Posted on 05/09/2025 5:23:19 AM PDT by karpov
Even the smallest business understands the importance of the balance sheet: what it owns vs. what it owes. The inspiring news is that Republicans are refocusing the federal government on the black-ink side of its ledger.
Credit Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, a businessman himself, who is pitching Washington and voters on a better way to look at the country’s financial picture, via “America’s balance sheet.” Federal scribes minutely document everything the country owes—in entitlements, debt payments, employee pensions and tax credits. Everyone knows that the liability side includes $36.5 trillion in national debt.
But what about the value of what we own: enormous stores of oil, coal, minerals, timber, and geothermal power, all held within a vast property portfolio. Washington pretends its only means of generating revenue is taxation. Yet if the Interior Department were a going concern, Mr. Burgum noted at a March CERAWeek conference, it would have the “largest balance sheet in the world.” Its holdings encompass 480 million surface acres, more than 2 billion offshore acres, and 750 million acres of subsurface minerals. Saudi princes, eat your hearts out.
That mindset, backed up by Donald Trump’s project to unleash American energy, this week helped produce one of the standouts so far of the GOP’s reconciliation project. The House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday passed its piece of that reform, a bill that would produce at least $18 billion in new revenue and savings by taking advantage of U.S. resources. It would reinstate quarterly onshore oil and gas lease sales, rev up Alaska drilling, get the feds back in the business of coal and timber production, and require geothermal lease sales.
This is but a small step, given the following mind-boggling fact: The U.S. government has no idea what it’s worth.
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
It certainly appears we have brought balance to the equation.
Like the country, let’s hope we can keep it
With extraction of natural wealth plus tariffs, income tax can be abolished. Need an amendment to constitution to prevent president Newsom from raising taxes like he has done in CA. But CA is still in budget deficits with the highest tax rates in country. I lived there for one year, and paid hefty state income tax, highest property tax, highest car license plate fees, highest sales tax, highest gasoline tax, and highest insurance rates.
at the end-—
“””None of this is an excuse for Congress to shirk its pressing duty to get its spending house in order. Republicans might instead look to America’s assets to help pay down its debt.””””
Congress will use this an excuse to not deal with the DEBT and DEFICIT SPENDING.
They will say: “Folks, look at all of our assets, the $37 Trillion in debt is nothing to be concerned about.”
This is like the person who has to sell their house to pay off their credit card debt.
Worse than just selling the house, it’s also selling the children to indentured servitude.
This reminds me of a parable about the servant who buried his master’s investment loan in the backyard out of fear of losing it. When the master found out what had happened he demoted the servant. The US is a poor steward of its resources. Use it, or lose it!
p
The assets of the Federal government are eye popping indeed. But the worth of the government is considerably less.
L
FTA-—what about the value of what we own: enormous stores of oil, coal, minerals, timber, and geothermal power, all held within a vast property portfolio. Washington pretends its only means of generating revenue is taxation.
Yet if the Interior Department were a going concern, Mr. Burgum noted it would have the “largest balance sheet in the world.”
Its holdings encompass 480 million surface acres, more than 2 billion offshore acres, and 750 million acres of subsurface minerals.
Check
Don’t kid yourselves. Mother Government knows EXACTLY, to the PENNY, where and what resources she has available to STEAL from, ‘We The People.’
She’s been doing it for my entire lifetime so far, no matter WHO has been at the helm of the sinking ship.
If President Trump & Team can turn this around, God Bless Them!
Until then, keep your own financial house in order for your own peace of mind and personal prosperity. Being ahead of the curve helps, ‘every time it’s tried!’ (Miss you, Rush!)
Don’t kid yourselves. Mother Government knows EXACTLY,
to the PENNY, where and what resources are available.....
You’re right on that.....but the salient point is,
sure they know, but how does it benefit taxpayers?
Bkmk
“””The assets of the Federal government are eye popping indeed. But the worth of the government is considerably less.”””
I would write this a bit different.
The assets of ‘WE THE PEOPLE’ are eye popping indeed. But the worth of the government is considerably less.
Let’s hope we can keep it is right. Democrats are still trying to knee cap Trump.
Well, it HASN’T ‘benefited,’ ‘We The People’...yet! I’m hopeful. ;)
I think the premise is Commerce has to be
a “going enterprise” before that happens.
And, we’re only FIVE months in! FIVE MONTHS!
FOUR years of President Trump, 4 or 8 years of JD Vance? (Remember - the Socialist Democrats LOVED JD’s ‘hard scrabble life story’ before Trump hand-picked him!)
America might actually garner another Golden Age! MAGA! :)
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