by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Your Black World – Scholarship in Action
According to CNN, the Standard & Poor’s rating agency has told the Obama Administration that it plans to downgrade the U.S government’s AAA credit rating. The ruling has not been announced to the public and it is reportedly being challenged by the White House. The move would be unprecedented, for the United States has long been considered one of the most credit-worthy financial entities in the world.
Federal officials are arguing that S&P’s models of the U.S. government’s economic stability are off-base by trillions of dollars. A source says they are debating the ruling, but it is unlikely they will be able to change the decision. The announcement will likely send stock markets around the world into a tailspin and change the face of the global economic landscape.
There have been rumors all over Wall Street that S&P was considering a downgrade, leading to major dips in stock prices. The United States government has maintained a AAA credit rating since the founding of Moody’s in 1917.
When I was in graduate school studying for my PhD in Finance, it was effectively inconceivable that the United States government could ever have anything other than risk-free debt. The idea that we’re now on the brink of seeing such a cataclysmic change in the US government’s financial standing is the stuff that economic nightmares are made of.
The regime shift has begun, as the mighty economic power that the United States built during the 20th century is starting to be questioned. With debt spiraling out of control and the inability of politicians to raise taxes on the rich, it is hard to see any financial light at the end of the tunnel. All the while, American citizens are wealthier than those of other countries, so some degree of fiscal responsibility and political courage might go a long way toward protecting us from serious trouble.
The economic future of the United States is also grim for a few other reasons. The population is getting older, meaning that the nation is going to be less productive. Our children are poorly educated relative to the rest of the world, reducing their ability to compete. Most significantly, our political system has hit an unforeseen degree of gridlock that keeps politicians from being able to do the right thing, and they are instead doing what’s best for corporate America.
Consider the announcement by S&P to be the beginning of more interesting things yet to come. Buckle your seat belts, for it’s going to be an interesting decade.
Dr. Boyce Watkins is a Finance Professor at Syracuse University and author of the book, “Black American Money.” To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.
African American Money 
OMG!!!! OMG!!!
Goes to show the KKK in the House of Rep are dead set on destroying any hopes of getting our economy back on track and to bring the POTUS down in the process. But that will not work on me, Im still voting DEMOCRAT because the alternative would be horrifying.
When S&P announce our credit downgrade next week, stocks are doing to fall harder than Bush did while trying to eat a preztel.
Blame should be rightfully placed on the KKKs/terrorist in the House of Reps. Those SOBs.
I live in a middle class, working class, diverse community that saw the city’s revenue decline when housing prices fell. And the hard-working people in my community voted overwhelmingly to increase taxes so that we could maintain our city services. And I am sure that many other communities agreed to something similar.
Riddle me this…If hard-working, and far from rich folks in my community who are of many races can agree to a millage to preserve our standard of living, why can’t ReThuglicans agree to raise taxes to preserve the well-being of our country? Someone please…riddle me that!