I know you may have your beef with Jerome Corsi … He’s kind of an asshole.  However, facts and mathematics do not care whether someone is an asshole or not.

As the Obama administration pushes through Congress its $800 billion deficit-spending economic stimulus plan, the American public is largely unaware that the true deficit of the federal government already is measured in trillions of dollars, and in fact its $65.5 trillion in total obligations exceeds the gross domestic product of the world.

Found this little article here.  Since I think that World Net Daily is a questionable resource, I started digging.

First, I found this little gem:

GAO Entitlement Diagram Slide

This means that because there is no “lock box” where Social Security and Medicare funds are sitting and generating interest (like a savings account), the US will most certainly default without a solid entitlements reform.  Furthermore, because there is no “lock box” (thank you Al Gore and SNL), the US Entitlements program is really kind of like a Ponzi scheme — the newer entrees pay to the older ones.  As more and more people require payment from an ever-shrinking pool of new entrees, the only way to sustain the system is by recruiting more and more new people … but since the pool is limited to the US Citizens, residents, and legal workers, the system is doomed.

In fact, this is emblematic of a larger problem related to the US as the world’s superpower.  If history teaches us anything about superpowers, it’s this: eventually, they all collapse.  There are many reasons why they do, but three of them ring especially true and consistent:

• Military entanglements and overextension abroad.  The examples abound: from the Mongol Empire to the USSR, all empires that were maintaining spheres of influence outside of their countries eventually emploded.  It was the Persians for the Mongols, and multiple Euro military installations for the Soviets.
• Moral decay and decadence. I really don’t mean to sound like Sarah Palin and pontificate about how kids these days are maniacs, but anyone can see that we’re less “wholesome” and more decadent now than we were even several decades back.  I know, I know, the civil rights movement righted some wrongs in the 60′s, but still — metal detectors in middle schools?  Porn stars as legitimate TV personalities?  Sky-high divorce rates?  Buying 4 houses with no job, no money down, and no documentation?  The Roman Empire is a good example … all that leaded wine, decadence, and insanity :)
• Economic turmoil. The Roman Emperors debased the currency to satisfy demand for more coins.  Remind you of anything?

Mind you, nothing crazy has to happen in our lifetimes — we as a nation could pull out of this crisis relatively unscathed.  However, such recovery is contingent upon someone financing our debt, both present and future.  It’s possible the Chinese and the Saudis will continue to buy our treasuries for another 10-20 years, and this crisis will be just a bad dream in our collective slumber … But what if they refuse?