A Beastly Question

The budget deficit threatens to grow much bigger, but is it worth the worry?

One of the most important bits of business that Congress left unfinished last week was lifting the federal debt ceiling, which already stands at a Himalayan height of $1.57 trillion. Without a higher debt limit, the U.S. Treasury could lose its license to borrow and have a serious cash-flow problem beginning as early as this week. That prospect is unthinkable for a free-spending Government that even by optimistic Administration projections will chalk up a deficit of $166.9 billion in...

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