The debt ceiling is $5.95 trillion, which means the federal government can no longer "borrow" money beyond this point without legislation to raise the ceiling.

But don't worry, there is at least $90 billion of this debt that the government has classified as not applicable to the ceiling. Items that include their own Thrift Savings Account. Their own retirement system listed under "Public Debt." This gives them a little breathing room. Perhaps, a few months, but certainly due before November's elections.

Will there again be government shutdowns? Will nonessential people be sent on vacation once again, make-up paychecks delayed until the storm passes and money is abundant once more? Will the news people again mistakenly tell us that it all has to do with approving the new budget, the one for 2003 that the president has just submitted for congressional approval and debate? Or will the government secretly sneak a raise past us once more?

The last time the national debt ceiling was raised, John Kasich, then chair of the House Budget Committee, presidential hopeful, and all-around snake-in-the-grass disguised as a preacher's son with bangs, sneaked raising the debt ceiling into page 324 of the popular Balanced Budget Act of 1997. No one noticed.

But the time before that, 1995-96, when the national debt ceiling stood at $4.9 trillion, there was hell to pay. Newt Gingrich and Bob Dole threatened to bankrupt Treasury securities before they would approve a raise and unless the democrats agreed to a date to set a date to balance the budget—at least to balance the "on budget" portion of the "unified" budget. Remember those fun times?

In case you haven't noticed, this means that the national debt has gone up $1.045 trillion since 1996, despite claims of paying down the debt. Claims we've heard over and over from Clinton, Gore, Bush, Greenspeak and most of the current clan.

Oh, they're paying down one aspect of the national debt all right. But they're using your retirement, health car, gas taxes, and other entitlement surpluses to do it. The result is an absolute wash.

When they do this, they also add debt to the "Intragovernmental Holdings" side of the debt. Fancy words meant to stand for your surplus entitlement money miraculously transformed into debt. (see: Modern Miracles)

The annual interest alone that's paid these entitlements by simply handing the respective trust fund more bogus bonds is enough to cause the national debt to go up.

And the loyal media will never tell you this. Despite the fact that they all have research staffs putting together what they read off monitors, people like Katie Couric will never jeopardize their $14 million annual salaries by attacking the government on anything other than what they are permitted to offer as scraps for the public standing outside the studio.

This same government keeps and talks about two sets of books whenever it suits them, steals retirement and health care surpluses, and launders the national debt to save six cents with every dollar they steal. Now, they are judge and jury of Enron and other private enterprises employing much less harmful scams.

Let's be sure to re-elect all these bums in November.