Debt, Practiced Sincerity and Astonished Reneging

As of March 1, 2012, the national debt was 15.57 trillion dollars. But the government has other financial obligations, like the promises it has made.

If the government were a business it would have to include as debt what it had promised in the future, as well. A way of calculating that would be to estimate what amount would have to be put aside into interest bearing accounts and dedicated to those expenses, expenses like federal employee retirement, veterans benefits, social security (excluding social security taxes), and Medicare. If one does that, the debt is 60.9 trillion dollars.

60.9 trillion dollars.

Now, the government is not a business and the comparison is not complete. And the government can print money. The point is that the 60 trillion dollars debt is simply not going to be paid. Anyone looking at this would have to know that the government is meeting at nice restaurants trying to figure out how to avoid paying these debts. Smiling. Looking concerned. Speaking with sincerity. But smilingly, sincerely trying to figure out how to avoid paying what they owe and promised. Promised to us. The citizens. Printing money is one way. But the obvious way is to start with arbitrary disqualifications and then expand them. So some promises are broken and then more and more. Sort of a slow motion betrayal.

If I were a law student in Georgetown, I would think of a more reliable way of contraception.