public debts

Student loans. Medical bills. Mortgages. The national deficit. Debt touches so many parts of American life, from the individual citizen to the United States as a whole. A complex issue, debt can be alternately beneficial, such as when building credit, or it can do irreparable damage to a person's credit score, housing prospects, lifestyle, and more. The articles collected in this volume trace the issues that affect students, consumers, corporate entities, and the nation when it comes to addressing and managing debt. Media literacy questions and terms aid readers in assessing news coverage of the topic.

"All of the federal government's efforts to stem the tide in the financial meltdown that began with the subprime mortgage crisis have added hundreds of billions of dollars to the national debt. FRONTLINE reports on how this debt will constrain and challenge the new Obama administration, and on the growing chorus on both sides of the aisle that without fiscal reform, the United States government may face a debt crisis of its own, which makes the current financial situation pale in comparison. Through interviews with leading experts and insiders in government finance, the film investigates the causes and potential outcomes of - and possible solutions to - America's $10 trillion debt.".

This book gets past the overheated rhetoric and political posturing to explain clearly how and why governments borrow money, how and why they engage in deficit spending, and the short- and long-term effects such practices have on the economy.

Provides insight and perspective as to the inner workings of the American government's fiscal strategy through the ages and looks at various responses through the years to economic crises, wars, and recessions.

Explains what the government spends money on, where it gets money to spend, and possible ways to reduce the national debt.

Explains the world's financial system and how it functions and the problems created by the increasing debts owed by developing nations.

Provides insight and perspective as to the inner workings of the American government's fiscal strategy through the ages and looks at various responses through the years to economic crises, wars, and recessions.