[This is a digital reprint of an article posted on my blog, Between the Columns]
Check out the info-graphics about the U.S. debt: http://en.wikipedia.org/...
So, in these info-graphics, we have two somewhat competing messages:
First, in terms of actual amount of debt, it's staggeringly off the charts. A real "gulp" moment for fiscal conservatives. And probably a serious warning signal for Americans in general -- both from a national debt perspective, as well as a personal debt perspective.
Yet the second graph indicates a rather sobering context: that as a percent of GDP, we're right at about average when looking at the ratios for the past 70 years. Of course, the trend line does not look all that promising, but in terms of actual reality right now, this is not "sky is falling" debt ratios like you might have heard about in the media.
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