KN@PPSTER | To whom it may concern: The United States Congress is currently engaged in one of its periodic debates over raising the “debt ceiling” (the total amount of money it “allows” itself to be in debt for).
I’m nearly 100% certain that Congress will “allow” itself to borrow more money.
If you’re thinking about loaning them some of that money, though, you might want to reconsider.
The collateral underlying US government debt is the notion that I’ll pay you back the money they borrowed.
Three words: Ain’t Gonna Happen.
If 435 US Representatives, 100 US Senators and a US President borrow money from you, then so far as I’m concerned they’re the ones who get to pay you back.
Those 536 individuals are already extended to the tune of $14 trillion, or (math in my head time) somewhere in the general neighborhood of $25 billion each.
If you think that those 536 people have, on average, assets worth in excess of $25 billion to collateralize/cover their existing debt, with stuff left over to make you comfortable that they’ll pay back new debt, by all means loan them all the money you’re comfortable loaning them.
If you think I’m going to pick up their check, though, let me repeat myself, just so you can’t claim later that you were unaware of it: Ain’t Gonna Happen. I didn’t borrow the money, they did. I’m not going to pay it back, which means that either they’re going to have to pay it back themselves or that it isn’t going to be paid back (three guesses which one).
So you might want to look into legitimate investment opportunities instead of the US government’s fly-by-night scams. I’m just sayin’ …
