More news about the debt ceiling, it just keeps getting better and better with each day, seems now they can extend it by about 3 weeks, but of course they still need to raise the debt ceiling no matter what. They arent going to stop spending and they cant raise taxes so the next step as we all know is going to be to raise the debt ceiling. geithner keeps on talking about the possibility of missing payments and defaulting, the funny thing about that is we all know its not going to happen, he talks as if there is a 50%+ or greater chance of this happening, but everyone can relax because the chance of them missing a payment and defaulting is probably around 0.0092%!!! No need to worry as the debt ceiling will be raised by trillions of dollars. Debt ceiling window extended to Aug. 2 cnnmoney Jeanne Sahadi, senior writer, On Monday May 2, 2011, 4:57 pm The fallout from lawmakers' delay on the debt ceiling is getting real. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said Monday that he would start taking "extraordinary measures" this week to keep the country's debt below its legal limit. In a letter to Congress, he also said that he now estimates he can keep the country out of default until Aug. 2, three weeks later than he estimated last month. The reason for the extension: The government has taken in more tax revenue than expected -- easing the country's borrowing needs. He said, however, the pace of U.S. borrowing is still on track to hit the current $14.294 trillion debt ceiling by May 16. But Geithner said he would need to take action starting this Friday because Congress is unlikely to act by May 16 and the debt is already so close to the cap -- just $58 billion below as of the end of last week. The Treasury Department will suspend issuance of special Treasury securities that help state and local governments fund, among other things, infrastructure improvements, Geithner said. That will be the first of several steps Geithner will have to take the longer Congress delays action on the debt ceiling. Republicans and some Democrats say they will not support an increase to the debt ceiling unless it is accompanied by spending cuts and enforceable budget measures designed to keep spending or deficits down. And agreements on those types of measures will take some time. Some lawmakers mistakenly believe that not raising the debt ceiling would somehow tamp down future spending. Geithner pushed back on that argument again on Monday. "The debt limit has never served as a constraint on future spending, nor would refusing to increase the debt limit reduce the obligations the country has already incurred." Indeed, as the Congressional Research Service has noted, even if lawmakers never pass another spending increase or tax cut, the debt ceiling would need to be increased repeatedly in the future. As it is, the Treasury Department also estimated Monday that the country will need to borrow $547 billion during the second half of this fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. If the debt ceiling isn't raised, lawmakers will have two choices: Either cut spending or raise taxes by that amount, or let the country miss payments on many of its legal obligations. Geithner said missing any payments would amount to default, a step the United States has never taken and which could have "catastrophic economic impact that would be felt by every Americans." By way of example, he noted that a broad range of government payments would have to be stopped, limited or delayed. In addition, interest rates and borrowing costs would rise and Americans' home values and retirement savings would get hit. Some Republicans who are using the debt ceiling to extract fiscal concessions, however, say the country will not be in default so long as it continues to pay interest on its bonds. There will be sufficient revenue coming in to meet those interest payments, but Treasury would come up short by about $118 billion every month, and that could have severe consequences on government services and benefits.
I don't know why they are dragging their feet. The debt ceiling will be raised one way or another so just raise the bugger and spend like a drunk sailor. Congress is pretty good at that. That Obama plan of trimming $4B of the National Debt in 10 years is looking pretty good with the debt ceiling going up. My money is on the national debt being $4B higher (or more) in 10 years.
really? bring it on..let me feel this pain..i'm begging you Timmay..i believe i'm in much bigger pain right now, with rates well below zero,sinking dollar,fucked up gvt stats and rising inflation..maybe the fucking default will awake the general public and "servants" in DC..
agree I say bring it on as well, I think the default would certainly be a wake up to fix this deficit problem now rather than never. But we all know they dont give a fuck about the deficit because right now something would have been done.
How many times has the ceiling been raised? Since March 1962, the debt ceiling has been raised 74 times, according to the Congressional Research Service. Ten of those times have occurred since 2001. 74 times and 10 times since 2001, hmmmmmm Something doesn't seem right.......
QE3 on its way as well. American loves OBAMA now cuz he got OSAMA.... But of course the White House can't get their story straight...but the sheeople believe in their new found Patriot OBAMA. Debt ceiling will continue to be raised....printer will continue to print money, unemployment will continue to go up, oil will continue to climb, as will Commodities in general. STAGFLATION is at hand and it is far worse than a DEPRESSION. LOST GENERATION at hand, much like JAPAN's 20 year period. But hey! We got OSAMA so now we can save money and bring the troops home? Not a chance, an attack is coming soon enough that will drag us into the middle east even deeper. Oh well, MAKE THAT MONEY and BE HAPPY. That is my advice.
Every man for himself. Its always been that way and always will be. Only difference is the rules change ever so slightly from generation to generation.