Self preservation is human nature. At the very core of human civilization is the desire to survive above all of entities. Human are selfish beings that are focused primarily on protecting their interest before others. Those with the financial means to achieve preservation will be more successful in doing so. The United States of America began to accrue debt after the Revolutionary War, and since then, it has acquired over 17 trillion dollars in debt; the majority of which is due to the federal government's tendency to spend more than it has collected in revenue. In general, the existence of debt creates a higher cost of living for American citizens, slower wage growth across all economic classes, generational inequality, and the potential for a paralyzing fiscal crises. For these reasons, it is imperative that the federal government seek solutions to reducing the deficit, while protecting the interests of the wealthy members …show more content…
Due to the dire nature of the current situation, it is improbable to completely avoid tax increases for wealthy families. However, there are scenarios in which the debt is addressed mostly through spending cuts rather than tax increases that negatively affect the wealthy. If the United States were to follow the Bush-era tax plan, the wealthy citizens of America would benefit at the expense of middle and lower classes. Specifically, if the U.S. were to allow the expiration of income below 250,000 dollars a year, 98% of households would no longer benefit from the Bush-era tax cuts. These, in turn, will increase the taxes for households, while excluding the wealthy families of the top 2% of the income distribution. Similarly, if the government were to modify the payroll tax in order to better encapsulate income (90% rather than 80%), the national debt would decrease while sparing those at the top income
This week the reading by Frank in the Inequality Reader caught my attention. It talked about how the current tax system in the US is not conducive to helping society. It also mentions how an increase in taxes for the top earners would help not only the poor but also the rich. He also includes how the wealthy “have been made worse off, on balance, by recent tax cuts” (Frank 732). This reading made me think of the current GOP tax plan being signed and debated in congress.
Imaging yourself accepting you’re first credit card and immediately you begin to frivolously spend all the money your bank offers you. However, come to find out, you didn’t realize there was a consequence to your spending and now you are eagerly trying to pay back the money you owe with interest. Now take that scenario and apply it to our government spending in the United States. The author of “Going for Broke,” Michael Tanner, explains in his book the current financial crisis America is subjecting themselves to in the long run. Governmental officials of various political parties are turning blind eyes to the ever-increasing concern of stability in the United States. More of our taxing paying dollars are being used to chip away at an increasing debt that our government has no intent on fixing. The goal of this paper is to address Tanner’s issues with the growing economic deficit of the American people and its complacent government. Some questions Tanner emphasis on are: what can of debt does America have, where is the taxpayers' dollar being spent on, and what will happen to our economy if nothing is fixed?
In the grandiose words of George Washington, we should “cherish public credit… [avoid] accumulation of debt”. Washington loathed debts, and did anything that he could to avoid debts. As you can observe in the current day, our debt can risen a huge amount over the last few centuries. On December 22nd, at 10:50 A.M, the United States was in debt by $19,944,078,298,000 and rising every second. For the US to be out of debt, each of the 325,166,983 citizens would need to pay $61,338 as of 10:52 A.M (12/22/16). This is insanity. Just 16 years ago, we only had $5.629 trillion in
Many United States' citizens are unaware of the country's current financial state. Many assume that one of the world's wealthiest countries could never be in debt. This is untrue however, and, in fact, the country with the greatest income per capita is in major debt. This study will examine possible solutions to reducing the United States' national budget deficit.
There is a widespread concern about rising levels of debt. Debt can become disastrous for those who live alone or those families who are already having problems with supporting their family. The people who might be struck by debt, they might have trouble recovering. Debt can cause Americans to lose their homes and stability they need to feed, and shelter their families. Although debt comes upon us Americans quickly, people can see debt as terrible thing to be stuck with. It has many disadvantages that can devastate to people.
Many Americans today are aware that the United States is in debt, however, some may not realize by how much. Currently, the United States National Debt is up to 18 trillion dollars and is steadily increasing. This is a serious problem for the U.S., especially for millennials, who are going to be the ones living and dealing with the debt left behind for them. Increased spending, borrowing from China, and interest on the money borrowed are setting up our economy for an eventual crash, one that the upcoming generation may not be prepared for. Every dollar that accumulates into the debt will have to be repaid with interest at some point, making it harder to pay back. To gain a better understanding of how the U.S. dug itself into such a deep hole, one should start at the beginning of where the debt started.
