The Federal Reserve is just days away from ending one of the major steps to aid the U.S. economy””but the effort has done little to solve the original problem: The government and individuals alike are still heavily in debt.
Around the globe, the inability of governments and households to reduce their debt continues to cast a shadow over Western economies and the financial health of individuals. Today, U.S. consumers have more mortgage and credit-card debt than they did five years ago, and the U.S. budget deficit is worsening. At the same time, European governments are having to throw billions more euros at Greece to keep it afloat.