I've heard that the federal debt is "out of control" and could ruin the country. If every able adult in the USA donated 1 dollar, wouldn't that put a big dent in the debt? If so, why don't they do this?

The sad fact is that if everyone in the US were even forced to donate a $1.00 that would not even pay the interest...for one day! The current U.S. national debt of $8.18 trillion works out to approx. $30,000 for EVERY person in the US! That's a mind numbing amount of money.

As thestreet.com article points out:

The U.S. will spend $217 billion this year to pay interest on the publicly held portion of the debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office, and that is more than will be spent on homeland security, education and transportation combined.

Also, i don’t think we should ever force or even suggest that each hard working citizen to pay for the mistakes of our politicians. But, if we were to erase there mistakes w/ our generous donations...no doubt they would continue their borrowing and spending until we end up in the same situation as we are now. Sadly, with this amount of debt (and rising), there will be a day of financial reckoning that will most likely end in economic disaster.

No, that wouldn't put even a small dent in it. However, if all of the bailout money had been distributed evenly to Americans, the picture would look quite different today. We would have been buying like crazy and the corrupt corporations who dug a hole for themselves could have fallen on into it. I never worry that if a bank or car company fails, a better version will emerge.

The approach you suggested wouldn't work because it's not an issue of every able adult giving one dollar. It's an issue of governmental corruption, and is caused by a society who gives to those who have the most, taking from those who have the least (social service programs.)

It would take more like $6000.00 and who would you trust with it?

This country is in very deep debt. If every person in the country donated one dollar, it would not even make a dent in the national debt. Please see this site ~
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http://www.usdebtclock.org
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As of this date 29 Sept '09 every person in this country is in debt to the country $38,357. U.S.
And, the congress and president want more money for another stimulus package. This country was officially bankrupt in 1943.