Down the Debt Toilet

___The U.S. Department of Education says nearly 5 million people have missed at least 12 months of payments. That's about a quarter of all student-loan borrowers. And it doesn't include millions more who have missed at least one payment, but aren't yet in default.

___Other debt is also high: credit card, mortgage debt, consumer debt, etc. Like Congress we are spending more than we have hoping that we will somehow be able to pay our debts - maybe winning the lottery!

___The national debt of $20 Trillion, and the unfunded debts of Medicare, Social Security, Medicare Drug, etc will control our budgets in the future. To even start paying the debt requires a surplus budget. A financial crisis much greater than the "housing crisis" will be necessary, and soon.

___Our leaders point to bankrupt countries and claim that the United States is better off than them. They promise free education, free housing, free food, etc. Socialism and tribalism doesn't work - except for the leaders!