The federal government's or "national" debt is reaching historical levels. The federal government now borrows more money to pay for programs than ever before. Estimates show that this year's deficit will reach 1.4-1.5 trillion dollars and contribute to the seemingly uncontrollable growth of the debt.
Because of the growing size of the debt a fierce political debate has arisen over how to best deal with this problem. Republicans and Democrats in Congress are currently battling over how this issue should be addressed.
You are going to investigate this controversy and comment to this post by doing the following:
1) Define the words debt and deficit. How are they different? How are they related?
2) Read the attached articles (by clicking on the active links below) and summarize what you learn about the debt and deficit from these articles. Your summary should be based entirely on the articles found below and should not be a list of facts. I expect the summary to be written in coherent paragraphs.
What They're Not Telling YouThe 'Tipping Point' of American DebtOut of debt: A tax increase is no way to start
In recent days secret government/military documents have been leaked and released by the website Wikileaks. This release of documents concerning the War in Afghanistan has created a controversy and debate. This debate is centered on the proper role of the media and its relationship with the government. In this debate are some critical questions: When should the media report stories? What information is off limits? What does the public have a right to know about war? Can a democracy exist when its government keeps secrets?
You are to consider these questions as you read the attached articles below. After reading the three articles you are summarize the articles' points in a comment to this post in the following fashion. What support for Wikileaks' actions is offered? What opposition to their actions is given? Finally, what does this current issue say about the need for the mainstream media? Please note, I am not looking for your opinion. Your answers should be based totally on the articles found below.
The acticles can be accessed below by simply clicking on the active links. Thank God for the Whistle-BlowersWikileaks Founder Julian Assange Is a FraudWikiLeaks' data-dump reporting simply makes a case for the existence of the mainstream media
The federal government's or "national" debt is reaching historical levels. The federal government now borrows more money to pay for programs than ever before. Estimates show that this year's deficit will reach 1.4-1.5 trillion dollars and contribute to the seemingly uncontrollable growth of the debt.
