{"id":15596,"date":"2011-03-09T15:31:46","date_gmt":"2011-03-09T20:31:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/?p=15596"},"modified":"2011-03-11T09:00:23","modified_gmt":"2011-03-11T14:00:23","slug":"great-assignment-for-a-macroeconomics-class-or-an-international-business-course-and-perhaps-a-warning-to-the-rest-of-us-not-sure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/2011\/03\/09\/great-assignment-for-a-macroeconomics-class-or-an-international-business-course-and-perhaps-a-warning-to-the-rest-of-us-not-sure\/","title":{"rendered":"Great assignment for a macroeconomics class or an international business course! And perhaps a warning to the rest of us…not sure."},"content":{"rendered":"

From DSC:<\/span><\/strong>
\nOn February 24th, I saw this piece at Forbes.com — ><\/span> USA Inc.: Mary Meeker\u2019s Deep Dive Into The Federal Budget <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Excerpt:<\/p>\n

“By the standards of any public corporation, USA Inc.\u2019s financials are discouraging,\u201d<\/span><\/strong> she writes in an introduction to the report. \u201cTrue, USA Inc. has many fundamental strengths. On an operating basis (excluding Medicare and Medicaid spending and one-time charges, the federal government\u2019s profit and loss statement is solid, with a 4% median net margin over the last 15 years. But cash flow is deep in the red (by almost $1.3 trillion last year, or ~$11,000 per household) and USA Inc.\u2019s net worth is negative and deteriorating. That net worth figure includes the present value of unfunded entitlement liabilities but not hard-to-value assets such as natural resources, the power to tax or mint currency, or what Treasury calls \u2018heritage\u2019 or \u2019stewardship assets\u2019 like National Parks. Nevertheless, the trends are clear, and critical warning signs are evident in nearly every data point we examine.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

She points out that Congressional Budget Office data suggests that by 2025 all of the government\u2019s income will go to entitlement spending and interest payments, leaving nothing for any other expenditures.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

From DSC:<\/strong>
\nThe day before, I had seen a video mentioned on TV.\u00a0 From the mentioned URL, I checked the majority of it out. It made me ask, “Is this for real!!!???”<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Most likely it is just a sales pitch.<\/a> But the underlying concept of the growing national U.S. debt is not a joke — and, if not reversed, could have a serious affect on global economies.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/em>As I don’t know, <\/strong><\/span>I’m seeking input\/feedback from any and all economists out there!<\/span><\/strong> If what he is saying is even remotely true, the financial aftershocks will be felt throughout the world. Below are my reflections\/questions on that potentially-very-important topic\/perspective.
\n<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

I’m not sure what I think about a\u00a0video that I ran across the other day. I’m referring to a video done by\u00a0Porter Stansbury, founder of<\/span> Stansberry & Associates Investment Research<\/a>. I\u00a0saw the URL posted on a cable TV station, referencing a URL\/video at:<\/span><\/p>\n