Fitch's Call to Arms: America's Odyssey to Escape Fiscal Quagmire

Navigating Rating Downgrade & Liberty's Path to Prosperity

A call to arms, or just another distraction?  We must ponder the recent Fitch rating downgrade that is echoing through our economic corridors like a distant cannonade. While President Biden is touting how great the economy is via his Bidenomics branding, only ten nations stand triumphant in the realm of AAA ratings, glistening in the halls of fiscal virtue. Most notably, the Nordics, those stalwarts of high-functioning governance, lead the pack – Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway – their banners unfurled in the gusts of financial prosperity. Other countries have AAA rating like Germany, Singapore, and Luxembourg. The Fitch downgrade, you see, is no mere siren's song, but a clarion call to arms, a stark reminder that a sound balance sheet and a resolute government are the cornerstones of enduring power. Fitch, which you can take it or leave it states: “The rating downgrade of the United States reflects the expected fiscal deterioration over the next three years, a high and growing general government debt burden, and the erosion of governance relative to 'AA' and 'AAA' rated peers over the last two decades that has manifested in repeated debt limit standoffs and last-minute resolutions.”

This is not the first time the U.S. has had its rating drop, and it won’t be the last. Remember in 2011,  the S&P downgraded its vision of the U.S. government’s fiscal house; yet we soldiered on. But fret not, my freedom-loving companions, for the maelstrom of discontent that swirled around the US in 2011  but to most, seems nothing more than a tempest in a teacup.

The Fitch downgrade, while concerning, did not send our markets spiraling into the abyss. Nay, it's the usual suspects that bear the brunt of responsibility – the interest rates scaling higher, an aging populace casting long shadows, and that stubborn debt-to-GDP ratio that haunts our dreams. And, yes, the government, that maddening riddle that keeps us tossing and turning in our beds. The debt ceiling, an ominous specter, a harbinger of instability, symbolizes the very dysfunction that shackles our nation's aspirations.

Imagine a day not far from now, that Federal interest payments, balloon to unimaginable heights, outstripping the very coffers that fund our defense. The 30-year treasuries, selling off in a dance of uncertainty, their yields rising as the tide of monetary policy shifts. A cacophony of experts, prophets of economic doom, foretell rates of 5.5%, 7%, or higher, their words a symphony of fiscal revolution. And as the Treasury issues its clarion call, a rallying cry to buy, to invest, to salvage the ship from the rocks, foreign governments raise but a disinterested eyebrow, their faith in the US currency waning like a fading star. After all, we used to borrow 2 trillion dollars in a year, we are now doing it every six months.

But what of the proposed solutions, you ask? The echoes of debate, the rumble of political turmoil, reverberate through the hallowed halls in Washington. In addition to the Libertarian field of presidential hopefuls, Republican contenders, Haley, DeSantis, Pence, speak of cutting Social Security benefits for the youth. But heed this, my friends, for the vox populi resounds with dissent. A resounding 82% of voters oppose this venture, a rallying cry for the status quo, a hymn of devotion to the “social safety net.” The question looms like a specter – can a nation save itself when its very populace denies the necessary medicine? Even the Social Security Administration admits it is on an unsustainable path, stating, “Currently, the Social Security Board of Trustees projects program cost to rise by 2035 so that taxes will be enough to pay for only 75 percent of scheduled benefits.”

In this swirling vortex of data, panic, and predictions, where does our path diverge? A chorus of voices, some shrill, some resolute, offer their counsel. Ah, but I say, worry not, for the path ahead, while fraught with challenge, is not insurmountable. The Fitch downgrade, though a symbol of caution, does not cast the die of our destiny. Our currency, the embodiment of liberty, still stands tall on the global stage, though its luster may dim. The debt spiral, its jaws aching to devour us whole, need not be our final chapter. For though entitlement programs may be a Gordian knot, a bipartisan approach, a symphony of compromise, may yet untangle the mess we find ourselves within.

And so, my fellow seekers, as the sun dips below the horizon, casting long shadows across this land of contradictions, let us reflect on the odyssey of gold spending and the Fitch downgrade. In the grand tapestry of economic discourse, we stand at a crossroads, a juncture where the echoes of the past clash with the uncertainties of the future.

The solution, elusive as it may be, rests not solely in the hands of our aging establishment nor the fervor of the youthful dreamers, but in the harmonious dance of liberty and responsibility. The Fitch downgrade, is a stern reminder of our imperfections, and beckons us to forge a path that preserves our prosperity for generations yet unborn. And so, my friends, as we navigate this tumultuous sea, let us remember that our destiny lies not in the stars, but within ourselves. We must make the hard choices in voting for politicians who seek to make those hard choices rather than those who choose the easier path to placation.