Raising the Debt Ceiling

I'm not an economist.  I don't have a background in business or claim to have any formal experience.  I, like all other Americans, have to balance my own budget.  It would make sense that a nation's finances could be compared to the finances of an individual.  Both have expenses, a certain amount of income that is earned (or taxed) to cover those expenses.  All expenses should be less than what is earned or money is needs to be borrowed.  An individual can start racking up debt on their credit cards, pull out money from their house and get personal, and expensive car loans.  The government does the very same thing, on a much wider and damaging scale of course. 

The United States has accumulated more debt than has ever been presented in WORLD history.  Even fiscally crumbling empires such as the Spanish and Rome dynasties with their immense internal problems cannot even compare remotely to the debt we've massed.  The government is at the point where it has maxed out its credit cards, mommy and daddy won't loan them money (China), and it can't earn enough money because it's 600 lbs overweight and can only work part time in a union job (expanse of government with high public employee costs that smother over regulated business and overtaxed individuals).  Any other person whose maxed out their credit cards has to do a massive evaluation of their finances.  Unecessary expenses have to be cut such as going out to eat, cable and weekend trips.  Also if the debt's bad enough, downsize to a smaller house or apartment and consider getting a night job.  All these things millions of Americans have had to do since the beginning of the Great Recession but the government has deemed itself exempt from any sort of responsiblility. 

In order to continue spending the debt limit must be raised.  The typical ideological warriors come out of the woodwork to use this crisis as a way to make a point or further exaggerate the effects of not getting their way.  Just this morning I read on THE BLAZE that Obama threatened that Social Security, active duty soldiers, and medicare recipients wouldn't be recieving their checks, which is the same argument used when the government was going to go through its shutdown.  Everyone knows that tree huggers love to use this type of fear to pass legislation.  Anyone that threatens SS, and Medicare is sure to recieve nasty (but not too nasty) letter from seniors and those hired by the AARP to pose as 90 year old grandmas.  What makes me giggle however, is the same people that rely on these benefits, are the ones that should be pushing for government responsibility the hardest.  Think about it, seniors, especially depression babies, have always lived within their means.  They've managed to raise a large family on one income with money left over to retire themselves.  Granted they were promised a monthly check if they worked for a certain period of time, which they're entitled to, but wouldn't it make much more sense to guarantee that check each month with a surplus?

Me, like every other responsible tax paying citizen, would just love to see the over all problem solved.  No not the debt ceiling, not the increased or decreased taxes, or even the abolishment of the EPA.  We just want to see fiscal responsitiblity and government efficiency.  Sometimes that would require cuts and sometimes expansion.  I can promise though, that if government was operating in its more efficient state, we would probably see massive surpluses and a healthy unemployment level.