A 2011 Tomorrow’s World commentary, “Slaves to Debt,” reported that the United States was approaching $14 trillion in debt. Now, fourteen years later, that indebtedness has grown 160%. According to the U.S. National Debt Clock, U.S. debt is over $38 trillion. But why is the national debt so high? While the obvious answer is that America spends more than it takes in as tax revenues, there is another, far more dire reason.

In the United States, about 69 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 who have never been married express a desire to marry someday (Pew Research Center, February 15, 2024). Additionally, only about half desire to become parents one day—unlike decades ago, when most young adults desired both marriage and children.

Violence permeates television shows and movies, and viewers are often able to “disconnect” themselves to some degree from the acts they see, knowing that the violence they watch is not real. However, with video captured easily on mobile devices, people can now watch actual violence, even as it is happening. Does this affect one’s mind differently than the simulated violence of cinema and television? New research suggests that it does.

Mike Rowe, CEO of the mikeroweWORKS Foundation, is sounding an alarm that a fundamental shift has occurred in America’s relationship with work (MSN, November 30, 2025).