To read the latest issue, click 'Issues by year' in the menu above

Total worldwide debt hits US $240 trillion "
                - Huffington Post news report

World debt in dollars at 240 trillion
while the population's almost eight billion?
It kind of puts in perspective my own debt
which hasn't even reached one million just yet.
I never was a whiz at mathematics,
but it's obvious there is no easy fix
for spending more money than you have to spend,
and that's something even I can comprehend.

Neither a borrower nor a lender be
(the same goes for mortgagor or mortgagee)
is the best advice but a little-taken road
which is why so much per capita is owed.
Some argue spending helps the economy,
and you have to spend money to make money.
I'm not sure how that is any kind of sense
but that's the thinking that's left us with no pence.

Meanwhile, I barely meet my mortgage bill.
If I'm still living (and the rate's not gone uphill)
I'll surely have something great to loudly cheer
by the time I’ve reached my 83rd year.