The fiscal iceberg is dead ahead — and Washington is asleep at the helm

The USS Titanic — our ship of state — is headed straight for a fiscal iceberg. And Americans are still rearranging the deck chairs.

Complacency has become our gravest threat. We cling to a false sense of invincibility, comforted by the size and legacy of the U.S. economy. After all, we’re the United States of America. What could possibly go wrong?

Pundits love to say we’ve carried debt for decades without a crisis. That logic belongs in a casino, not a government.

Everything — if history’s any guide. Ask the Romans. Ask the British. Every great power that believed it was immune to long-term mismanagement eventually ran aground.

Let’s stop pretending. The federal government sits on a collision course with economic disaster. And unless we act, we’ll suffer the same fate as the Titanic — not too big to fail, but too big to save when the water starts pouring in.

In November 2023, Fitch Ratings downgraded America’s credit rating — joining Standard & Poor’s, which did the same in 2011. Moody’s followed suit. These weren’t partisan potshots. They were alarms backed by math.

The national debt has passed $37 trillion — 125% of gross domestic product. That ratio continues climbing and could exceed 200% within a few decades, if not sooner. At current trajectory, the federal government will owe more than $70 trillion by 2035.

This isn’t theory. It’s arithmetic.

Yes, the United States carried significant debt after World War II. But back then, we had a plan. The federal government remained lean. Policymakers promoted growth through low taxes, fewer regulations, and real fiscal restraint. Debt-to-GDP dropped below 40% within a generation.

Today, Washington does the opposite. More spending. Higher taxes. Heavier regulation. All while the clock ticks louder.

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And that’s just the official debt. Add unfunded liabilities from Social Security and Medicare, and the real figure shoots above $130 trillion. That’s not a typo — it’s a debt bomb that dwarfs anything in our history.

Pundits love to say we’ve carried debt for decades without a crisis. That logic belongs in a casino, not a government. As Hemingway put it: Bankruptcy happens “gradually, then suddenly.”

The economy may look calm on the surface. But underneath, the pressure builds. Interest payments on the debt already surpass defense spending. Every dollar wasted on interest is a dollar unavailable for education, infrastructure, emergency relief — or even national security.

While the debt swells, politicians on both sides make it worse. Congress lurches from one bloated proposal to another, piling on $3-$5 trillion more in new borrowing under the guise of stimulus, "investments," or political horse-trading.

Printing money doesn’t create prosperity. Borrowing to fund political promises is economic malpractice.

Washington’s not just borrowing dollars. It’s borrowing time, trust, and prosperity from future Americans.

What kind of legacy will we leave our children?

A nation once defined by opportunity, self-reliance, and innovation now leads the world in debt and dysfunction. That’s not just policy failure — it’s moral failure. It’s a betrayal of the American promise.

Why does this keep happening? Because politicians chase the next election, not the next generation. And voters let them.

We reward short-term handouts over long-term discipline. We elect people who promise benefits without explaining the bill. And we pretend this can go on forever.

It can’t.

Americans must reclaim their role as stewards of the republic. That means asking tough questions, demanding truth from politicians, and supporting leaders who offer hard choices over easy lies.

We still have time. But not much.

Fiscal reform doesn’t require slashing everything or dismantling safety nets. It requires honesty, cooperation, and courage. We need to restructure entitlements, simplify the tax code, and eliminate programs that waste billions.

A leaner government, closer to what the Founders envisioned, would grow the economy and lift all incomes. That path still exists — if we’re brave enough to take it.

The alternative? A debt crisis that makes the Great Depression look tame. And no one will be able to say they weren’t warned.

The iceberg looms. The hull leaks. The music still plays — for now.

But the moment for change won’t last. The wheel is still in our hands.

Turn it.