The national debt is a topic not frequently highlighted in the Kennesaw State community, but it is an issue that affects everyone.
According to documents recently released by the U.S. Treasury, the U.S. is expected to borrow almost a trillion dollars in the 2018 fiscal year.
To bring debt awareness to KSU, the Young Americans for Liberty have created a “debt clock,” — a 40-foot long visual representation of the nation’s current debt, which currently stands at more than $20 trillion.
“You see that large number. You see that it’s our debt. They are going to have some questions, hopefully, and we might be able to guide them with those,” said Victor Peters, a political science major and president of YAL’s KSU chapter.
Annually, the debt clock displaying the current debt is posted on the Campus Green in its massive form for students to see. The intent is to bring awareness, invoke questioning from the public and encourage them to do their research. This year, it will be posted from 12:30-4:30 p.m. on March 15.
“It’s a number you don’t usually see with anything,” Peters said. “Maybe with like bacteria or something, but when it comes to money that we owe — that’s a bad thing right?”
The most consistent questions YAL received last year pertained to what we as students can do to decrease the debt. Peters believes that passing provisions through Congress and demanding the balance of budgeting is the answer to fixing the debt.
“Really, what we need is good fiscal conservatism,” Peters said. “I think it’s important to understand that you can’t cut taxes and not cut spending and expect that to grow the economy.”
Peters also believes that KSU expanding the economic requirement will bring more awareness to the community. Peters said that people “need to understand economics before they try to go about regulating the economy with politics.”
YAL is a campus libertarian philosophy group that educates students on libertarian ideals and values such as free-market economics. They also associate with other political groups at KSU and strive to foster political participation. Peters rebuilt YAL in 2016, and it has been a lasting organization since then.
“There are a lot of people on campus that really seek avenues for political discourse,” Peters said. “I think it’s really important.”
Students can inquire more about YAL and their goals on OwlLife or on the national YAL website at www.yaliberty.org.
