On November 18, 2004, I wisely wrote:

The U.S Senate just passed a bill that would raise the Federal Debt Limit by $800 billion to $8.2 trillion. Who wants to take bets on how long that $800 billion is going to last?

Now, the U.S. is within a easy reach of the $8.2 trillion limit. They'll be there in a few weeks. Whoever chose "14 months" as the answer to my rhetorical question is the winner. Congratulations! Everyone else in the United States is the loser. So here we are again. We've reached the debt ceiling. The U.S. is at risk on defaulting on some payments. Congress will probably rubber stamp another $800 billion or more increase in the ceiling. When Ronald Regan took office in 1981, the entire U.S. debt was $1 trillion. Now that is what the U.S. borrows every year. Something is not right here. Which American politician has the guts to stand up and say something?