On September 5, 2007, our national debt crossed the 9 trillion dollar mark. I waited a week to write this to see what kind of coverage this event would receive. I waited for the endless coverage, the expert opinion, and the in depth analysis, but it never came. I didn't even catch one of those weak stories that amount to a sound bite. I do flick around a lot so maybe I missed it. If this event would have received the same coverage as Lindsay Lohan or Britney Spears I'm sure I would have seen it. So how is it that something so important received little or no attention? I would at least like to see a story on how being 9 trillion dollars in debt is no big deal. I would also like to know at what point it does become a big deal.

Continually spending more than you earn can only lead to one thing, bankruptcy. When this happens to a person or business we can declare bankruptcy and receive protection under the law. What happens when a nation becomes bankrupt? The answer for America is chaos at unimaginable levels and possibly the collapse of  our democracy. This is serious business and there aren't many stories worthy of more coverage than our growing national debt. Shame on the news media for giving it less coverage than a celebrity story. I have a suggestion for the news  media—TV should have a national debt clock on the bottom of the screen, radio should announce the debt at the top of the hour, and the print media should publish the debt with every printing.

I am not one who believes in signs, but as I sit and write this on 9/11 I feel a chill as the national debt reads 9 trillion—11 billion. I'm sure it's merely coincidence, but I am for anything that will draw attention to our nation's debt problem.