USA 20 Trillion debt.

[ZenOps]

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

It was inevitable. Trump say debt ceiling is "not necessary". I tend to agree, if you need more money - just print it. Again, I don't have kids - so double print the money and make it a rush order!

[davidI]

The scariest thing is that no one seems to even care anymore...

[Xtrema]

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The scariest thing is that no one seems to even care anymore...

I think everyone has the same attitude toward debt now. You need me to spend so you better give me cheap loans.

[phreezee]

Canada will catch up soon enough with Trudeau taking $215k vacations http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trud...rcmp-1.4286033
Sunny ways.

[nzwasp]

Interesting... they spend more on medicare than defense. I always thought defense was the biggest ticket item on the US budget every year.

[Buster]

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Interesting... they spend more on medicare than defense. I always thought defense was the biggest ticket item on the US budget every year.

US defense spending isn't their biggest problem. Not by a long shot. In fact, it could be considered an investment with a good return: US hegemony forces the world into using the USD as reserve and for most oil purchases. This is probably worth about a trillion a year to the US economy/US citizens.

The two big ticket items, medicare and social security, are entitlements that can no longer be cut.

[Antonito]

The military is 57% of the discretionary budget, but only approx 20% of the overall budget. The $10-20 Trillion that the pentagon has "lost" in the last few decades definitely helps though

[HiTempguy1]

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Interesting... they spend more on medicare than defense. I always thought defense was the biggest ticket item on the US budget every year.

More people get food stamps in the USA than there are people in Canada IIRC.

People say the USA has no security net for its citizens. Its actually quite extensive and expensive. Health care and social security type benefits are the #1 cost of any first world country.

[ZenOps]

And yet, the average life expectancy of a US citizen is a solid two years behind other countries that spend 1/10 to 1/2 as much.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...s-US-lags.html

I partially blame leaded gasoline along with the ridiculous number of above ground nuclear tests done in Nevada. Who needs North Korea, at the rate the US is testing they will have a maximum age of 50 because of nuclear damage to human DNA (cancer)

[Xtrema]

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Interesting... they spend more on medicare than defense. I always thought defense was the biggest ticket item on the US budget every year.

Here's the fucked up part.

Only people over 65, low income and children is in that program. At peak it only cover 63M Americans.

So while AHS spend about $1.1B/1M people /year in Alberta. US Medicare/Medicare is paying close to $5.8B USD per 1M people per year. The cost in US is almost 7x that of Alberta.

[Buster]

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Here's the fucked up part.

Only people over 65, low income and children is in that program. At peak it only cover 63M Americans.

So while AHS spend about $1.1B/1M people /year in Alberta. US Medicare/Medicare is paying close to $5.8B USD per 1M people per year. The cost in US is almost 7x that of Alberta.

But you are not accounting for the much larger private expenditure on health care in the US vs Canada.

Also, the life expectancy things is probably best explained by American's insatiable love for fast food.

[dj_patm]

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Canada will catch up soon enough with Trudeau taking $215k vacations http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trud...rcmp-1.4286033
Sunny ways.

A) He would need to take, wait for it, 93,023,255 vacations.
B) Those costs are most likely poor spending on behalf of the RCMP or whoever is in charge of his security. Blame them.

[phreezee]

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A) He would need to take, wait for it, 93,023,255 vacations.
B) Those costs are most likely poor spending on behalf of the RCMP or whoever is in charge of his security. Blame them.

a) you didn't account for current debt
b) Either way I blame a Liberal and their drama teacher um ah leader.

[Xtrema]

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But you are not accounting for the much larger private expenditure on health care in the US vs Canada.

Also, the life expectancy things is probably best explained by American's insatiable love for fast food.

I'm not because I'm just comparing one government program vs another.

And the difference it makes from a single payer system (AHS) vs government system under a free market (Medicaid)

Or let's put it this way, if US copies Canada, the $ they put into Medicaid will cover everyone in the country and private insurance will not be needed.

[ZenOps]

Fatty foods are too easy a scapegoat. I would at least say that its the hormones that they inject into US livestock that is causing pre-mature death even though they spend at least 2x more than any other nation.

As to why the US *never* has a balanced budget. The answer is simple, why work for money when you have the power to just print it. Its almost stupid to do actual work.