Quote from: larry_vw_1955 on March 26, 2023, 10:28:21 PM

who does the usa owe money to and who is keeping track of that?

The Treasury keeps track of it, and of course the people who own the debt.

About 70% of the debt is held domestically, by things like mutual funds, pension funds, insurance funds, and a variety of private individuals.
About 30% of the debt is foreign, with the largest holders being Japan and China.

Quote from: larry_vw_1955 on March 26, 2023, 10:28:21 PM

in secret the government could just print more money anyway and pay off any bills...since they own the money printing machines.

When we talk about printing money, they aren't actually printing physical cash. The Fed mainly creates new money by trading Treasury securities. This isn't something that can be done in secret.

Quote from: larry_vw_1955 on Today at 12:05:56 AM

what's really going on out there, no one really knows or isn't saying.

And it doesn't bother you that the foundation of entire economy is shrouded in mystery and impossible to fully account for?

Quote from: larry_vw_1955 on Today at 12:05:56 AM

keep repeating that. maybe that will make it come true. Shocked

So what do you think will happen? The US national debt will continue to increase unchecked until eventually we are paying out entire GDP just in interest payments. What then? You think other investors and institutions are going to continue to lend us money when it's abundantly clear we will never pay them back? What do you think happens when we default on trillions and trillions of dollars of debt and can't fund any government spending?