Our Glorious National Debt

When we borrow money in a social businessgovernment receives in taxes comes only from
sense, we must repay it to the lender; and weour current productivity, because the past is
must also pay a fee for the use of that money,spent and the future is unknown, both in terms of
called interest. For most of us the money togovernment needs and dollars that will be available.
repay our personal debts comes from our laborTherefore there are no past taxes or future
and it is relatively easy to associate our labor withtaxes to oppress us. Likewise, there is no past
the money we use to purchase things and repaynational debt or future national debt to burden us.
debts. Hopefully we are learning that the moneyBut there is a current tax burden and debt
we are borrowing is the surplus labor-wages ofburden that we must finance daily, weekly, and
others that is made available to credit-worthymonthly. Since we carry this burden every day
borrowers through banks and other forms ofand service this debt from our current productive
lending. We want to consume now, but we havelabor, it is a problem for the present. It can never
no surplus wages available to exchange. So webe a problem for the future, and should not be
promise to repay our debts with our futureviewed in a way that makes us believe we are
surplus labor or forfeit the stored wage value ofpostponing an expense from today until some
our property and possessions, if we cannot repay.time in the future. Whether government taxes us
Our government debt is not the same as ouror borrows from today's surplus, it is receiving
personal debt, because government does notand using current dollars, paying current bills and
raise funds by transforming raw materials intocurrent interest on current debt.
finished goods, or by bartering labor for labor.If the injury to society is improper taxation, the
Government is funded by taking some of theinsult is the interest paid to those who have a
productive labor of our economy as taxes, andsurplus to begin with. Interest is not a reward for
by persuading others to lend surplus labor-wagescivic duty, nor should it be looked upon as an
to the government, with promises of eventualentitlement program for banks, businesses, and
repayment through taxes. Government does notthe wealthy. As the debt grows it requires more
have property and possessions to offer to thoseand more interest to service it. This has the
who have lent to it, outside of public lands andpotential of deepening the divisions between our
minerals. It only has the power to take futuresocio-economic classes by forcing some citizens
labor-wages from those who labor productively orto pay ever-increasing amounts of their
those who acquire surpluses by controlling suchlabor-wages to government, while government
labor. Government cannot save for the future,just transfers much of that wealth to the lenders.
for us as individuals, or collectively. GovernmentConsider that while our federal debt is over
spends for infrastructure and immediateeleven trillion dollars, our states, counties, and
consumption. Anything left over may only becities are collectively trillions more in debt. They
used to reduce the following year's taxes oralso borrow from today's surplus to finance many
increase the current services to ourselves. Soprojects. They sell bonds to raise money and
government debt is really a misfeasance in theagree to raise taxes in the future to pay back
way taxes are collected, a malfeasance in thethose bonds, with a competitive rate of interest.
way our taxes are spent, and a nonfeasance inBut these are just many more cases of
the way we are protected from future taxborrowing from today's surplus instead of taxing.
burdens to repay that debt.Those dollars are paid in the present and near
We hear a lot about the amount of debt accruingpast for goods and services that were available
in the government sector, business sector, andfor our consumption, or we would not have those
the private consumer sector. Trillions of dollars ofdebts. Add to those public debts our private
debt! Where did all this money come from? Whatcorporate and consumer debts that now exceed
manner of economy can generate such vastforty trillion dollars, and we realize that today's
amounts of surplus labor wealth (consumableconsumption of today's production is neither
material goods and services), and yet tolerateCommunistic nor Democratic. Only pyramids of
such vast amounts of debt? Much of our publicOligarchy Capitalism, or classes of Fascism, can
debt is long-term debt, which means thatcontrol the taxing system of today's production
whatever principle sum we borrow, be it on theto own the personal and communal debts of our
federal, state, or municipal level, we will pay farsociety.
