# "I.O.U.S.A.": $53 trillion debt to destroy us all? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 11, 2008, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-o-u-s-a-53-trillion-debt-to-destroy-us-all/459556 "2008-08-11T02:07:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 3
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-o-u-s-a-53-trillion-debt-to-destroy-us-all/459556/3 "2008-08-11T03:39:46Z")
Nobody will ever collect. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it here: countries loan us money, and they will never see any of it again. If they call in their markers they destroy their largest market, thus ensuring that not only will they not get their money back but they won’t make any more, either. Do you think that China will stop giving us money no matter how high the deficit gets? I think not. When they turn off the tap they get no return on investment, they have nobody to sell to, and they have no source of food to feed their people. The game is fixed. We set the rules, and everybody has to play or everybody suffers. Who is beholden to who? Yes, it’s cynical, yes, it’s elitist, but it’s also true. --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-o-u-s-a-53-trillion-debt-to-destroy-us-all/459556)._