught now, by 2012 we'll give it back to the Republicans.

Thank You, Bill Maher, For Asking Where in the World is Barack Obama and What is He Going To Do About Healthcare?

Anne Dunev | Posted 07.17.2009 | Politics


Anne Dunev

Most decent people cannot conceive that anyone would profit from knowingly harming others. That is the flaw in capitalism. And that is one reason that evil can exist.

The National Debt: Another Finanical Crisis in Slow Motion?

Jill Schlesinger | Posted 07.05.2009 | Business


Jill Schlesinger

The so-called "rich" can't be taxed enough to mitigate the coming wave of inflation, nor will increasing taxes on them pay for everything that's currently on the table

Selling T-Notes to China

Eric C. Anderson | Posted 07.04.2009 | World


Eric C. Anderson

Washington is engaged in a seemingly hopeless mission -- convincing our creditors that Treasury notes are still a good investment.