more in interest, than principal, to those withWith a national domestic productivity of ten trillion
enough surplus resources to lend to governments.dollars per year and a combined public and private
Our system enriches the very people that shoulddebt more than sixty trillion dollars, we have
be taxed to ensure that we would not havemanaged to promise the payment of six years of
government debts. It would be interesting toour total future productivity to somebody. Most
know the sum of interest payments being madeindentures of servitude were set at seven years
by all levels of government. The average workingin Colonial times. Six years of total servitude in
taxpayer might be appalled at the amount forthis "new age" is definitely out of bounds. And
which he and she are being milked and bilked.when you consider that only labor-wages can pay
It is very important for us to realize that debta debt, the 100 million full time workers in our
can only happen when there is a surplus, becauseeconomy are each on the hook for an average
we can only borrow what is surplus. Trillions of$600,000 dollars of our public and private debt. If
dollars of debt arises from trillions of dollars ofall of the interest paid on all debts averaged 5%
surplus productivity traded for immediateannually, then the average worker would be
consumption. Our society is producing a very largepaying $30,000 dollars per year in interest, out of
surplus of goods and services and thentheir labor, on that total debt.
encouraging the consumers of that surplus to goInterest on debt is a wage cut. The more interest
into debt to consume it. The amount of internalyou pay the less labor-wages you have to barter
debt in any country is equal to the amount offor goods. When we take out a loan for $1000,
surplus goods produced and consumed over andand agree to pay back $1100 over twelve
above a cash economy. Such debt reflectsmonths, we are giving ourselves a wage cut of
consumption controlled by disparity of incomes in$100 for one year in order to consume today.
that society.We could save our wages for a year and
Consider the U.S. national debt, pushing 11 trillionconsume later when we would only have to
dollars in 2009. The government establishes abarter our wages for the wage value of the
budget annually of a certain number of dollars. Itgoods we desire. Interest on loans is labor-wage
also estimates the amount of taxes and feesmoney. It does not increase the cost of goods;
that will come to it to pay the bills allocated in therather it decreases the barter value of our labor
budget. In a balanced budget the taxes and feesby laying claim to our future labor-wages until the
equal the bills to be paid. If there is a surplus ofloan is paid. The interest on the national debt is a
taxes, then either our taxes can be reduced inwage cut for all who pay taxes. If the annual
the future, or additional services can be purchasedinterest on the national debt is 300 billion dollars,
for all. If there are more bills than tax dollars thenbeing paid by 100 million workers, then the
the government is running a deficit and needs toaverage person is paying $3,000 annually out of
raise taxes or reduce spending. Today, whentheir wages to the owners of that debt.
there is a short-fall of taxes to pay our commonGovernment appears equally able to increase
bills, government is borrowing from the surpluswealth for some by cutting their taxes or cutting
rather than taxing the surplus, promising to taxthe wages of our labor force and giving the
our surplus in the future to pay back for today'sproceeds as interest-wages to the debt holders.
consumption without taxation. What makes futureThis wage cut occurs year after year and will
surplus more taxable than today's surplus,continue into the future. The laborers' standard of
considering that today's surplus is the only sureliving is declining because many must have less so
thing? The concept of taxing the commonthat the debt financiers may have more.
