Yeah, CQ, when we get the majority of troops out of Iraq, there will be a lot more $ available to pay down our debt. That is absolutely necessary. I hope we can draw down troops quickly.
The biggest travisty, however, is the interest we pay on our national debt (and get zero for!). Thats why the next president must make spending cuts across the board. No one seems to respect that our national debt is almost 10 trillion dollars and the interest paid is one of our largest federal expenses.
$243.7 billion (+13.4%) - Interest on debt
$89.9 billion (+1.3%) - Education and training
$72.6 billion (+5.8%) - Veterans' benefits
$43.5 billion (+9.2%) - Administration of justice
$32.5 billion (+15.4%) - Foreign affairs
$23.5 billion (+0.8%) - Energy
Very interesting to read, I had long though the debt was a major issue, and had noted the interest payments.
Looking at those numbers, the debt interest payments being higher that all the ones listed below, it is quite scary when one sees they spend more on paying interest on debt than education, vets benefits, justice etc.
It's like an ostrich issue, people pretend the debt is no biggie, when it is.
