As countless among “we the people” continue to expect, demand, or at least tolerate more and more of our wants and real or imagined needs being fulfilled in some fashion by what is actually “our” federal government . . . it would seem fitting that “at least occasionally” some special and hopefully responsible attention be given to the various consequences thereof. Such as, but not limited to, the fact that, as of this April 2026 writing, $39 “our” National Debt now exceeds some Trillion (i.e., over $113,000 per U.S. Citizen, or beyond $357,000 per U.S. Taxpayer). As in turn the “interest alone” on this historically ever-increasing debt also now exceeds some $1 Trillion!
And as one exercises the likely futile attempt to truly grasp the size of a single Trillion (let alone 39 Trillion) of anything, many may also ponder just how did we ever manage to create such a mind-boggling debt? One that by any reasonable consideration constitutes a most shameful and liberty-threatening legacy . . . an unimaginable and grossly unconscionable burden being passed year after year to our country’s children, grandchildren, and the not yet born. Through human behaviors driven in large measure by years of yet ongoing ignorance, apathy, complacency, denial, counter-productive fear, and greed. All self-destructively distracting from the inescapable reality that “our” National Debt is (and not so simply so) the amount of money “our” federal government has borrowed over time to cover spending more money (e.g. for an array of federal programs) than received (e.g. from federal income taxes). Or, as otherwise put . . . debt in likeness to that created for example through continued use of a credit card for purchases while never paying off the full balance each month, etc.
And just how do “we the people” accommodate our federal government borrowing money on our behalf to make up for spending more than received (e.g. via taxes) . . . well, simply by, for example, selling marketable securities such as Treasury bonds, bills, notes, and Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS), etc. Hence, “our” National Debt is the accumulation of such borrowing along with the associated interest owed to the “investors” who purchase these securities. “Investors” primarily made up of “we the people,” via the Federal Reserve, government trust funds, and domestic investors; as well as various government agencies such as Social Security funds and federal employee retirement funds, etc.; with typically about a quarter of the debt also owed to foreign creditors such as Japan, China, and the United Kingdom; etc.
Of course, timely and responsible handling of our National Debt might over time be ultimately achievable, that is, were it not for obstacles such as a long-standing and ever-growing “pathology of dependency.” Where “pathology” is defined as something abnormal and a deviation giving rise to social ills, and “dependency” the state of being dependent. Yes, a growing dependency upon irresponsible Federal Government spending and borrowing. In large measure a very much greed-based dependency that also fosters some special aversion to essential “sacrifice” . . . that is, unless of course the required sacrifice is to be borne by someone other than ourselves. A very much fact of life and dark side of human behavior . . . and a lesson soon learned, for example, by any politician ever attempting to pursue the political suicide path of encouraging or otherwise supporting any measure even approaching what might be a true fix for our self-inflicted National Debt dilemma!
As a result, and until “we the people” and our elected government representatives muster up the collective courage and willingness to do otherwise, we might at least from time to time say some serious prayers for future generations. As again many among us continue to self-servingly expect, demand, or at least tolerate more and more of our wants and real or imagined needs being fulfilled by our federal government. While in exchange for votes and other considerations, many elected government representatives continue to be ever so willing to use their positions in government to satisfy our and their respective cravings. All while in turn continuing to “irresponsibly disregard” the many destructive consequences, and an array of reality-founded cautions such as: “I place economy among the first and most important virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers to be feared . . . To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt . . . We must make our choice between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude . . .” —Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), third U.S. President; and “Liberty dies when we choose comfort over courage” —Clarence Thomas (born 1948), an Associate Justice of U.S. Supreme Court since 1991.
---William James Moore 04/2/2026
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