Word: billioned
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...take a closer look at the numbers. The amount the U.S. pays to service the national debt isn't particularly onerous. In fact, interest payments in 2010, which so many have touted as approaching $500 billion, are not much different in inflation-adjusted terms from what servicing cost 20 years ago, especially relative to GDP. The same is true for household debt, which has shot up astronomically in sheer dollars but consumes about the same percentage of household income to service as it did in the 1990s...
...seat - one of the most important up for grabs in 2010, given the Sunshine State's bellwether status - looked like a walk on the beach for Crist, who led some polls by almost 30 points. Since then, Crist's bipartisan style, including his embrace of President Obama's $787 billion economic-stimulus plan and his performance as recession-racked Florida's chief executive, have come under withering assault from GOP loyalists. Rubio tops most surveys now by double digits; in one released last month by Republican pollster Tony Fabrizzio, he leads Crist 52% to 27% among self-identified Florida conservatives...
...comprise mainly rural poor who seek the return of Thaksin Shinawatra, a former Prime Minister ousted in a 2006 military coup. Thaksin has been living in self-imposed exile rather than serve a two-year prison sentence on a corruption conviction. In late February, the Supreme Court confiscated $1.5 billion of his assets, ruling that he had gained them through abuse of power while Prime Minister...
...Relations between the two powers came under strain again in January after Obama approved a $6.4 billion arms package to Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China considers part of its territory. A month later, Obama met the Dalai Lama at the White House, further angering the Chinese, who consider the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader to be a "splittist" who advocates independence for Tibet. Wen blamed the U.S. for the recent difficulties, specifically citing the Taiwan arms sale and the Dalai Lama meeting. "The responsibility for the serious disruption in U.S.-China ties does not lie with the Chinese side...
...would remain "basically stable at a reasonable level" this year. "We oppose nations finger-pointing or even using forceful methods to compel a country to raise the value of its currency," he said. He also worried openly about the value of China's dollar-denominated assets, including $895 billion in U.S. Treasury debt. He warned the U.S. not to depreciate its currency to boost trade, as it would hurt the value of Chinese-held assets. The U.S. depends on China's Treasury purchases to fund its budget deficit, which is forecast to exceed $1.5 trillion this year. Still, U.S. lawmakers...