Thomas Jefferson seems to have been like Mr Micawber, of David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens, first published 1849-50. Mr Micawber had sound financial advice to give but did not take it himself, as this statement of his shows:
'You know, annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six*, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery. The blossom is blighted, the leaf is withered, the god of day goes down upon the dreary scene, and - and in short you are for ever floored. As I am!'
*In the old days in England, 240 pennies made a pound, worth about $2, 12 pennies made a shilling, 20 shillings made a pound, 'six' is sixpence, in either surpus or deficet, according to Mr Micawber's income/expenditure projections.
If your government financiers - and ordinary citizens - are like Thomas Jefferson in his personal life, Chuck, then ours appear to be very much like Mr Micawber. We too have a 'credit crunch' and very possibly a gathering financial storm.