US debt is owned by ... ?

[boutons_deux]

http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=S6mep701uPf9y%2Fy6scuOpE5zWt%2Fhw4CY

67.4% by .... US peoples.

[MannyIsGod]

Pretty sure that graph isn't right. It was my understanding Japan and China both held about 10% with Japan holding a bit more than China.

[boutons_deux]

here's just the foreign owners

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/jan/18/us-federal-deficit-china-america-debt

[Wild Cobra]

Pretty sure that graph isn't right. It was my understanding Japan and China both held about 10% with Japan holding a bit more than China.
It depends on when you look at the numbers and which ones you exclude.

If you exclude the debt US agencies owes itself like federal retirement and SS, then go back a few years when China bought a little less, your 10% each is a good approximation.

Things change.

[boutons_deux]

debt is debt, US can't default on any of it. (except the Repugs would love to default on all of SS's Treasuries)

In the last couple years, it sounded like China owned USA, as if USA had lost sovereignty, control over itself. Hardly the case.

[Nbadan]

So, when we pay off on the debt, in essence, we are paying ourselves...we are investing in ourselves.....foreign investment varies by country from year to year, but inter-governmental investment, the lions share of debt, does not, that's exactly what I have been saying for two years....we could pay ourselves back by simply applying the interest on money we owe ourselves....it's complicated...

[boutons_deux]

When the SS contributors buy US T-bonds (investing in USA, they naively thought), they really are investing in UCA that buys $1T+ in toxic mortgages from the financial sector, wastes $2T+ invading Iraq for oil, wastes $700B on the MIC/year.

Now the UCA wants to close schools, fire teachers, bust unions, kill Medicare/Medicaid, child health insurance, etc, etc, while maintaining/increasing tax expenditures for corps and capitalists.