produce of the nation to provide for our commonThe hidden dagger, ever threatening to
needs has been turned around to become thedismember our society and leave many of the ill
concept of reducing taxes and then borrowingand aged to fend for themselves, is the interest
what should be taken, and offering intereston the National Debt. The interest due on the
payments on those borrowings. The working classNational Debt is the only government expenditure
is taxed on their Income by government, taxedthat cannot be cut, altered, or abolished. All other
on their labor by their employer to provide profits,expenditures can be completely eliminated, if
and then taxed by the government again to paynecessary, to provide tax funds to pay this
interest to the employers when they loan theirobligation. If the interest rate averages 5%, then
profits to the government. Though we continuallyit will cost 550 billion dollars per year to maintain
put off repayment of the principle of governmentthis 11-trillion dollar debt annually. If the interest
debt by selling more bonds to cover for thoserate should rise to 10%, then it will cost 1100 billion
coming due, we must pay the interest on thatper year to maintain it. Consider that for 2008,
debt every year; and this payment comes fromgovernment income was about 2.4 trillion dollars,
taxes collected by the Treasury every year. Howand the deficit for fiscal 2008 was about 460
nice for persons that can afford to own a debt,billion dollars (without including the cost of two
which in a truly democratic society of equalongoing wars), making a 2008 federal budget of
representation they would have been taxed onabout 2.9 trillion dollars. If taxes paid to
their excessive income to avoid such debts.government six or seven years down the road
Congress has the authority to take whatever itwere the same as in 2008, it would only require
deems necessary from the surplus of today tointerest rates of 22% on the eleven-plus
do our public business. It makes no sense fortrillion-dollar national debt to consume all
government to take by force a portion of everygovernment income from taxes just to pay the
worker's labor as taxes and also borrow frominterest due. There would be no money for Social
those who have such a surplus that they areSecurity, Medicare, national defense, government
willing to loan it to government. It is a defect inpensions, roads and bridges, schools, etc., without
government to borrow at any time, sinceborrowing 100% of our annual needs; an incredibly
government has the authority to tax the surplusscary prospect. And we are assured by most
labor of the present, which is the only source ofeconomists and economic forecasters that the
income available to government and ourselves.National Debt will continue to increase in the
When government borrows from today's surplusfuture, simply because we borrow from the
rather than take that surplus through taxation, itsurplus of today when we should tax.
is consuming the same surplus in either case. TheKeep in mind that the eleven-plus trillion-dollar U.S.
private economy is not disparaged less bynational debt represents the principle of loans to
borrowing than it is by taxation. Consumption ispurchase and consume eleven-plus trillion dollars
consumption. What the government consumes isworth of goods and services. Such that after we
not available to the private economy, no matterhave consumed what is bought we then owe the
how the government came by it. But thelenders that amount, eleven-plus trillion and rising.
obligation to pay interest yearly on that debt, andWhile we pay an enormous yearly interest bill to
the obligation to someday repay the principal ofkeep those lenders from demanding repayment
the debt, is a criminal conspiracy between ourof the principle.
politicians and the debt financiers. With properThese trillions upon trillions of dollars of debt
taxation there is no interest or principle.represent untold years of productive labor of
A form of anarchy has replaced themillions to produce goods and services. That
representative democracy that used to reign inproductive labor is done. The goods have been
America. Though our government has importantmanufactured, distributed, and consumed. So why
and legitimate needs, it refuses to tax ouris there all of this consumption debt? We live
economy even when we have sufficient labor andtogether on the Earth, we labor with its
resources to pay our bills directly without theresources, and we consume its bounty. We may
need to borrow. This political crime is aggravatedonly use what exists, eat what grows, live in
by making the interest payment of thedwellings made from environmental materials. We
government debt, the only item in the nationaldo all of this as one society. We cannot eat debt,
budget that cannot be reduced, or abolished, whileshelter ourselves with it, heal the sick with it, or
all other expenditures can be reduced or abolished.provide for our future with it. Debt serves no
The fact is, the surplus is there or there would bepurpose but to divide our society by oppressing
nothing to be borrowed. And if all governmentsome and denying the liberties, equalities, and
income must come from surplus that existsresponsibilities of creation. For the most part the
today, why is part raised by taxes and part byupper class owns these debts and profits by
borrowing, if not to enrich those who are alreadythem, while the lower class appears to owe the
enriched by owning the surplus of our economy,debts and is forced to service them year by
at the expense of the laborer and theyear. This is forced servitude that is contrary to
unemployed?our entire moral and political heritage. Our society
We must begin to view the national debt as awill not survive the increasing economic and social
problem for the present, rather than somethingcrush of these debts. Our national debt does not
that began in the past and can be put off untilprovide national security, rather is guarantees the
some time in the future. The income thateventual disintegration of our nation.