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Graeme Fission


Joined: Mar 04, 2005 Posts: 2753 Location: New Zealand
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Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 10:28 pm Post subject: THE US Economy Thread (merged) |
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US government near to debt limit
| Quote: | US Treasury Secretary John Snow has told Congress to raise the government's credit limit in order to avoid having some of its operations shut down.
The government needs Congressional authority to borrow and the total accumulated debt is now close to its limit of $8.2 trillion (£4.7 trillion).
If the limit is not increased, the government could find it difficult to pay debts or borrow money.
Congress is expected to agree to an extension, averting any debt crisis. |
BBC _________________ Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. H. G. Wells.
Fatih Birol's motto: leave oil before it leaves us. |
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Dreamtwister Fission


Joined: Feb 06, 2006 Posts: 2278
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Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2006 11:06 pm Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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| Quote: | | averting any debt crisis |
"We've got a problem guys! We aren't legally allowed to borrow more money! We're screwed now!"
"That's OK, we'll just change the law so we can borrow more."
"Whew, we sure dodged a bullet there!" _________________ The whole of human history is a refutation by experiment of the concept of "moral world order". - Friedrich Nietzsche |
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albente Light Sweet Crude


Joined: Aug 20, 2004 Posts: 1361
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 12:04 am Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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| The Dollar as a currency seems to go in step with energy supply nowadays. Once the Dollar is renamed 'Freedom-Dollar' or 'Patriot-Dollar' you have an indicator that the whole thing turned sour indeed. |
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CoronaWithLime Tar Sands


Joined: Feb 01, 2006 Posts: 24
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 7:44 am Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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So should I start throwing my money in soft cold gold(the kind i can feel and bite) or consumer goods(toilet plungers, lint removers, dryer softener, ect...) I'm so freaking out man! _________________ stole my bike |
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IslandCrow Intermediate Crude


Joined: Sep 12, 2005 Posts: 891 Location: Finland
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 7:50 am Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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NO PANIC.
The BBC report stated the the Bush Government has already raised the borrowing limit 4 times, so we can be quite sure they will raise it a fifth time. The alternative will be to cut spending or default.
We should be worried about the debt levels, but it is not Panic stations yet. _________________ We should teach our children the 4-Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rejoice. |
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LadyRuby Light Sweet Crude


Joined: Jun 13, 2005 Posts: 1206 Location: Western US
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 8:22 am Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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What's this business about approaching the debt limit, we're already over.
The debt ceiling is $8.18 trillion. We're at $8.27 trillion as of March 3rd.
Bureau of the Public Debt - Debt to the Penny
| Quote: | | $8,270,568,938,276.67 |
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TheTurtle Fission


Joined: May 14, 2005 Posts: 2123 Location: Along the banks of the muddy Mississippi
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 8:29 am Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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And what does it really mean to be 8 TRILLION dollars in debt, anyway?
It's not like we are ever going to pay that back.
It is all illusion.  _________________ “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.” (Ted Perry) |
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IslandCrow Intermediate Crude


Joined: Sep 12, 2005 Posts: 891 Location: Finland
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 9:15 am Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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| LadyRuby wrote: | What's this business about approaching the debt limit, we're already over.
The debt ceiling is $8.18 trillion. We're at $8.27 trillion as of March 3rd. |
There was a previous thread on this issue about a month ago, and the basic answer to your point is that not all the debt counts towards the legal limit, so they are probably still under the legal limit. _________________ We should teach our children the 4-Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rejoice. |
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venky Intermediate Crude

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Joined: Mar 13, 2005 Posts: 852
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 9:17 am Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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| 8 trillion, that is still only about two thirds of GDP. Dont deny that it is a cause for concern, especially with the irresponsibility of it all. But still, such a ratio is common in most industrialized countries, in many its even worse. Before the hyper inflation in Germany in the 1920's the debt was something like 5 times the GDP I believe. |
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Cran Tar Sands


Joined: Aug 20, 2005 Posts: 34 Location: Ununited Kingdom
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 9:44 am Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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Why don't they just print out $8.27 trillion in new bank notes and pay back the loan!
Sorted!  |
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TommyJefferson Light Sweet Crude


Joined: Aug 19, 2004 Posts: 1780 Location: Republic of Texas
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Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 11:44 am Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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| venky wrote: | | ...such a ratio is common in most industrialized countries |
http://www.gillespieresearch.com/cgi-bin/bgn/article/id=342
That article says the US debt to income ratio is 334%
"...the highest level of debt to GDP seen among the 14 other "AAA" countries is at 75.6% for Canada, followed by France at 71.1%, Germany at 65.1% and Austria at 64.9%, versus a GAAP ratio of total financial obligations to GDP of 334.3% for the United States." _________________ Conform . Consume . Obey . |
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Raxozanne Light Sweet Crude

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Joined: Feb 24, 2005 Posts: 1005 Location: UK
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Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 1:40 am Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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| I really can't see the point in having an official debt limit as they just keep on raising it anytime they approach it. |
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warnio Coal


Joined: Mar 08, 2006 Posts: 9
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Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 3:20 pm Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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I would like to say these two things:
1) the US government has been doing this for at least 150 years, it's a very normal thing. No news actually.
2) The public debt of the USA is, in my eyes, not high. It's only 65% of it's GDP.
I live in Belgium, we have a debt of 94% and we're doing just fine ! Twelve years ago we had a debt of 135%. That was high but it obviously didnt kill us
Other countries like Italy 107% and Japan 170% have a high debt. The public debt of the USA is average at most. You guys can just relax, nothing to worry about... |
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oilfreeandhappy Heavy Crude


Joined: Jan 29, 2006 Posts: 309 Location: Fort Collins, CO
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 12:12 am Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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Yeah, I guess we shouldn't worry. Maybe Mexico will bail us out. The debt is one thing, but the record federal deficit is the big concern. Until this gets under control, the debt will continue to skyrocket.
http://home.comcast.net/~oil_free_and_happy/
| warnio wrote: | I would like to say these two things:
1) the US government has been doing this for at least 150 years, it's a very normal thing. No news actually.
2) The public debt of the USA is, in my eyes, not high. It's only 65% of it's GDP.
I live in Belgium, we have a debt of 94% and we're doing just fine ! Twelve years ago we had a debt of 135%. That was high but it obviously didnt kill us
Other countries like Italy 107% and Japan 170% have a high debt. The public debt of the USA is average at most. You guys can just relax, nothing to worry about... |
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uNkNowN ElEmEnt Expert


Joined: Dec 04, 2004 Posts: 2397 Location: perpetual state of exhaustion
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 12:57 pm Post subject: Re: US government near to debt limit |
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| I think that's why they made Bernake the Fed head. so they can just print their way out of any major problem... or so they think. |
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