The U.S. national debt is currently $18 trillion dollars and it is rising fast. The national debt today is the highest the U.S. has ever seen. In George Washington’s Farewell Address, he declared the U.S. should avoid going into debt. If the nation end up in a deficit, that the debtors were responsible for paying off the debt so that it doesn’t burden the future generations. Like the rest of this advice in his Farewell Address, the nation ignored it. The ideal goal right now should be to stop the debt from increasing anymore because it is impossible to stop the debt from increasing and expect to pay it off in this generation.
“Considering that the top marginal tax rate for the wealthiest Americans today is 35 percent, that figure seems astounding. But it's true that in the 1950s, the top marginal tax rates were over 90 percent” (Farley). Many may think, how does lower taxes on the highest income earners have an effect on them. Simple, less funding of programs that enrich the quality of one’s life. When the government does not receive the needed funding spending cuts must be made. Unfortunately, these spending cuts are more often than not are on government programs that help those who are
The United States has been in debt since 1775, paying for the American Revolutionary War. Through many years, tremendous debt has built up. America is now at a total of $19 trillion dollars. There are many dilemmas dealing with our economy, this all starts with America’s debt. The government has overused its authority in regard to America’s national debt by erratic spending, excessive borrowing, and by ignoring the average tax paying American.
National debt has always been a constantly occurring problem. This debt is a problem due to the fact that it limits economic growth. With low economic growth, there tends to be a lot of problems that occur. These struggles include high interest rates which leads to higher debt, low salaries for citizens, and fewer jobs are provided which connects to higher unemployment rates in America. However, America
As a nation, America has accumulated a tremendous amount of debt which will affect not only the lives of the current citizens, but generations thereafter. Currently, the United States public debt is approximately $9.5 trillion, in long form, that’s $9,500,000,000,000. This ridiculous amount of money is a historical accumulation of misappropriated surpluses and exacerbated deficits. It is important for American citizens to not only understand the national debt concept, but also understand the causes and effects that lead to this
The United States national debt is large. The U.S. Debt-to-GDP ratio has grown to over 60 percent in recent years. We are more than $15 trillion in debt. In this paper I will address the federal budget, the United States debt, and the resulting impacts on society in several sectors.
The total United States national debt is now over 19 trillion dollars and our Congressional leadership shows no signs of accomplishing any significant changes to make the situation better. That 19 trillion equates to almost $59,000 for every citizen of the United Sates. Sound financial practice is to not spend more money than you earn and borrow only for emergencies. It appears our Congress is incapable of adhering to sound financial practices as in the last fifty years there have only been five years when the U.S. recorded a budget surplus. Between 2009 and 2012 the U.S. added 5.5 trillion dollars to its national debt.
For as long as Americans can remember there has always been a federal deficit. In fact, the only time in American history when there was no federal debt was under president Andrew Jackson, and it only lasted a single year(Wall Street Journal). The federal government never managed to pay off the debt again, although some administrations, like Coolidge’s and Clinton’s, have managed to run brief surpluses(Wall Street Journal). Yet today there seems to be no limit on the debt and deficit spending, and a key question has been pressed into the forefront of politics and fiscal policy, “is
The saying goes, the rich are getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. The government has always had several issues with which to contend, one of the major arguments has been, do the rich pay enough on taxes? This argument on rich paying enough in taxes has been around since the start of American history. On one side of the argument, people feel the current tax rates are at maximum levels, the “Buffet rule, which calls for a minimum tax rate of 30 percent on those who make more than $1 million a year is essentially already in effect” (Dubay 353). This argument clearly states the rich are currently paying more than enough in their fair share of taxes. The other side of the argument is the rich are not paying enough in taxes. In the bigger picture our country, schools, roads, and people are going down fast and hard. The government can choose to raise the federal tax rate on the rich but “high-earners also happen to be business owners, investors, and entrepreneurs” (Dubay 353). The government’s excuse saying high earners are an integral part of the economic opportunity in employing low and middle-class families is only an excuse for letting the rich keep their money and earn more. The government says the rich are paying their fair share of taxes, fair is paying on all taxable income, including capital interest to be taxed at a level commensurate with the rich and super-rich level.