This reaffirms that the average person really has no grasp of our nation’s deficit and debt. Scottsdale resident Mira Schnebly, described as a college-educated and unemployed senior, thought she might be able to get the ball rolling by sending a $10 check to the US Treasury.
“I know it’s a little grain of sand on a great big beach and I wasn’t even sure that the president would pay attention, but I did it anyway. I just wanted to help out and thought maybe I could start something,” said Schnebly.
Let’s put this in perspective. The current budget deficit is about $1.6 trillion. If we were to balance the budget by sending in checks to the US Treasury, then every man, woman, child and newborn would have to send a $5,333 check to Washington.
And if we wanted to pay off our $14.29 trillion national debt, then we’d all have to send a $47,633 check to Washington.
If Ms. Schnebly wishes to send more money to Washington, then that’s her prerogative. But news outlets, KPHO in this case, are irresponsible for airing these shallow stories that make no effort to put the deficit and debt into context and lead viewers to believe that if we were all like Ms. Schnebly and looked under our couch cushions, then perhaps we’d pull ourselves out of this mess.
Neil Rosekrans is a founder and partner of StateBrief.com. He has been a guest political commentator for the Arizona Law Channel, NBC's Sunday Square Off and The Terry Gilberg Show on KFYI. Neil earned his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and earned his MBA and Masters in Public Policy, with an emphasis in International Relations, from Pepperdine University.
Neil and his wife, Beth, live in Scottsdale, Arizona. 
