The US owes itself money?

The debt falls into two broad categories: Intragovernmental Holdings and Debt Held by the Public. (Source: "Debt to the Penny," U.S. Treasury, January 26, 2017.)

Intragovernmental Holdings. This is the federal debt owed to 230 other federal agencies. It totals $5.554 trillion, almost 30 percent of the debt. Why would the government owe money to itself? Some agencies, like the Social Security Trust Fund, take in more revenue from taxes than they need. Rather than stick this cash under a giant mattress, they buy U.S. Treasurys with it.

By owning Treasuries, they transfer their excess cash to the general fund, where it is spent. Of course, one day they will redeem their Treasury notes for cash. The Federal government will either need to raise taxes or issue more debt, to give the agencies the money they will need.

https://www.thebalance.com/who-owns-the-u-s-national-debt-3306124

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therighttothink50 · 56-60, M Best Comment

Social Security has nothing but IOU's left in it. It is a ponzi scheme doomed to collapse. In addition to almost 20 trillion dollars in debt, the US has over 200 million in unfunded liabilities: social security, medicaid, medicare, obamacare.

The debt and the unfunded liabilities are both unsustainable. What good is redeeming something which has lost almost all its value. The US dollar, once the strongest currency in the world has been abused ever since Nixon took us off the gold standard.

The last four presidents and Alan Greenspan have screwed the American saver over the last twenty years or so. Zero interest rates have destroyed this economy and the responsible saver, the backbone of this country. The middle class slob who saved a hundred dollars a week his or her whole life and never accumulated personal debt has been sacrificed for a bunch of foreign global scumbags and illegal aliens.

The globalists game is and always has been to break the back of the US middle class. They are close to destroying the US middle class. The treason by this compliant US federal government used in enslaving every US citizen and destroying their wealth is plainly obvious to those who can see clearly. The drones on the phones do not care, they are in endless debt and couldn't give a fiddler's fck about anything. When this bubble burts, you are going to see the biggest push back against these scumbag politicians the world has ever seen. The responsible people are finally going to stand up.

Debt enslaves people and makes them stupid and irresponsible. This country has been sold out to foreign powers by a bunch of liberal scumbags who just want to import into this once free nation the dregs of the world so they can keep them in power. The game, just "give" these dregs endless "free" goodies by taking other people's money. Stolen money they have no right to. The US politicians have legalized theft.

jackjjackson · 61-69, M

Well stated!!

katielass · F

If a private business conducted its business the way the federal government does, the CEO would be in court trying to stay out of prison.

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SimplyTracie · 26-30, F

@katielass: I was addressing your comment about CEO's and not the main post. I have read articles about how Trump profited millions from these bankruptcies while investors lost millions.

That's all.

SimplyTracie · 26-30, F

@therighttothink50: What are you blabbering about?

katielass · F

@SimplyTracie: Oh, I think if you had meant that government should run like a business that's what you would have said. You chose to make a snide comment about trump and a few projects that failed. So, since you brought him up, let's look at it. The fact is, he has had hundreds of thousands of successful projects and only a very few that weren't successful. You'd have to understand statistics to get this but his failure rate in percentages is zero. The federal government is in debt to the tune of $20 trillion. I'll take Trump's financial/business advice any day over anyone in the government. Its the government that has been a failure.

revenant · F

manipulations of all kinds..didn't trump handed a bill to Merkel for what she should have paid ?

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revenant · F

@Jackjjacksonjr: people who cannot be mentioned

jackjjackson · 61-69, M

@revenant:

It's all a big mystery?

katielass · F

I sure hope Trump handed merkel a bill. If their economy is so great there is no excuse for their not paying their fair share. The US has been acting like the unpopular kid who feels she needs to buy acceptance. And it never has worked with kids and it doesn't work in the real world either.

SimplyTracie · 26-30, F

I think it's like if my dad loans me money but he knows I'm not paying him back.

SW-User

Yes.

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