{"id":15259,"date":"2025-03-01T20:00:01","date_gmt":"2025-03-02T01:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=15259"},"modified":"2025-03-01T20:02:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-02T01:02:24","slug":"comprehension-compassion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/intramuralist.com\/?p=15259","title":{"rendered":"comprehension & compassion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In November of 1991, Dan Gookin published the first of what would become a popular, acceptably-insulting series. DOS For Dummies<\/em> was edition #1 of the educational insult, selling just 7,500 copies 34 years ago. But as the series branched out to more general-interest titles and topics (having now included everything from Chess, Fishing and Olive Oil to Pit Bulls and Captain America), the series has grown in popularity. But how does an embedded insult become so popular?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writes publisher John Wiley & Sons: \u201cDummies has always stood for taking on complex concepts and making them easy to understand. Dummies helps everyone be more knowledgeable and confident in applying what they know. Whether it’s to pass that big test, qualify for that big promotion or even master that cooking technique; people who rely on dummies, rely on it to learn the critical skills and relevant information necessary for success.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, it\u2019s ok to admit what we do not know \u2014 even wise to. It would be silly, in fact, to think we would have a working knowledge of all things. Hence, \u201cdummy\u201d is not actually an insult; it\u2019s an admission that we have more to learn. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In light, no less, of the federal government\u2019s current budget prioritization \u2014 and a debate about the prudence of their approach is certainly worthy \u2014 one complex concept that would be helpful for us dummies to more fully understand is our national debt.<\/a> We all could learn more; the hope is to have both comprehension of the issue and compassion for those who are impacted.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The national debt is the total amount of money the federal government owes, meaning borrowed money plus interest. Also known as the federal debt or public debt, it\u2019s the sum of all the federal government has borrowed over time to cover its expenses. When the government spends more than it takes in, it has to borrow money to cover the deficit. Each year\u2019s deficit adds to our debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The money is borrowed from sources both foreign and domestic. It\u2019s borrowed from individuals and institutions. It\u2019s also borrowed from foreign governments. While the majority of our debt is held by domestic holders, our dependency on foreign lenders has increased significantly in recent decades, now surpassing 30%. As for foreign governments, we owe over a trillion dollars to Japan, with China, the UK and Luxembourg close behind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some other significant points to aid in our comprehension:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n