So how are you going to pay the check?

Congratulations Americans. Each and everyone of you owes the world $US 66,474 as of today. This comes to a total bill of $US 21.69 TRILLION. (Just to compare thats about 150% of what Greece owes) And sadly printing $US to cover it wont wash.. You need to sell stuff that people overseas want to buy. Thats how foreign trade works.
So lets skip over the circus of Trump and reporters and strippers and his fake tan, fake news and fake billions and cut to the real stuff. Other than selling off your military (I cant wait to see used Supercarriers on Craigs List) How are you going to pay? By the way, the numbers have gone backwards by over a $Trillion since Trump took office and budget projections will add another $984 Billion next year IF they dont blow out.

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swirlie · 31-35, F

You have done your research, needless to say! Your question has been my bitch for over 10 years now. Not that it directly affects me as I'm not an American nor do I live in the USA... But the bottom line is, the US can no longer ignore the interest on their national debt, let alone the principal that was borrowed in the first place.

The latest numbers I have found, is that around 60% of every tax dollar brought in each year by the American Fed, goes directly to pay interest-only on America's national debt. But of course, even 60% no longer covers the tab! As you know, that is precisely 'why' the debt ceiling has had to be raised so many times in the last number of years, just to allow more money to be borrowed by the Fed. Truth is, that new borrowed money is what is being used to pay the monthly interest payment on old debt interest that is still outstanding. Borrow money to pay interest... What a novel idea! Americans are smarter than we give them credit for after all!

But apart from all that boring, depressing shit, it is not what Americans-at-large are going to do about their mounting, un-payable debt, but rather, what other countries around the world are going to do about accommodating the failing American empire in the near-years to come.

For example, I will speak of what Canada has been organizing for Canada's own financial survival when the US economy collapses. Ever since the American-led banking meltdown of 2008 of which the USA has still not recovered from, Canada then began distancing itself financially from the US in terms of doing trade with America.

Prior to 2008, Canada sold 80% of its export goods to the US. Today, Canada sells closer to 45% of it's exports to the US. The balance of Canada's exports are now going to Pacific Rim countries. The reason for this is that Canada is pre-positioning itself for the eventual Great Reckoning that will take place in the American economy, which will occur when the US uses up the balance of it's known oil reserves. Oil researchers say that this will occur in 10 years from now.

Canada tried to sell the Americans crude oil which would be piped right to their refineries in Texas, but Obama cancelled the construction of the Keystone pipeline which ran south of the Border. Canada had already completed their end of the pipeline when Obama cancelled the US interest in the deal. What then took place, was the installation of an elbow in the pipe on the Canadian side... basically a metaphorical 90 degree bend in the southbound pipeline right at the Canada/US Border, which now diverts that same crude oil due-West to the Canadian west coast.

From there, Canadian crude has been loaded on super-tankers bound for places like China ever since the Americans walked away from the deal. They walked away because they had no money to pay for their half of the pipeline which ran south of the Canada/US Border to Texas. The funny thing is, that pipeline snakes itself through the Canadian Rocky Mountains and that crude oil is pumped through almost a thousand miles of 12 inch pipeline to the loading platforms in Vancouver Harbor. And the job was completed and paid in full rather quickly!

The same thing goes for lumber exported from Canada. Now, Asian markets purchase every stick of raw timber that Canada can cut for them which was otherwise destined to America. The reason for this new export destination is for pre-positioning Canada's softwood lumber export market long before the shit hits the fan south of the Border.

Any country that is heavily attached at the hip to the USA like Canada use to be, will be brought down in flames by default when America flips over onto it's back and enters into a spiral dive... kamikaze-style. That is why Canada is now detaching itself financially from America earlier than most countries whom are still playing roulette in the American game, because the ultra-conservative Canadian Government can see the writing on the wall.

Canada also has a bird's eye view over the back fence of the absolute truth behind the grand illusion of the so-called, 'American Dream'. And when you add the financial incompetence of Donald Trump to the equation, keep in mind that Trump's own Real Estate empire has been slowly collapsing ever since the introduction of Amazon.com to the retail sales market.

