The United States established itself as a trustworthy new nation in its first two decades after the Revolutionary War by paying its debts even when many in the country believed it had no obligation to do so. Alexander Hamilton the founder of this newspaper insisted on it.

Everyone in our society has had to make a contribution towards dealing with the debts.

It's easy to sit in relative luxury and peace and pontificate on the subject of the Third World debts.

Medical debts are the number-one cause of bankruptcy in America.

Small debts are like small shot they are rattling on every side and can scarcely be escaped without a wound: great debts are like cannon of loud noise but little danger.

The federal government now spends one of every four dollars in the entire economy. It borrows one of every three dollars it spends. No nation no entity large or small public or private can thrive or survive intact with debts as huge as ours.

I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity my father who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family who had a tremendous sense of duty and responsibility and my mother's father who was always in trouble with gambling debts.

Further Education should be about the ability to learn not the ability to pay - everyone who is able should have the opportunity regardless of their family background. I don't want to see students struggling with huge debts or frightened off even going to university in the first place.

What charitable 1 percenters can't do is assume responsibility - America's national responsibilities: the care of its sick and its poor the education of its young the repair of its failing infrastructure the repayment of its staggering war debts.

In this business if you don't pay your debts you're finished.