-->And speaking of big debts, the U.S. Treasury has just reported on their debt to the penny page that as of Thursday, August 15, Treasury debt had reached $US 6.193 TRILLION. On June 28, Congress finally approved a $US 450 Billion increase in the Treasury's debt ceiling - from $US 5.95 TRILLION to $US 6.40 TRILLION. Mr Bush signed the increase into law over the last weekend in June.

The Treasury's debt ceiling was raised seven weeks ago. Now, Treasury debt is up to $US 6.193 TRILLION. That means that it is more than HALF WAY (54%, to be exact) of the way to the new ceiling. The debt ceiling was last raised by $US 450 Billion in August 1997. It took almost five years (August 1997 - June 2002), for Treasury debt to increase by that $US 450 Billion. Now, a new $US 450"tranche" has been added onto the Treasury's ability to borrow - AND 54% OF IT IS GONE IN SEVEN WEEKS!

It might also interest you to know that on that same"debt to the penny" page, the Treasury states that with about seven weeks left in the U.S. 2002 financial year, its debt has risen by $US 386 Billion. The biggest annual deficit which the U.S. government has ever admitted to was $US 432 Billion in the 1991 financial year. 2002 has a fighting chance of beating that, especially if the U.S. DOES go to war in Iraq.

Quelle: The Privateer

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Ein zwei drei im Sauseschritt.....

tofir

-->Ein Blick zurück in die vergangenen 50 Jahre zeigt, dass die Erhöhung der zulässigen Staatsverschuldung in den USA stets eine reine Formsache war. Klar kann es damit nicht ewig weitergehen, wie in diesem Forum äusserst schlüssig dargelegt worden ist. Aber bis zum Casus Knacktus könnte es durchaus noch ein paar Jährchen dauern, da der Zinsanteil der amerikanischen Staatsausgaben immer noch nicht erdrückend hoch ist wie zuletzt in Argentinien,

gibt Ecki1 zu bedenken

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<ul> ~ Debt to the Penny</ul>