Defeat The Debt
Defeat The Debt is a project of the Employment Policies Institute that is focused on the national debt of the United States and was launched towards the end of 2009. According to the group's website, "Defeat The Debt" is dedicated to educating Americans about the size, scope, and consequences of our rapidly escalating debt."[1]
Activities[edit]
In October, seventeen people dressed as Uncle Sam, appeared in major locations in Washington, D.C. holding signs with the "Defeat The Debt" logo. The "Uncle Sams" wore disheveled costumes and their cardboard signs contained slogans like "12 trillion $$$ in debt. PLEASE HELP."[2] The campaign publicized information on the consequences of the growing U.S. debt[3] and was featured in The Economist.[4] Later that same month, the "Uncle Sams" appeared in New York City,[5] Boston, and Chicago.
"Defeat The Debt" has also run newspaper and television advertisements. During the 2009 Super Bowl, a "Defeat The Debt" television commercial[6] was aired featuring elementary school students reciting a pledge to "American's debt, and to the Chinese government that lends us money. And to the interest, for which we pay, compoundable, with higher taxes and lower pay until the day we die."[7]
The group's website, DefeatTheDebt.com, features a clock that keeps a running tally of the country's national debt.
See also[edit]
- United States public debt
- History of the U.S. public debt
- Financial position of the United States
- National debt clock
References[edit]
- ^ "About". Defeat The Debt.
- ^ Casey, Michael (October 29, 2009). "Weak Dollar, Mega-Deficit Fail to Dent Debt Appetite". Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "Historical Debt Outstanding - Annual 2000 - 2009". US Treasury. Archived from the original on 2012-06-03. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
- ^ "Of debt and deadbeats". The Economist. October 8, 2009.
- ^ "A group of activists from DefeatTheDebt.com dressed up as Uncle Sam to raise awareness of the U.S. government's deficit of close to $12 trillion". Reuters. October 28, 2009. Archived from the original on March 13, 2016.
- ^ "Defeat The Debt Pledge Commercial". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
- ^ "Super Bowl ads as 'teachable moments'". Washington Examiner. February 9, 2010.[permanent dead link]