2026-01-18 12:27:22

The US $38 trillion national debt has become a huge boulder weighing down the economy. The debt-to-GDP ratio has soared to 120%, a number that itself serves as a warning: this behemoth is becoming increasingly unsustainable. Former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen recently made a particularly sharp statement—America’s economy is like an overloaded vehicle, with its braking system nearly at its limit.

Interestingly, this scene played out over two thousand years ago. Roman emperors devalued their coins to renege on debts, which ultimately led to the empire’s decline. Now? The US is on a similar path, but with modern monetary policy tools. The Treasury acts like a reckless driver, flooring the accelerator and spending endlessly; the Fed should be hitting the brakes, but the current debt burden of $38 trillion has put it in a deadlock.

The real irony lies here: raising interest rates to fight inflation results in explosive growth in annual interest payments exceeding $1 trillion, potentially leading to default. But if policies are loosened, inflation could spiral out of control. A dilemma indeed.

What’s even more alarming is the collapse of confidence. After the pandemic in 2020, the US government printed money wildly, transforming these funds from “debts that must be repaid in the future” into “gifts falling from the sky.” As a result, people no longer believe that this money will be repaid through taxes, leading to rampant consumption and soaring prices. Strangely, raising interest rates later on became an inflation accomplice—huge interest payments made by the government flowed into the private sector, creating an expansionary effect that completely distorted economic laws.

The bond market has been screaming for a while. Investors’ confidence in US Treasuries is teetering, mortgage and auto loan interest rates are climbing, and the dollar’s credit is gradually being overdrawn. As the shadow of history looms overhead and dollar hegemony begins to weaken, global funds are desperately seeking new safe havens. In this debt storm, could cryptocurrencies evolve into a new choice surpassing gold? That’s a question worth pondering.

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liquiditea_sipper

· 5h ago

The Roman Empire has already played out this game, and the US is still repeating this broken story, it's hilarious. The Federal Reserve now is like a rat trapped in an alley, no matter how it runs, it's doomed. Raising interest rates can't curb inflation; instead, it has become its accomplice. This is truly incredible. The US dollar's credit is being drained day by day, no wonder everyone is starting to consider cryptocurrencies. Basically, it's a loss of confidence; no one trusts paper money anymore. This debt pit is too deep; no matter how much you fill it, it can't be satisfied. History really will repeat itself, just watch.

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Web3ExplorerLin

· 01-18 12:51

hypothesis: rome's debasement playbook and modern monetary policy are basically running the same oracle network—just with different validators. the parallel's actually chilling when you think about it.

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BanklessAtHeart

· 01-18 12:37

The tricks played by the Roman Empire are still being played by the US today... just under a different name called "Quantitative Easing." When dollar hegemony is teetering, smart money has already been looking for Plan B. Crypto may not be the answer, but it's definitely not a bad bet. It's really ironic—raising interest rates has instead become an accomplice to inflation... this system itself is fundamentally rotten. 38 trillion... every time I see this number, I feel a bit breathless. When the printing press stops, the entire economic system begins to scream. What does that mean? It means this thing was always虚的 (虚 means虚假,虚幻,虚拟, but in this context, it implies "虚假的" or "虚拟的"—something虚的). The bond market is already reacting. What's next? A global capital flight?

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alpha_leaker

· 01-18 12:32

The Roman Empire is gone, and the US is still not learning fast enough? Laugh out loud --- 38 trillion sounds incredible, really can't keep going like this --- Raising interest rates and inflation are both traps, the Federal Reserve's moves are completely terrible --- Printing money to the point of disbelief, it's outrageous --- The confidence in US debt is about to collapse, and crypto has instead become a safe haven? I need to think about this logic --- History is repeating itself, but this time it's with keyboards instead of minting presses --- Is dollar hegemony really about to loosen? Then we better be prepared --- A dilemma of two choices: raising interest rates leads to default, easing causes inflation to spiral out of control, the US has been played by itself --- Screaming in the bond market is useless, who will save the system issues --- Global funds are looking for an exit, if not crypto now, then what?

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MetaNeighbor

· 01-18 12:32

Rome also collapsed in this way, history just loves to repeat itself... --- The Federal Reserve has truly become a double-edged sword; raising interest rates and loosening policy both lead to dead ends. This game can't be broken. --- Damn, interest expenses over a trillion dollars a year? Who can bear that? --- Once confidence is shattered, everything is over. Now the whole world is bottom-fishing for BTC and gold. --- With the US debt crisis emerging, this wave of crypto is really about to take off. --- The printing press can no longer be stopped; how long can the US dollar hold up? --- The lessons from 2000 years of history are right here, and the US is still pressing the accelerator... crazy. --- The bond market's screams are so loud, why is no one worried yet?

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AlwaysMissingTops

· 01-18 12:31

The Roman Empire devalued its currency, the United States is printing money, history really is a cycle... It's just that this time the wheel is turning faster. --- A dilemma: raising interest rates is deadly, easing is also deadly. The Federal Reserve is being squeezed to death by debt. --- The key is that confidence is gone; any policy is useless. People are all looking for a way out. --- Dollar credit is overextended, and the world is seeking safe havens... Cryptocurrency indeed has a chance, but you have to live until that day. --- The figure of 38 trillion sounds suffocating; this analogy of the braking system being at its limit is really vivid. --- To put it simply, it's still a credit game. America's hand is getting worse and worse. --- Interest expenses are exploding; will they really become unmanageable in the end? --- Global funds are fleeing, and this is the most terrifying signal.

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NestedFox

· 01-18 12:30

The Roman Empire has already fallen, can the US's approach really prolong its life? This US debt bomb will eventually explode. A dilemma, no matter which way you choose, it's uncomfortable... How much longer can the dollar really hold up? It's truly uncertain. The culprit of inflation, this metaphor is spot on. Will crypto really become a new safe haven? It depends on how many lives the dollar has left. US debt default? It's not impossible. The printing press fanatic facing exploding interest rates, this show is quite intense. Yellen is right, this car is really overloaded. The bond market is screaming, investors are not blind. Dollar hegemony is loosening, is the world looking for a new daddy?

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