Things they never show

This one they do show, and they talk about all the time:

Graph #1: Gross Federal Debt as a Percent of GDP

 

 But this one you never see. And it's the same debt:

Graph #2: Gross Federal Debt as a Percent of Non-Federal Debt

You never see this one, either:

Graph #3: Non-Federal Debt (red) and Gross Federal Debt (blue) as Percent of GDP

The blue line here is the same shown on Graph #1 -- with a high around 120% in 1946 and a high around 130% in 2020. Those peaks don't look so high now, do they? Not compared to the red line, which shows debt other than the federal debt. You know: business debt, household debt, and state & local government debt, all added together.

Non-federal debt was bigger than federal already by 1952. 70 years ago.

Some people say federal debt is the only one that's a problem. But suppose we're all paying the same rate of interest. Then, if we have two or three or four times as much debt as the federal government, we're paying two or three or four times as much interest. And actually, we pay more than that because the federal government gets the lowest rates.

So in case you are still wondering what the hell I'm showing with these graphs: THE RED LINE IS THE PROBLEM THAT NEEDS OUR ATTENTION.