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Deficit Vs National Debt

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Although many people presume they can use the terms “deficit” and “debt” interchangeably, the difference between the two is actually quite simple; a deficit is a term used to describe when more money is spent than is received. On the other hand, the national debt is the total amount that the government has borrowed, and has failed to pay back. The current national debt has risen to over $18 trillion, while the current national deficit is at $468 billion. The national debt has a large effect on the United States in three major ways: the distribution of income, the transfer of purchasing power, and the crowding out effect. Theoretically, if the government were to borrow money from the rich to pay for the middle class’s taxes, the upper

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