Trump buys retail stores then rents them out to retailers at exorbitant rental rates. But few people shop in retail stores anymore since Amazon showed up for online purchases and delivery. Trump's retail vacancy rates in Manhattan NY are bordering on 80%. This means the leases are cancelled as the retailers are going broke. Only 20% of Trump's retail space is currently occupied in New York City. The Trump Hotel in Toronto for example, has been 100% vacant since the date of it's completion, of which Trump Junior was the Project Manager during it's construction. The Trump Brand Name is history. Trump however, is still trying to run America like he runs his failing corporate business empire. Trump has exponentially accelerated America's own race ..with itself ..to the bottom.

whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, M

@swirlie Your Canadian examples mimic what other nations are doing. But with the proximity of the US, Canada is more directly affected. In our case we are selling more into China because of Trumps sanctions and have been saved from US punitive intellectual property agreements which are already throwing local funding at local developments. If it wasnt for the negatives to world trade generally he might actually be doing us favours.
Trumps business model sells his brand, takes his commission early and leaves the business to sink or swim, often with dodgy finance deals, such as the Trump Tower Toronto. Your point about his retail deals being an outdated model is well made. But Real Estate is all he knows and one has to doubt his skill at that. Luckily there seems to be a large supply of Americans with a lot of money and little taste. In the scheme of things Trumps contribution to the US economy wont be that large. as numbers go. But in my view he has accelerated the decline of America as a world power and left a Vacuum the Chinese are actually having to reach to walk into. They are also going into debt now. The difference being they have the internal and international markets to pay it off.

swirlie · 31-35, F

@whowasthatmaskedman

Amazing critique to read. But using your earlier comparison of Greece, one might suggest that America merely be put up for sale on the auction block so to speak, somewhat like what has happened in the Greek Isles. One can now purchase an entire Greek island if they have the cash. But I somehow doubt that same interest would prevail if America suddenly went up for grabs to the highest bidder. After all, the Greeks aren't exactly killing themselves off in the front yard of your villa by virtue of their rudimentary cultural values toward human life, whereas purchasing one of the so-called 'United States' would also mean buying into a cultural deficit where 630,000 gun-related deaths between 1980 and 2018 has become culturally ok with that same American population. Would one really want to engage in that kind of mentality from the natives, even if their land went up for sale at a dollar per acre during their fire sale?

It is often said that when one marries a woman, one also marries the bride's entire family. If one were to buy into the American landscape in a big way as theoretically described, the question is, would one honestly want to inherit the family and the inherent culture that comes with the land? It wouldn't be my first choice if I were looking for large tracts of land somewhere in the world to grow potatoes! The United States of America therefore, is like Trump retail space in New York... it is barely marketable if put up for sale, except perhaps to the unwary who still remain fast asleep after singing themselves into that state of mindless bliss whilst echoing the lyrics from an old American song sheet which misrepresented itself as musical truth to the piper.

whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, M

@swirlie The Greek "fix" wouldnt work in the US for other reasons. A lot of America is already owned or part owned by overseas corporations Like Sony. And Many of the Classic US Giants like GM and Ford are actually Globals at the output level but importers to complete any actual products inside the US for local consumption. Without China and Korea not a single "American " car would leave the production line. The same goes for Boeing. Once you sell off the Theme parks and Las Vegas and food production, who really wants the rest, except maybe for Hawaii. I cant speak to the culture, including the gun culture. But having taken over the economy I can see any foreign power quite content to let the Natives fight amongst themselves. However thats outside the brief of my original proposition

swirlie · 31-35, F

@whowasthatmaskedman

So then, what is one really buying if one purchases the United States? If those Corporations left town, they could easily set up shop elsewhere. I mean, the entire American infrastructure is totally shot, I mean totally worn out completely from one end of the country to the other. Not a dime has been spent on anything meaningful in the last 30 years. So what is the place actually worth after deducting the cost of a complete national reno project, do you suppose?

Keep in mind, many of those Corporate factories still burn coal to the north and 90% of the Eastern Seaboard and Northeastern quadrant of the country use propane as a primary residential heating source. Not sure about the west, but the mid-west is totally dependent on Canada to supply fresh water daily which flows down a massive Canadian paid-for aqua duct which diverts water down from the Canadian Arctic into the American mid-west. What would one be buying then if they purchased the USA? Goodwill perhaps? And if so, then goodwill with whom? Deduct the value of their national debt from any goodwill value and what is the potential balance remaining, do you suppose?

whowasthatmaskedman · 70-79, M

@swirlie At the time of the last GFC, General Motors Balance Sheet had assets and Liabilities cancelling each other out apart from the "Goodwill" figure. But I see your point. And possibly this is why the Money people have bought the Republicans to help asset strip the place and move it off shore. It can be a feed lot ans a resource pit and not a lot more Financially. Interestingly, While Harley Davidson move off shore, the biggest BMW car plant in the world is in America, catch double tariffs from Trump. I guess they figure he wont last and BMWs will see better there than Chevys and Fords