Cancel 2016.2
The Almighty
Are you trying to suggest that a dollar in 1790 is worth the same as a dollar in 2013?
Did I say that Jarod?
Are you trying to suggest that a dollar in 1790 is worth the same as a dollar in 2013?
Did I say that Jarod?
Its a necessary assumption for your point to make any sense.
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/histdebt/histdebt.htm
So once again... we see what happened in reality...
If you say so, but it makes your point pointless unless you account for inflation.No, it is not.
So you're going to pretend that what I posted isn't what happened "in reality." The numbers that I posted are fictitous in some way. LOL. If you can tell me why measuring debt in nominal dollars is more sensible than measuring debt as a percentage of GDP (so, like, pretend we hve a $500 T economy, is a debt load of $16 T problematic? If so, why? If not, why not?) I'm all ears.
So you're going to pretend that what I posted isn't what happened "in reality." The numbers that I posted are fictitous in some way. LOL. If you can tell me why measuring debt in nominal dollars is more sensible than measuring debt as a percentage of GDP (so, like, pretend we hve a $500 T economy, is a debt load of $16 T problematic? If so, why? If not, why not?) I'm all ears.
If you say so, but it makes your point pointless unless you account for inflation.
Because in reality, GDP can be skewed upward by a bubble (see 1999/2000 or 2007/2008). The debt doesn't go away if GDP goes down. Pretending that it is a good thing that debt increased is ridiculous. While debt as a percentage of GDP does show our ability to pay off the debt, it does not mean that increasing the debt at a rate slower than GDP is a good thing. Sooner or later you actually have to pay back what you borrow. GDP going up or down does not change that.
No Jarod, it does not. The fact of the matter is that the debt increased. Devaluation of the dollar via inflation does not alter the fact that our total debt went up.
If I borrow 10 dollars, and I make 8 dollars a year that is significantly different than if I borrow 10 dollars and make 10,000,000 a year. I'm still paying back 10 dollars, but its not as big a deal.
Is that simple enough for you to understand?
Because in reality, GDP can be skewed upward by a bubble (see 1999/2000 or 2007/2008). The debt doesn't go away if GDP goes down. Pretending that it is a good thing that debt increased is ridiculous. While debt as a percentage of GDP does show our ability to pay off the debt, it does not mean that increasing the debt at a rate slower than GDP is a good thing. Sooner or later you actually have to pay back what you borrow. GDP going up or down does not change that.
The number of dollars went up, not necessarily the value of the debt.
No, the debt does not go away if GDP goes down, but the debt-to-GDP ratio goes up and we can all agree that a high debt to GDP ratio can be problematic (we probably differ on how problematic and why). So, like, what's the problem? No one pretends that is a good thing. Maybe a necessary thing, but not in an of itself an intrinsicly good things.
And no, increasing debt at a rate slower than GDP increases is not necessarily a good thing (nor is it necessarily bad), but its a whole hell of a lot better than increasing debt faster than GDP is increasing.
And yes, sooner or later you have to pay back what you borrow, but the government's ability to pay back what you borrow is based on what it can bring in through taxation. What the government can bring in through taxation depends on the amount of ecnomic activity -- GDP. So the ratio of debt to GDP is a reflection of the ability to pay back what you borrow, which is really all that matters. I mean, who gives a shit if debt is $20 Trillion if GDP is $500 Trillion. So, like, whether that ratio is high or low is the relevant metric. The nominal dollar amount of debt without any context with respect to ability to repay, is useless.
give the years that it functioned the best and most like you want to see it function again. You wont do it and everyone knows it
Tell us the years in which the US was functioning the closest to what you think we should be functioning.
Whats your favorite time period when we were getting it right?
the people on the right now in this country don't like this country and never have.
They refuse to say what is this GRAND TIME they wish to "take this country back" to.
the reason is they know all the good times didn't involve their historically failed ideas.
their Deregulation above all mind set destroys the good times in this country and replaces them with constant boom and bust which benefits ONLY the wealthiest