Rep. Tom Reed Wants Debt Clock in Full View of Politicians



House of Representatives - LogoLate last week, Rep. Tom Reed (Republican) submitted legislation that would direct the Clerk of the House of Representatives to "place a real time display of the United States gross national debt in the House chamber."

The purpose of installing a national debt clock on the floor of the US House of Representatives?

Reed: "The debt clock will be a distinct reminder that our national debt must always be our first consideration as we continue to spend money that we do not have.. we must never lose sight of the fact that our children and grandchildren will quite literally pay tomorrow for the decisions made today."

Reed apparently hatched his debt clock plan while on a recent trip to the famous national debt clock billboard in New York. According to the Congressman from New York, the idea has "some great support".

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The country's massive national debt load (which currently sits at approximately $14.27 trillion) is one of the hot button issues in the country right now.

The United States has posted three straight $1 trillion+ deficits ($1.416 trillion in 2009, $1.294 trillion in 2010 and $1.65 trillion estimated for 2011), which has significantly added to the nation's debt load. The nation's spending habits have been under the microscope lately with the recent battle over the budget, but things are really going to explode in the upcoming showdown over the nation's debt ceiling. The debt ceiling must be raised in order to avoid dire consequences for the country (and rest of the world), but there are some major ideological differences that may prevent the debt ceiling limit from being raised (a long shot, but it's still a possibility).

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Tom Reed wants to install the debt clock in the US House of Representatives so that the country's massive debt load is never far from the mind of the nation's politicians.

What do you think of the idea?

Source: Reed.house.gov - Reed Submits Legislation to Establish Debt Clock in House of Representatives

Filed under: General Knowledge

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