Politicians just gave themselves permission to take us another $2.4 trillion in debt. How much is that, really? Here's a brief historical perspective.

• American Revolution
  
• Founding of the United States of America
  
• War of 1812
  
• Mexican-American War
  
• Civil War
  
• Spanish-American War
  
• World War I
  
• World War II
  
• Rebuilt Europe
  
• Korean War
  
• Vietnam
  
• Creation of strongest military in the history of mankind
  
• Built interstate highway system
  
• Multiple space probes to planets throughout the solar system
  
• Six manned landings on the moon
  

And after the United States of America had done all of the above over the course of our first 211 years--from 1776 to 1987--our debt was still just $2.35 trillion in September 1987.

But we're going to increase our debt by another $2.4 trillion in about the next year and a half... more than we did in our first two centuries as a country!

Do you think we're going to build a brand new interstate system over that period of time? Witness even a single manned landing on the moon or Mars?

After we blow another $2.4 trillion, what do you think we'll have to show for it?

Just something to think about.

NOTE: Yes, I understand how inflation factors into the above. But that just illustrates yet another problem our country faces: The devaluation of our currency.