I read an article that priced the US debt at $ 54,000.00 for every man, woman and child in the US. Do you have an extra 54 grand to donate to this worthy cause? How about the kids? Sacrifice a year at college to help eliminate the debt!
Even if you did, the clock would start ticking 5 nanoseconds after you made your donation. It would build back up again.
Then you would ask "What the hell did I get for my money?" What money?

It is mathematically impossible to retire the debt. The name "debt" should be changed as it suggests that something of value will be returned at some point in the future. This is an illusion.
I remember getting a phonecall from a pol type during the last US election when I was back in New York. I don't recall which party she represented, but I started to laugh and continued to giggle and laugh throughout her presentation. I had to hang up. She started to get nasty!

What we need is a new paradigm. We need some smart ass with 7 PH.D's to come up with a solution that can help us to move forward without this albatross crippling our best efforts to make this great nation strong and productive again.

We can't return to the good old days when there were no credit cards or derivatives (remember those days anybody?) when you had no choice - if you didn't have the money - you just didn't buy it!
We have gone well beyond the point of no return. An endless number of pundits are calling for the end of the world. Up here in Kanada, we can always go back to the good old days - hunting moose and living off of berries and poutine! At least we have an unlimted supply of fresh water - the new Oil.

To be serious for a moment - I really do not see any way out. As my hero, Gordy Gecko said in his latest movie ".. nobody knows what to do (about this current credit crisis) . It's the next one that will be THE BIG ONE".

Talking about movies - has anybody seen the movie "Rollover" with Kris Kristofferson and Jane Fonda - back in 1981? The movie was about the Arabs devising a plan to wreck the world economy. Guess what?? Deja vu all over again.

..enough of the weekend rant for now. I recall the memorable phrase that one of our past politicians used to refer to the influence that the US has on our state of health. If the US sneezes, we get the cold. Only this time, it will be terminal pneumonia!

Be well my friends!