Dealing With America’s Olympic-Sized Debt Problem

If you’ve watched any of this summer’s Olympic Games, you’ve likely marveled at the tremendous speed, strength, and precision of the world’s best athletes.

Article by Rachel Greszler and David Ditch from Daily Signal.

It can be hard to grasp just how fast, strong, and agile these Olympians are. If you’ve ever run on a treadmill—probably in the 6- to 7-mph range—consider setting the treadmill to 13 mph and running for 26.2 straight miles.

Perhaps you’ve done a flip on a large and cushy trampoline. Now imagine doing that same flip on a solid and unforgiving 4-inch beam. Or picture yourself throwing a bowling ball across the length of a tennis court.

Yet it’s easier to imagine all of that than to grasp the enormity of the U.S. federal debt and our government’s recent spending spree. It’s almost incomprehensible, at least without a little perspective.

Take this past year.

Most Americans realize the federal government spent a lot of money, including three rounds of so-called stimulus payments that most households received. But those $3,200 worth of individual checks pale in comparison to total spending.

If ordinary Americans had spent like the federal government did in 2020, the median household that earns $68,703 would have spent $131,620 and put $62,917 on the credit card, despite already being $541,287 in debt.

As of 2021, the U.S. debt comes out to roughly $220,000 per household. That’s enough to buy about eight years’ worth of groceries, gas, clothing, and housing for the typical household.

And even that figure doesn’t include the unfunded liabilities of Social Security and Medicare. Without a significant reduction in the size of those programs, each household’s total debt is actually over $660,000. That’s equal to the cost of a median family home, a new car, plus over five years’ worth of a typical household’s income.

However, even this massive a debt doesn’t seem all that bad. Interest rates are low, and the federal government has had little problem seemingly borrowing into oblivion without consequence. (The same could be said of Greece before a financial crisis ensued.)

But our currently low interest rate payments—equal to over $2,500 per household in 2021, or the cost of about six months’ worth of groceries—are on track to rise to about $6,400 per household in 2031. That’s four months of mortgage payments.

And that’s the equivalent of an interest-only mortgage. Those costs don’t even begin to reduce the principal amount of debt.

While ordinary Americans aren’t allowed to take out mortgages or open up new credit cards in their children’s names, the federal government does this every day.

The share of debt for a child born this year was $66,874. And that debt is on track to rise every year, reaching $111,552 by the time the child is 18 and either starts working or heads off to college. It will then hit $191,768 by the time that person is 30 and potentially raising young children.

Fortunately, it’s not too late to prevent the nation from going broke.

A cornerstone of success for Olympians is personal responsibility. Years of consistent training, healthy food, and vigorous exercise combine to give athletes the physical and mental tools they need to rise to the top.

A similar mindset can work for the nation’s financial woes.

Top athletes avoid junk food. Congress should cut out wasteful spending such as corporate welfare and excessive compensation for federal bureaucrats.

Olympians build a strong work ethic to maximize their progress. Congress should stop shirking responsibilities by placing an increasing amount of federal spending on autopilot and instead seek to reform programs like Social Security and Medicare that are on a path to bankruptcy.

Olympic medalists know how to prioritize what will get them to the podium. Congress should focus on core federal responsibilities and clear away countless programs that benefit narrow interest groups at the expense of the public good.

Iconic champions focus on the long game, learning from their mistakes and making the changes necessary to stay on top. Congress should recognize our looming debt disaster and step away from shortsighted spending plans.

Big problems like the unsustainable national debt won’t be solved quickly or easily. However, in the same way that Olympic athletes reach new heights through steady improvement and healthy choices, Congress must begin to take fiscal responsibility seriously as soon as possible.

Otherwise, a Greece-like fate may await us.

Originally published by Tulsa World

The Dangers of Speaking the Truth Diminish If We Work Together

It’s becoming harder and harder for patriots to ignore the deep suppression of truth that’s happening in America today.

In all of my years in journalism, I have never received as many threats or been attacked by big companies like Google and Facebook as I have in 2021. I’d say that ever since we started covering widespread voter fraud, government-endorsed Pandemic Panic Theater, vaccine cover-ups, Critical Race Theory, and the various Neo-Marxist and Satanic agendas at play, I’ve been targeted more in months than the entirety of my life prior.

Speaking the truth is getting harder with so much censorship and suppression rampant. Prior to 2020, I was not a “conspiracy theorist” or an “anti-vaxxer,” but if there’s one thing the onslaught of exposed lies have taught us in the last 18 months, it’s that we cannot take what we’re told by the “arbiters of truth” at face value. There’s an agenda behind every message, a narrative driving every story, and a series of gigantic cover-ups designed to keep the masses in the dark.

This is why we’re building a network of news outlets that are willing to go against the narrative and expose the truth. We need help. We’re establishing strong partnerships with like-minded news outlets and courageous journalists. Even as Big Tech suppresses us, the honest messages they’re trying to quash are finding their way to the eyes and ears of patriots across the nation. With the help of new content partners like The Epoch Times and The Liberty Daily, we’re starting to see a real impact.

Our network is currently comprised of nine sites:

• NOQ Report
• Conservative Playlist
• Truth. Based. Media.
• Freedom First Network
• Based Underground
• Uncanceled News
• American Conservative Movement
• Conservative Playbook
• Our Gold Guy

Some of our content is spread across all of these sites. Other pieces of content are unique. We write most of what we post but we also draw from those willing to allow us to share their quality articles, videos, and podcasts. We collect the best content from fellow conservative sites that give us permission to republish them. We’re not ego-driven; I’d much rather post a properly attributed story written by experts like Dr. Joseph Mercola or Natural News than rewrite it like so many outlets like to do. We’re not here to take credit. We’re here to spread the truth.

I’ve said much of this before. From time to time I reframe this request for assistance by taking the most relevant message of the day and adjusting the story accordingly. We’ve discussed this network in previous articles. Now, it’s time to talk about help. First and foremost, we need financial assistance detailed below. But we could also use more writers who are willing to volunteer their thoughts for the sake of spreading the message. Those who are interested should contact me directly.

As far as money, we’re looking better than we have in the recent past, but we are currently experiencing a gap between revenue and expenses that cannot be overcome by click-ads and MyPillow promos alone (promo code “NOQ” by the way).

To overcome our revenue gap and keep these sites running, our needs fluctuate between $2200-$7800 per month. May, 2021, for example, was amazing and we almost broke even. June, revenue was sluggish at best and we had to make up a big difference out of our pockets. But we’re not just trying to get out of the red. If and when we start getting enough contributions to expand, we will do just that. Very few get into journalism to try to get rich and we’re definitely not among those who do. Our success is driven by spreading the truth, profitable or not.

The best way you can help us grow and continue to bring proper news and opinions to the people is by donating. We appreciate everything, whether a dollar or $10,000. Anything brings us closer to a point of stability when we can hire writers, editors, and support staff to make the America First message louder. Our Giving Fuel page makes it easy to donate one-time or monthly. Alternatively, you can donate through PayPal or Bitcoin as well. Bitcoin: 3A1ELVhGgrwrypwTJhPwnaTVGmuqyQrMB8

Time is short. As the world spirals towards radical progressivism, the need for truthful journalism has never been greater. But in these times, we need as many conservative media voices as possible. Please help keep NOQ Report and the other sites in the network going. Our promise is this: We will never sell out America. If that means we’re going to struggle for a while or even indefinitely, so be it. Integrity first. Truth first. America first.

Thank you and God Bless,
JD Rucker

Bitcoin: 32SeW2Ajn86g4dATWtWreABhEkiqxsKUGn