The US National Debt

The US National Debt is heading for 12 TRILLION dollars and it's almost entertaining to locate a Debt Clock. Seriously, it's going crazy.

US National Debt Clock

This one needs to be refreshed manually but at least it doesn't slow down your computer with flash or something.

Realtime US Debt Clock

This one is real-time but it's a bit more complicated.

If it wasn't so serious I think I'd laugh. In fact seeing as it's America's debt and not the UK's, I'll laugh anyway. How the hell did they get away with it for so long?

Can you say "globalization," kiddies? Good! I knew you could.

Harley Quinn hyenaholic wrote:

In fact seeing as it's America's debt and not the UK's, I'll laugh anyway.

Yeah, keep laughing as our economy drags yours even farther down the shitter. How severely myopic of you. You're like Iran, stating that they were ready to become the next World Leader(tm) when the rest of the world's economy was starting to crumble. Then the rest of the world was a lot less willing to pay so much for oil, and then Iran begged OPEC not to let the price of oil drop below $100 per barrel, because their break-even point was $90 per barrel. They were so sure they had this shit locked up they spent themselves deep into the hole, and here they are with the rest of us.

Thus endeth the lesson.

Penguin wrote:

Harley Quinn hyenaholic wrote:

In fact seeing as it's America's debt and not the UK's, I'll laugh anyway.

Yeah, keep laughing as our economy drags yours even farther down the shitter. How severely myopic of you.

I'm not NAIVE, Penguin. I know the US Economy's dragging everybody down. I just have no idea what else I'm supposed to do. And I continue to wonder how people allowed America to get into this mess. The boom couldn't last forever.

The real answer is buried under a mountain of finger-pointing. The short answer as to what you can do is: Nothing. If you're genuinely worried about it, invest in canned goods, and gardening supplies.

And a table to crawl under in case of a nuclear strike.

grmblfjx wrote:

And a table to crawl under in case of a nuclear strike.

Moar like a fallout shelter for when the reactors melt down since nobody can pay for maintenance :lolinsane:

Sloth wrote:

grmblfjx wrote:

And a table to crawl under in case of a nuclear strike.

Moar like a fallout shelter for when the reactors melt down since nobody can pay for maintenance [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That's totally not how reactors work. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Penguin wrote:

Sloth wrote:

grmblfjx wrote:

And a table to crawl under in case of a nuclear strike.

Moar like a fallout shelter for when the reactors melt down since nobody can pay for maintenance [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That's totally not how reactors work. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Fuck you.

Sloth wrote:

Penguin wrote:

Sloth wrote:

grmblfjx wrote:

And a table to crawl under in case of a nuclear strike.

Moar like a fallout shelter for when the reactors melt down since nobody can pay for maintenance [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That's totally not how reactors work. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Fuck you.

Nobody will. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Penguin wrote:

Sloth wrote:

Penguin wrote:

Sloth wrote:

grmblfjx wrote:

And a table to crawl under in case of a nuclear strike.

Moar like a fallout shelter for when the reactors melt down since nobody can pay for maintenance [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

That's totally not how reactors work. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Fuck you.

Nobody will. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I can fix that for you

The word "news" implies that it is New. I think the last time the US was financially in the black was back when we were 13 colonies of the British empire.

unskilled78 wrote:

The word "news" implies that it is New. I think the last time the US was financially in the black was back when we were 13 colonies of the British empire.

I get the impression that being in debt is central to how modern finance works. Not that being eleven trillion clams in the hole is a good thing.

I should be buying more stuff on eBay, the Aussie dollar is going really well against the US at the moment.

Harley Quinn hyenaholic wrote:

How the hell did they get away with it for so long?

Because conservatives have such a lock on the media, and therefore enough people believing the exact opposite of reality (ie, that Republicans are fiscally conservative and good for the economy), that they can effectively stymie any attempt at reform before it starts.

To say nothing of the moral hazard we call Wall Street.

TheHermit wrote:

Because conservatives have such a lock on the media, and therefore enough people believing the exact opposite of reality (ie, that Republicans are fiscally conservative and good for the economy), that they can effectively stymie any attempt at reform before it starts.

Conservatives != Republicans :explode: (at least in the United States)

Also, it amuses me that the left thinks the right controls the media and the right thinks the left controls the media. You'd think they would bipartisanly agree to do away with such a menace

Personally, I always thought they were rightward on the local level, with a greater and greater leftist slant as you reached national levels (CNN, etc)

Raine wrote:

I should be buying more stuff on eBay, the Aussie dollar is going really well against the US at the moment.

