I had an idea for a visual experiment for a youtube video but alas I have no (working) video camera right now so I offer the idea up to someone here to make/add to it instead.
need a set of old fashioned weighing scales
water
cups/beakers/pots/jars etc
You could be really precise about it and have large beakers with 1ml = $1billion or something but it can be rough
start video
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Put largest container (CHINA/JAPAN/SAUDIS) filled near top with water on one side of the scales
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On the other side put the remaining pots/jars/beakers/cups (US GOVERNMENT/FED/CONSUMER/MANUFACTURER etc)
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Take some (1/4?) of the water from the CHINA/JAPAN/SAUDIS containers and distribute amongst all the US containers
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Point out to the viewer that the CHINA/JAPAN/SAUDIS container still clearly outweighs the US Containers
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Redistribute the water between the US containers and point out that the amounts on either side is still the same
Thats basically the idea. There is more you could do with it by asking “And then what?” to show what happens over multiple periods of time. After a 1month, 6months, 1year 5years etc
“what happens when consumers have spent themselves broke again”
“what happens when China pulls the plug?”
you could even replace manfacturing beaker with a larger beaker and say that if the manufacturing base were allowed to grow under free market capitalism, it would then have the capacity to hold more water, balance the scales and pay off the debt. All the government can do is redistribute the existing water without adding to it.
I think if the average joes who are for the stimulus bill saw something like this it might actually click that borrowing more is not going to help the situation.
After reading this I would say two colours of liquid could be used to differentiate between debt and credit. I’m sure some of you guys can make something of it