[Ditto]

The Gokhale and Smetters measure of the fiscal gap is a stunning $65.9 trillion! This figure is more than five times U.S. GDP and almost twice the size of national wealth.

OK. Help me out here.

Lets say I'm a 30 year-old with an annual income of $50,000 and I buy a house with a 30 year mortgage of $250,000, or 5 times my "GDP" and twice the size of my wealth in savings, cloths, furniture, vehicles, jewelry, etc. Am I bankrupt?

[pigdog]

Not if you've gots lotsa credit cards ... Just keep on borrowing and never mind the interest. Guys on this thread say it doesn't matter.

[Toddsterpatriot]

The Gokhale and Smetters measure of the fiscal gap is a stunning $65.9 trillion! This figure is more than five times U.S. GDP and almost twice the size of national wealth.

The problem with discussing "unfunded liabilities" in the same sentence as "national wealth" is that these liabilities do not impact national wealth. They take money from one group of Americans (workers) and give it to another set of Americans (retirees). When you add the payment and the receipt together, it's a wash, as far as national wealth is concerned.