Contents -- Introduction -- The government of the united states depends on taxes for its revenue -- National priorities project -- The us budget, spending, and debt is out of control -- The heritage foundation -- Government spending is good for the us -- Heather boushey and michael ettlinger -- Understanding the federal budget and how money is spent -- David trilling -- The pentagon wastes huge amounts of taxpayer money -- William hartung -- Defense budget may be too low considering vital us interests -- Justin t. johnson -- The us government should provide health care coverage to americans -- Kristen bialik -- Government spending and the deficit must be decreased -- Chris edwards -- Most states require a balanced budget by law -- National conference of state legislatures -- The budget deficit is choking the united states -- Jonathan masters -- Can the us continue to borrow funds to finance debt? -- Jonathan masters -- Reduce spending and to increase economic growth -- Romina boccia -- Campaign contributions and lobbying hurt the us economy -- John craig and david madland -- The tea party?s dominance over the gop is not good for the country -- Democracy: a journal of ideas, inc -- Many countries, including china, own us debt -- Center for strategic and international studies -- Levels of debt run high in many countries, not just the us -- Marc labonte -- Organizations to contact -- Bibliography -- Index.