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Treasury Secretary Geithner says in letter to Congress US may go into default
www.examiner.com ^ | January 11th, 2011 | Kenneth Schortgen Jr

Posted on 01/11/2011 9:41:29 PM PST by Angelus

It is one thing for Sarah Palin, media pundits, or economic analysts to speak on the potential insolvency of the US government, but when the US Treasury Secretary says this in a formal letter to Congress, Americans had better take note.

Secretary Timothy Geithner on January 6th sent a formal letter to Congress specifying that if they do not agree to raise the debt ceiling when it is reached sometime in March, the US will (and the word used is WILL) default on its debt.

Lew Rockwell.com posted an article yesterday on this action taken by the Treasury Secretary, and pointed out that in fact, the government at this point in time is bankrupt, and simply trying to postpone the inevitable.

A few months back, Laurence Kotlikoff wrote that "The U.S. is bankrupt." Using the government’s numbers properly labeled, he found that the U.S. fiscal gap, which is the difference between the present value of projected spending and revenues, is $202 trillion. An IMF study of the U.S. finances found that it would have to double taxes to close its fiscal gap. This is an impossibility. It would destroy the struggling economy. Geithner’s statement confirms those of other analysts outside of the U.S. government.

(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ceiling; debt; debtceiling; default
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All I can say is that the past century of liberals expanding government and attempting to create a socialist utopia have caused this to happen.

The entitlement programs/benefit programs - Social Security retirement (SS), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Subsidized Housing (Section 8 Housing), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Farm subsidies, that new federal program that gives free cell phones to welfare recipients etc… have mostly contributed to this disaster (a $14 Trillion disaster) but because these programs are sacrosanct it was impossible to get any type of reforms made. And not only did the Democrats halt reform efforts their goal has been to create even more entitlements i.e. Obamacare.

1 posted on 01/11/2011 9:41:34 PM PST by Angelus
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To: Angelus

It already is, this just props the problem up a little longer.


2 posted on 01/11/2011 9:45:01 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: Angelus

Tax the gross assets of all ‘rats.


3 posted on 01/11/2011 9:45:06 PM PST by Paladin2
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To: Angelus

he’s jumping the gun that little pos


4 posted on 01/11/2011 9:45:06 PM PST by MissDairyGoodnessVT ( JC Webster's fav words: "the boiling pits of sewage" roflmao)
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To: Angelus

How do we “default” on our debts by raising the amount we are willing to go into debt??

One would think we’d be further from default by not taking on as much debt and cutting spending.


5 posted on 01/11/2011 9:45:18 PM PST by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: Angelus

The financial logistics of raising the debt ceiling to avoid defaults must be balanced with real and immediate cut backs in Federal spending starting with Obamacare.


6 posted on 01/11/2011 9:45:36 PM PST by Gene Eric (Your Hope has been redistributed. Here's your Change.)
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To: Angelus

Don’t forget massive pension/retirement payments agreed to by local, state and federal officials to government workers.


7 posted on 01/11/2011 9:46:02 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: Angelus

The US obviously must go on a New Jersey diet x 10. But, if we actively use our resources (drill, Baby, drill) and get inexpensive energy back into the equation, America will prosper yet again.

Do all the right things and we have more than a chance; we will prevail!


8 posted on 01/11/2011 9:47:41 PM PST by One Name
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To: Angelus
Here we go. The admin trying to stampede the Republican House into more emergency financial management to stave off "disaster". The whole point is to either force the Republicans to cave, thus angering their base, or to do nothing so that they can blame the disaster (that they intend to precipitate anyway) on the Republicans.

