K-12 Tax & Spending Climate: Why politicians will talk about anything but our ballooning national debt

Jon Gabriel:

Politicians in Washington always have some drama to distract them.

Over the past week, Michael Cohen called the president a “conman,” and Trump called him a “rat.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez insisted the world would end in a dozen years unless we pass her Green New Deal, while Democrats murmured about Biden and Beto possibly joining the White House race.

While the Beltway class hyperventilates about the buzz du jour, there’s one subject all of them studiously avoid: our $22.1 trillion in debt.

Our debt grows by about $2 billion a day
The U.S. has maintained a federal debt since Herbert Hoover was in office, and it keeps growing. Today, the debt jumps by another million dollars every 41 seconds, or about $2 billion a day. Since it’s an awkward topic, politicians focus on anything else, usually involving more spending. While lawmakers debate free college, free health care and a big, beautiful wall, the debt clock keeps on spinning.

According to the most recent figures, our debt is 4 percent higher than our gross domestic product. Yet if you mention this to most Americans, they’re either confused or indifferent.