US budget deficit hits record $221bn

[The Northerner]

Source: BBC

The US government recorded a budget deficit of $221bn (£147.6bn) in February - the largest monthly deficit in its history.

The total deficit since the beginning of the fiscal year in October now stands at $651.6bn, the figures from the US treasury show.

That puts it on track to beat last year's record annual budget deficit of $1.4tn.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner called the deficit "unsustainable".

However, he maintained that running the deficit was helping the US continue its recovery from the recession in the short-term.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8561319.stm

[scentopine]

1. War and Wall Street always at the head of the line, nothing left after that - nt

[Wilms]

4. Banks and bombs. Indeed. n/t

[AllentownJake]

2. Interest rates are going up

There is no way in hell the Treasury market is going to stand for that.

[ShockediSay]

3. Since Reagan, the plan was to take money away from the government of the people ...

by creating these deficits w/ their tax cuts.

'Big government of the majority of Americans, was the only political force that could bring down Big Corporate/Wealth.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/22/opinion/22krugman.html

[Festivito]

5. The numbers to the penny show LESS than they show. How's that?

US gov site:
http://www.treasurydirect.gov/NP/BPDLogin?application=np
tells me:

Date, Public Debt, Intragovernmental debt, total debt
11/30/08 6,396,590,860,569.49 4,264,584,043,238.19 10,661,174,903,807.68
12/31/08 6,369,318,869,476.54 4,330,485,995,135.59 10,699,804,864,612.13
01/31/09 6,317,224,182,633.94 4,314,781,064,103.03 10,632,005,246,736.97
02/28/09 6,579,162,708,614.60 4,297,981,792,622.92 10,877,144,501,237.52
03/31/09 6,833,543,454,712.90 4,293,398,031,000.47 11,126,941,485,713.37
04/30/09 6,930,824,942,975.56 4,307,767,198,983.08 11,238,592,141,958.64
05/31/09 7,019,321,525,525.25 4,302,278,379,831.15 11,321,599,905,356.40
06/30/09 7,174,912,385,059.26 4,370,362,961,372.13 11,545,275,346,431.39
07/31/09 7,335,573,300,422.11 4,333,678,049,082.54 11,669,251,349,504.65
08/31/09 7,394,008,706,466.14 4,324,750,235,164.76 11,718,758,941,630.90
09/30/09 7,551,861,558,736.77 4,357,967,444,774.98 11,909,829,003,511.75
10/31/09 7,487,886,930,552.47 4,405,204,097,808.54 11,893,091,028,361.01
11/30/09 7,712,387,187,111.25 4,400,660,351,004.17 12,113,047,538,115.42
12/31/09 7,811,008,785,487.30 4,500,340,892,024.73 12,311,349,677,512.03
01/31/10 7,759,490,293,035.97 4,519,145,704,930.91 12,278,635,997,966.88
02/28/10 7,936,671,001,094.13 4,503,397,019,620.34 12,440,068,020,714.47

My subtractions tell me:
Date, Total debt change from previous month:

12/31/08 38.6
01/31/09 -67.8
02/28/09 245.1
03/31/09 249.8
04/30/09 111.7
05/31/09 83.0
06/30/09 223.7
07/31/09 124.0
08/31/09 49.5
09/30/09 191.1
10/31/09 -16.7
11/30/09 220.0
12/31/09 198.3
01/31/10 -32.7
02/28/10 161.4

Average 118.6

161 include FICA and plain public debt. Where do they get their numbers. Massaged debt figures ironed through a conservative think tank? BS.