Fiscal Cliff Averted, but the Massive Debt Will Limit Government

http://www.investmentcontrarians.com/stock-market/fiscal-cliff-averted-but-the-massive-debt-will-limit-government-flexibility/1205/

By George Leong for Investment Contrarians | Jan 8, 2013

Well, the doom and gloom of the fiscal cliff was averted in the nick of time, which in turn, pleased Wall Street and gave stocks a boost to begin the new year.

While the deal was a nice compromise between the two parties on the tax issues, there is a lot of work ahead for President Obama, as the statutory national debt limit of $16.4 trillion nears. As of this morning, the national debt balance used for the limit stood at a superlative $16.39 trillion. The headline national debt of $16.43 trillion is actually already above the limit, but don’t worry, the Treasury Department said it will be able to pay its debt payments and bills. Of course, we know this will also hold until the extended deadline on March 1.

The bottom line is: President Obama needs money to operate his plan to save America. Obama has asked for increased power to increase the national debt limit without Congress, but we all know this will never happen under the Republican-controlled House.

So while I view fiscal and monetary strategies as critical to keeping economic growth going, I also understand that the government needs to be tough and do something to the staggering national debt or risk deepening the financial crisis down the road for generations.

http://www.investmentcontrarians.com/stock-market/fiscal-cliff-averted-but-the-massive-debt-will-limit-government-flexibility/1205/