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(117 seconds)
-- How Will You Use This Story? --
(OPEN):
AMERICA'S PUBLIC-DEBT IS NOW OVER 16-TRILLION DOLLARS--AND
SHOWS NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN. THAT'S WHY MARTHA ZOLLER
[LIKE "HOLLER"] IS CO-CHAIRING AND HELPING TO LAUNCH THE
GEORGIA-CHAPTER OF THE CAMPAIGN TO FIX THE DEBT--A
CAMPAIGN THAT'S DEDICATED TO FINDING BIPARTISAN POLICY-SOLUTIONS TO
BRING THE DEBT UNDER CONTROL...
(ZOLLER):
"OVER THE PAST
40 YEARS, THE SIZE OF AMERICA'S PUBLIC-DEBT HAS AVERAGED BELOW
40-PERCENT OF THE ECONOMY. BUT, TODAY, DEBT HAS SURPASSED
70-PERCENT OF OUR NATION'S ECONOMIC-OUTPUT--AND COULD GROW PAST
200-PERCENT OF G-D-P, BEFORE KIDS WHO ARE BORN TODAY TURN 25, IF WE DO
NOTHING. MORE NATIONAL-DEBT WILL MEAN HIGHER INTEREST-RATES ON
CONSUMERS' CREDIT-CARD DEBT, CAR-LOANS, AND MORTGAGES. AND, IT
MEANS AN INCREASED TAX-BURDEN ON OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN--WHILE
THREATENING THEIR SOCIAL-SERVICES AND RETIREMENT. ALSO,
GOVERNMENT-DEBT WILL CROWD-OUT PRODUCTIVE INVESTMENTS IN EDUCATION OR
INFRASTRUCTURE--LEADING TO BOTH SLOWER ECONOMIC-GROWTH AND LOWER WAGES.
EVENTUALLY, OUR NATION COULD FACE AN ECONOMIC-CRISIS SIMILAR TO WHAT
WE'VE SEEN IN ITALY AND GREECE."
(BRIDGE):
HOWEVER, ZOLLER BELIEVES THAT THERE'S STILL TIME FOR OUR NATION'S
LEADERS TO ACT...
(ZOLLER):
"INACTION IS
NOT AN OPTION: WE NEED TO ENACT A PLAN THAT STABILIZES DEBT, AS A
SHARE OF THE ECONOMY. AND, WE NEED TO DO IT SOON. INDEED,
SMART AND GRADUAL DEBT-REDUCTION CAN REVERSE THE NEGATIVE ECONOMIC- AND
GENERATIONAL-CONSEQUENCES OF ELEVATED- AND RISING-DEBT. A CREDIBLE
PLAN WOULD STRENGTHEN THE ECONOMY--BY KEEPING INTEREST-RATES AND
INFLATION LOW, DECREASING UNEMPLOYMENT, AND ELIMINATING WASTEFUL
SPENDING. RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE MANY PROPOSALS TO CHOOSE FROM;
POLICYMAKERS NEED TO START FOCUSING ON SELECTING THE BEST IDEAS--AND
IMPLEMENTING THEM--AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SIGN
OUR PETITION--OR FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN TO FIX THE DEBT--CHECK
OUT
'FIX-THE-DEBT'-DOT-ORG."
(CLOSE):
THAT WEBSITE, AGAIN, IS "FIX-THE-DEBT"-DOT-ORG.
