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Politicians ready to bet Will play with the national debt They think they control How the dice will roll But may cause a gambler’s regret Authors note: Last time this happened, the Federal Government shut down and stopped making payments to its employees. The air traffic controllers who were working without pay started a slow down and President Trump decided to give in rather than face a catastrophe. This time, it looks more serious as some in Congress feel they can use the debt limit to force concessions. This could get very ugly in June. Imagine if social security payments stop. Until then, the government will use accounting tricks to pay our obligations. Of course, we should reduce spending and adjust taxation for fairness and to promote the health of our planet, but we need a long-term sensible negotiated bipartisan plan for that.