They're at it again... the Tea Party is going to ruin the country....

[tpeichel]

Pretty sure many of the ECONOMISTS painting a dire picture of default are math majors. The bolded in your quote presents a very simplistic snapshot of two factors that go into funding the government. I am sure the non-math majors it is aimed at will buy into it. Those of us that know better, brush it off as more political cherry picking of facts.

Default means not paying your debt. It has nothing to do with any other funding of the government.

[GroundSupport]

Do you think name calling is a persuasive technique? Anyone who disagrees with you is a lunatic, crazy, nutjob, or teabagger.

If the country pays the interest on our debt, do we still default? Yes or no?

How dare you ask him a tough question like that.

[Imac7065]

Do you think name calling is a persuasive technique? Anyone who disagrees with you is a lunatic, crazy, nutjob, or teabagger.

If the country pays the interest on our debt, do we still default? Yes or no?

the only word I've actually used is "lunatic" and I do not know how else to label the people holding this country hostage right now. What would you go with? Courageous I assume? lol

[GroundSupport]

the only word I've actually used is "lunatic" and I do not know how else to label the people holding this country hostage right now. What would you go with? Courageous I assume? lol

Great job avoiding the question.

[jlzinck]

I ask this with no malice, no personal attack.. just genuine curiosity.... Are you a lunatic? ?!

Classic Jeremy. Get those windmills

[habsheaven]

Default means not paying your debt. It has nothing to do with any other funding of the government.

Brilliant. The money just appears to pay for everything else. No affect whatsoever. Got it.

[tpeichel]

Here's the thing. This can't go on. The easy path for politicians is to just kick the can down the road by spending more instead of making hard decisions. Bush did it with tax cuts and jacking up spending and Obama has continued on that path by adding over $1 trillion to the deficit each year of his Presidency, though to be fair, he will be under $1 trillion this year. Still, there is only one group that is saying we have to get this under control and it is not Democrats. In the last 20 years we have gone from $4.1 trillion deficit to a $16.7 trillion deficit. Does anyone really think we can get the Chinese to fund another doubling of our deficit to $30 trillion plus? Can we afford to dilute our dollar by printing trillions more to buy our own debt?

[GroundSupport]

In before Imac explains the difference between debt and deficit.

[deansayso]

What I see wrong with this graph is that presidents can serve 8 years. First 4 are spent trying to get re-elected and last 4 are time to do whatever they want.

Here's the thing. This can't go on. The easy path for politicians is to just kick the can down the road by spending more instead of making hard decisions. Bush did it with tax cuts and jacking up spending and Obama has continued on that path by adding over $1 trillion to the deficit each year of his Presidency, though to be fair, he will be under $1 trillion this year. Still, there is only one group that is saying we have to get this under control and it is not Democrats. In the last 20 years we have gone from $4.1 trillion deficit to a $16.7 trillion deficit. Does anyone really think we can get the Chinese to fund another doubling of our deficit to $30 trillion plus? Can we afford to dilute our dollar by printing trillions more to buy our own debt?

[Imac7065]

Here's the thing. This can't go on. The easy path for politicians is to just kick the can down the road by spending more instead of making hard decisions. Bush did it with tax cuts and jacking up spending and Obama has continued on that path by adding over $1 trillion to the deficit each year of his Presidency, though to be fair, he will be under $1 trillion this year. Still, there is only one group that is saying we have to get this under control and it is not Democrats. In the last 20 years we have gone from $4.1 trillion deficit to a $16.7 trillion deficit. Does anyone really think we can get the Chinese to fund another doubling of our deficit to $30 trillion plus? Can we afford to dilute our dollar by printing trillions more to buy our own debt?

Read the caption of your own graph. I'm sick of trying to explain reality to people that deny it exists.