Debt clock – scary

Looking for a good scare? Check out the United States debt clock, courtesy of USDebtClock.org, a group that is devoted to educating people about the country’s debt. A disclaimer at the bottom of their About page says the group is not affiliated with any government, political group, or organization. And yet it doesn’t say who is behind the site, which makes me skeptical…

But onto the numbers. The site shows figures for more than our nearly $12 trillion debt load, so it gives a holistic scare. Also listed are state debt, private debt (like mortgages), social security liability and many other debts, all in red. Positive numbers are listed in green, including gross domestic product, federal tax revenue, small business assets, household assets, and more.

The site is constantly updating the figures, though it doesn’t explain how it does that. Are the figures projected? I can’t image every source for every number in the debt clock is updated so frequently. It’s possible that each number is pro-rated based on yearly growth or decline.

There are so many figures it’s possible to come to more than one conclusion about the financial health of the U.S. What do you make of our debt?

Thanks, Dave!