I've heard concern about the national debt and decisions by the present governing party that are causing an alarming increase. I wonder - how does today's rate of increase compare to the past several decades? I wonder - is some of today's attitude the inevitable generational fear that things are getting worse when, in fact, they are "business as usual" if one compares historical data. Then, cynically, I wonder - is the current level of concern a reaction to opposing party rhetoric? I struggle to sort through the hubbub and find unbiased data on this or any other important subject.
I searched the web for a time line of the national debt. (Disclaimer: You can't believe everything you find on the web so there are no guarantees to accuracy or impartiality.) I found several graphs that present the data in different ways.
cedarcomm.com/~stevelm1/USDebt.png
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Federal_Debt.png
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Federal_Debt_as_Percent_of_GDP_by_President.jpg
I'm not saying I feel better or worse after seeing the information but I welcome comments. What's your view on the subject?
Interesting! How has personal debt fluctuated over the last 65 years?
ReplyDeleteInteresting question, Paul. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Are we, as a country, expecting more of our government than we expect of ourselves?
ReplyDelete