The German Papiermark would've done well against the US at the moment.

KGarrett wrote:

Raine wrote:

I should be buying more stuff on eBay, the Aussie dollar is going really well against the US at the moment.

The German Papiermark would've done well against the US at the moment.

The way the US dollar is headed, Papier Maché will be doing well against the US Dollar soon.

When America's in debt to Mexico, you know it's bad.

unskilled78 wrote:

The word "news" implies that it is New. I think the last time the US was financially in the black was back when we were 13 colonies of the British empire.

Now for something completely (ir)relevant:

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

unskilled78 wrote:

Also, it amuses me that the left thinks the right controls the media and the right thinks the left controls the media.

Equivalence fallacy. Perhaps you weren't paying attention when the White House called FOX News a Republican propaganda mill and the media fell on the side of FOX? Or, during the stimulus debate back in February, the number of Republican lawmakers vs. Democratic lawmakers who appeared on cable news to advance their viewpoints looked something like this?:
[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Or how the media completely shut out debate of a single-payer system despite a multitude of polls showing broad public support for a single-payer option (most liberals would take single payer in a heartbeat over the proposed public option, so don't bother bringing up how they aren't the same)? Or how, for the last thirty years, the media has been totally unwilling to call the Republican party on their blatant horseshit, instead framing it as a "Republicans tell a bald-faced lie, Democrats disagree" headline? Time. And. Time. Again. To the point where "death panels" is part of the public lexicon, people think Reaganomics worked, and despite huge amounts of research and evidence global climate change is still not taken seriously?

Come on. I know you're not retarded, so don't pretend to be.

unskilled78 wrote:

TheHermit wrote:

Because conservatives have such a lock on the media, and therefore enough people believing the exact opposite of reality (ie, that Republicans are fiscally conservative and good for the economy), that they can effectively stymie any attempt at reform before it starts.

Conservatives != Republicans :explode: (at least in the United States)

How the fuck are U.S Republicans not conservative?

Bamshalam wrote:

How the fuck are U.S Republicans not conservative?

They spend lots of money. Fiscal conservatism dictates that government spending should be reduced whenever it is feasible. This confuses a lot of people because Reagan billed himself as a 'Fiscal Conservative' because he cut taxes; this was bullshit, of course, because Reagan actually increased spending, which runs against the idea entirely.

Bamshalam wrote:

How the fuck are U.S Republicans not conservative?

If Michael Steele and the RNC have their way, that will be 100% true.

unskilled78 wrote:

Personally, I always thought they were rightward on the local level, with a greater and greater leftist slant as you reached national levels (CNN, etc)

Pretty much. MSNBC especially in as far left as Fox is far right. And the their infotainment opinion shows suck donkey balls *cough* Racheal Maddox *cough* At least I can get a laugh at Glenn Beck Boo-hooing over old commercials or whatever the fuck he's crying about this week.

And Sloth is exactly right.There's not much point to cutting down on taxes if you're not going to stop sending. Republicans base finances on a "borrow and spend" policy: the Democrats on "Tax and spend." There's a common link in both ideologies that's full of fail, and it's not having "D" or "R" next to a politician's name. <_<

Bamshalam wrote:

How the fuck are U.S Republicans not conservative?

Let me explain: Only obedient followers of Limbaugh, Palin and Beck can be true Conservatives. Any who dare to question the Wingnut Trinity in any way are mere phony Conservatives--especially if their apostasy involves logic, empathy or practicality!

Go, Conservatives! Make that "Big Tent" bigger! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Kari Izumi wrote:

MSNBC [...] as far left as Fox is far right.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Given I just mentioned equivalence fallacy, it wasn't particularly bright of you to trot out that old cannard again. When MSNBC starts dealing in conspiracy theories, creating and leading a mass political movement (on the scale of the tea parties), and ignoring facts or even inventing news stories out of whole cloth to support their political agenda, then you might have a case.

Also, [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] at suggesting Glenn Beck is worth watching. Enabler.

ETA:

rachel wrote:

Bamshalam wrote:

How the fuck are U.S Republicans not
conservative?

Let me explain: Only obedient followers of
Limbaugh, Palin and Beck can be true Conservatives. Any who dare to
question the Wingnut Trinity in any way are mere phony
Conservatives--especially if their apostasy involves logic, empathy or
practicality!

It's been my pet hypothesis that the Republican party left "conservatism" behind some time ago and are currently trafficking in out-and-out fascism. I don't know shit about political theory or psychology so I'm not sure how accurate that is, but the number of authoritarian traits visible in mainstream Republicans today is highly disconcerting.