Summary

A LOOK AT THE NATIONAL DEBT AND HOW MUCH WE ALL OWE.

Source CONUS Archive
Record ID 170748
Story Slug DC - Watchdog/ - National - Debt.
Location Washington, DC
Format PKG
Date 10/4/1999
Archive Time 58:09
TRT 1:35
Supers Washington, D.C. Bob Bixby, Concord Coalition Senator Fritz Hollings, (D) SC Terry Turner, Reporting
Video Description national debt clock ticking, sot, numbers, national debt clock, stack of hundred dollar bills, reporter standup, truck on road, traffic, truck driver getting into truck, hundred dollar bills, sot, national debt clock ticking.
Description A LOOK AT THE NATIONAL DEBT AND HOW MUCH WE ALL OWE.
Script LEAD: UNCLE SAM OWES A LOT OF MONEY. YOUR SHARE IS MORE THAN 20-THOUSAND DOLLARS. WASHINGTON MAY BRAG ABOUT ROSEY FINANCIAL PICTURES...BUT THE NATIONAL DEBT KEEPS RISING...NEARLY 300-MILLION DOLLARS EVERY DAY. TERRY TUNRER HAS MORE IN TODAY'S "WASHINGTON WATCHDOG." (TAKE PKG) SCRIPT: (NATSND) YOU OWE A LOT OF MONEY. THIS CLOCK IS TICKING OFF THE NATIONAL DEBT. THE AVERAGE AMERICAN FAMILY'S SHARE...IS OVER 82-THOUSAND DOLLARS. (SOT) Bixby "Despite all the talk of budget surpluses for as far as the eye can see...we still have a pretty big national debt and it continues to grow." AT ABOUT 35-HUNDRED DOLLARS...EVERY SECOND. THE TOTAL IS MORE THAN 5-AND-A-HALF TRILLION DOLLARS. THIS IS A STACK OF HUNDRED DOLLAR BILLS. ABOUT 38-AND-A-HALF MILLION DOLLARS. IT'D TAKE 145-THOUSAND STACKS THIS SIZE TO PAY OFF THE DEBT. AND THE DEBT KEEPS RISING...EVEN AS WASHINGTON BRAGS ABOUT BUDGET SURPLUSES. THEY'RE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. (STANDUP) Turner "Say you're a truck driver. If you don't have enough money to pay for gas and your truck payment at the end of the month...you've run a deficit. If you have money left over...a profit...count that as a surplus. But if you haven't paid off your truck...youcan still have a debt...while running a surplus." (NATSND) AND WHILE THE GOVERNMENT CLAIMS TO RUN SURPLUSES...IT'S ALREADY RUN UP A DEBT PAYING FOR THINGS LIKE ROADS...AND WARS...AND WELFARE. AND LIKE THE TRUCK DRIVER WHO PAYS INTEREST ON HIS TRUCK LOAN...UNCLE SAM HAS TO PAY INTEREST ON ALL THOSE STACKS OF HUNDREDS...HE BORROWED. SENATOR HOLLINGS REMEMBERS WHEN WE ONLY PAID 16-BILLION A YEAR ON INTEREST. (SOT) Hollings "We are spending 340-billion more today...for absolutely nothing." AND THOSE COSTS KEEP ADDING UP...AS LONG AS YOU DON'T PAY OFF THE DEBT...REGARDLESS OF HOW BIG THE SURPLUS IS. WATCHING WASHINGTON, I'M TERRY TURNER. TAG: INTEREST PAYMENTS ON THE NATIONAL DEBT...WILL ACCOUNT FOR ALMOST AS MUCH THIS YEAR...AS THE DEFENSE BUDGET. CONSUMER
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