RSSU.S. Debt Held in Foreign Countries
On July 31, 2008, the total federal debt stood at $9.586 trillion. Of that amount, $4.182 trillion was owed to the various “trust funds” (e.g., Social Security, Medicare, federal employees retirement funds, etc.) because the government “borrowed” that money from them. That leaves $5.404 trillion of debt “held by the public.” Of that amount, $2.728 trillion is held domestically by banks, mutual funds, and other U.S. investors. This leaves $2.676 held by foreign countries, institutions and individuals.
Notes:
1 Oil Exporters includes: Ecuador, Venezuela, Venezuela, Indonesia, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Algeria, Gabon, Libya and Nigeria.
2 Caribbean Banking Centers includes: Bahamas, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, Netherland Antilles, Panama, and British Virgin Islands.
9 Responses to “U.S. Debt Held in Foreign Countries”
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October 16th, 2008 at 10:57 am
There are a lot of good ideas on this page and others on the site. My question is, as I am sure it is for most Americans, how do we get the masses who get their limited information and opinions from 30 second commercials or celebrities, to join in the fight for change. I feel terrible but sometimes I secretly wish for some sort of collapse that would force us to reevaluate the way we do things. I just fear that if that were to happen we would be ressurected as a larger beauracracy and a socialist government because “the free market democracy didn’t work,”. When in truth we haven’t been a free market or an honest Republic for decades. Ross said, if the US were a business we would have had to close our doors a long time ago. How do we get people to understand that we can’t continue to run on empty? I want to shout from a rooftop but everyone is so engrained in the status quo its like they don’t care. I am sick of feeling like a crackpot when I try to discuss this stuff with friends and family but they don’t seem to get the fact that if we don’t fix the money, the house of cards will come tumbling down.
I’m just frustrated. Ross got 19% of the vote in ’92 and we couldn’t follow up on it at all. Look where it has gotten us 16 years later, the Reform Party is all but defunct and backing McCain.
October 30th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
In 1992, I voted for Perot, and wish he were running again!
October 30th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
SEASLATE -
You’re not a crackpot – We are with you on this one –
Believe me I totally agree with you about the limited information/opinions formed by 30 second commercials geared to affect public opinion on key issues concerning our well being as citizens -
As far as having some sort of a collapse, well here we are and it has exposed the greed and the relationship between our elected officials from our two party system and those on MAIN STREET manipulating the markets for their own gain – Rememberwhen the salaries of CEO’s became larger than life and the wages for their workers either remained the same or decreased- no one said anything we just kept moving along as if these guys were celebrities – not thinking that if they were making those types of salaries then what about the retirment benefits etc., for the workers who performed their tasks daily in order for the companies to achieve such growth –
Yes, we should be frustrated -
October 30th, 2008 at 8:23 pm
Some how some way we have to try and revive the Reform party without the garbage that went on in the past. Stick to the platform and do it right this time. It was like hearding cats but I think we might have a chance to fix it again. We all know what the pitfalls were and I hope that we can be smart enough not to let that happen again. It always take a national disaster to make change in this nation and this is the one disaster that can do it.