I Need Help With Everything!!! asked:


The United States had a budget surplus in 2000 and 2001, but the national debt still increased, can someone explain this to me?

rlc_60504 asked:


Everybody (Democrats, Republicans, Cats and Dogs) seems to dislike the proposed solution outlined by the administration’s debt reduction committee today. What specific steps would you take to solve the problem? Please try to come up with recommendations that don’t tick everybody off!

chin asked:


After all the share of the national debt per person in the US is about 45k whereas it’s “only” about 17k up north.

I think I might load up my truck, grab my leaf blower and do some work that the Canadians don’t want to do.

American citizen and taxpayer asked:


Was there a surplus in this account, or a substantial national debt?

sklemetti asked:


In other words, why do people say that our kids will pay for the debt? Pay whom?

minoah asked:


When someone buys a toyota for example ,how does that put us in a position to have debt to japan.Is it because of countries who lent the US money by buying government bonds?Please clarify.
I know it is when we buy more imports than exports in value. But that is still unclear.Specifically,why does it matter if we buy much more than we sell? I realize the national debt has to do with trade but it also relates to how much this country borrows money to finance our own budget.

bdozen13 asked:


Bush took office 9 years ago with a financial surplus left by Clinton. In the eight years Bush was president our national debt went up almost three times what is was when he took office. The Obama administration is now showing the greatest national debt in our history. That debt includes a great amount of debt left by Bush – anyone have any idea where a person can find out what the national debt was on 1 January 2009?

Edgar asked:


The last 3 Republican Presidents have run up our national debt outrageously. They are Ronald Reagan, George Bush and George Bush Jr. Now Obama inherited an 8 year Republican made debt and the Republicans are criticizing Obama for debt. Can anyone take this seriously? If so, how do you do that?

Justin asked:


I am curious as to what final leg(s) we are left standing on? Obviously our economy can be roughly translated as “debt”. As our ability to borrow dwindles, so goes our economy.

Obviously our economy was way overheated in the late 90′s. So now we are contracting; I saw an article comparing Japan of the late 80′s to our economy at its peak, and thought it’s not coincidental that roughly the same thing is happening in the US.

Of course our total outstanding national debt sits around $54-55 trillion(!) range.

How can we possibly function in this capacity?

AreilAniCHUCK asked:


If everyone donated a dollar ot the national debt that we have to every country out there, wouldit help us become less ddependenton the other countries for our ccrisis’s Also so that since a lot of countries have paid our debts wouldn’t that make them own us if we can’t pay up? What is your opinion?