It is the irresponsible citizens’ of the U.S. that are too cheap to pay appropriate taxes, even though they could.
From: Friam <[email protected]> on behalf of Pieter Steenekamp <[email protected]> Date: Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at 10:26 PM To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <[email protected]> Subject: [FRIAM] A Simple Look at the U.S. Debt and Deficit I want to share a few thoughts about the United States. I’m not a supporter of Donald Trump, but I am a big supporter of the United States as a country. I admire the ideas of freedom, opportunity, and innovation that the U.S. represents. It honestly makes me a little sad that Americans don’t seem to elect better leaders. Out of all the smart and capable people in that country, surely they can find someone more inspiring and responsible. But I suppose that’s how democracy works—people choose, and sometimes the results aren’t great. Even with leadership that I don’t always agree with, I still think the U.S. is doing well overall. I believe the U.S. is still the best hope we have for a country that can lead the world in a positive direction. And to me, that leadership matters a lot—especially because I wouldn’t want to see a country like China, which doesn’t value individual freedom or human rights, becoming the world’s main superpower. Europe is important too, but I don't think it's strong enough on its own to lead the free world. Maybe India could grow into that role someday, but right now, the U.S. is still our best hope. That’s why I get concerned when I look at the U.S. government’s spending habits. Right now, they are spending much more than they earn in taxes, year after year. Over time, those deficits pile up into debt—a very large amount of money that the country owes. You might think: “Come on, the U.S. is too powerful to fail.” But that’s not how money works. Even big, powerful countries can run into serious problems if they don’t manage their finances well. And while I don’t believe the U.S. is in danger of a crash tomorrow, it’s clear that the growing debt and constant deficits are becoming a real problem. Lynn Alden said it well in her latest newsletter (https://www.lynalden.com/june-2025-newsletter/ <https://www.lynalden.com/june-2025-newsletter/> ): "We’re not at the point where the debt or deficits are going to cause a massive train wreck any time soon. However, we are well into the era where the deficits do matter and have consequences." In other words: No need to panic yet—but we can’t ignore the problem either. If the U.S. wants to keep leading the world—and I hope it does—it needs to start taking its finances more seriously. The country is not “too big to fail.” And if it does stumble, the world could be left without strong and fair leadership. That’s a risk none of us should take lightly.
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