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Many many People, companies and national governments owe an extremely large amount of money that they can only make payments on by taking on new debt. If credit dries up, it presents a systemic risk that can only be halted by massive new liquidity injections from the central banks. ...
Who is the lucky guy all this debt is owed to? Does Dawg The Bounty Hunter collect for him? 'Coz if he does, "People, companies and national governments" will surely pay.
It's owed to banks. These banks lend money to almost anyone and when it gets paid back, they keep the interest (profits), but when it doesn't get payed back, they run crying to the central banks for a bail-out. And they get a bail-out, which is why when the dust settles they go right back to loose lending standards. Privatized gains and socialized losses. It is a major reason why we are trying to create an alternative.