I hope the Republican leadership is smart enough to see what's going on here and really take it to the administration.
9 posted on 01/11/2011 9:48:38 PM PST by Antoninus (Fair warning: If Romney's the GOP nominee in 2012, I'm looking for a new party.)
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To: Angelus
“This letter by Geithner, and the coming battle within Congress over raising the debt ceiling, will not end well no matter the outcome for the American people. If the debt ceiling is raised, then the Fed will print more money, and price inflation will climb much higher. If cap and trade is not passed sometime soon, then other forms of taxation will be imposed to pay the interest on the rising debt the government owes. We have been warned, in both a subtle and not so subtle way by the Treasury Secretary. The government is within months of insolvency, and the complete destruction of the dollar and our economic system is tied now to a single debate about to rage in Congress.”

o.k.... now, what can we do? he says, “we have been warned”. Yeah, we got the message after we went to the town hall meetings and were thrown out.... we got the message when we wrote and called our congress people, to no avail.... we got the message, alright.... WE DON'T MATTER!! the current obamanation regime is beating all of us down and stomping us into the ground.

so, when an article ends with “you have been warned”, it kind of makes me mad! Because, we have tried, and tried, and tried...... and been abused and beaten back.

the US is bankrupt. I saw the obamantion say those exact words during the last year on a tv interview with a snicker... yeah. he thinks it's funny... well, it is anything but funny to us who love this country...to those of us who didn't just spend weeks in Hawaii on someone elses money....

what we can do is to pray that God will once again place His hand over this country and save us from ourselves.

10 posted on 01/11/2011 9:50:16 PM PST by bareford101 (. All Muslims lie to infidels to confuse them)
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To: Secret Agent Man

Not only is U.S. government debt spinning wildly toward a breaking point, but many U.S. states (such as California, Illinois, New York...) are in such horrific financial condition that they are beginning to resemble banana republics.


11 posted on 01/11/2011 9:51:22 PM PST by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: One Name
Do all the right things and we have more than a chance; we will prevail!

1. Cut taxes.

2. Cut spending.

3. Deregulate.

4. Drill, baby, drill.

Not a chance, though, that this administration will do any of these things. They will do the exact opposite.

12 posted on 01/11/2011 9:52:04 PM PST by okie01 (THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Ignorance on Parade)
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To: Secret Agent Man

I’m sure we can count on a mad scurry on the part of our ‘leaders’ to cut everything, find accounting errors, waste, and cut PBS, NPR, NEA etc. loose immediately, right?

If they really want to honor Gabrielle Gifford, they will surely pass the salary cut she was proposing for congress, right?


13 posted on 01/11/2011 9:52:19 PM PST by Let's Roll (Save the world's best healthcare - DEFUND Obamacare!)
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To: george76

I think everyone needs to be on the lookout for a rather large false flag op in the near future. Because of this debt issue. The plates are falling.

I am not kidding. It’s the only thing that will get the pressure off Obama, the dems, etc. Focusing anger and blame on something else. Talking war-level type false flag op.


14 posted on 01/11/2011 9:55:43 PM PST by Secret Agent Man (I'd like to tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.)
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To: Angelus

What would actually happen if we defaulted?


15 posted on 01/11/2011 9:57:19 PM PST by funfan
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To: funfan

Yes...that IS the question...


16 posted on 01/11/2011 9:59:45 PM PST by goodnesswins (You deciding how to spend your health care $, thatÂ’s freedom. Govt deciding, thats a death panel)
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To: One Name
"Do all the right things and we have more than a chance; we will prevail!"

I disagree. We are already beyond the point of no return.

There is no (peaceful) way back from here...it's either hyperinflation or default.

The politicians will not have the will to default so, I expect we'll eventually see hyperinflation.

Just my opinion.

17 posted on 01/11/2011 10:01:58 PM PST by blam
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To: funfan

The problem is that we are allowed to run deficits at all. Republicans go back and forth on decisions to increase spending, but always vote to lower taxes. Democrats go back and forth on tax cuts, but always vote to increase spending.

The only coalitions that form are ones lower taxes, sometimes votes to increase spending, but never a coalition to cut spending overall. That’s just an unsustainable reality - we have been living in a fantasy world since WWII.


18 posted on 01/11/2011 10:03:21 PM PST by socalgop
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To: Angelus

“... the past century of liberals expanding government and attempting to create a socialist utopia have caused this to happen.”

Bike trails. It was the GD bike trails.


19 posted on 01/11/2011 10:07:28 PM PST by jessduntno ("'How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think." - Adolph Hitler)
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To: One Name; All

Your suggestions will not solve anything by March.


20 posted on 01/11/2011 10:08:07 PM PST by gleeaikin
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