The American national debt stands at $20.49 trillion as of January 2018, or roughly $63,000 for every person in the United States. The national debt has grown six-fold in the past 25 years, and borrowing only has accelerated in recent administrations. What are the factors driving such unrestrained borrowing? Is American fiscal policy different now than in an earlier era? Is there a moral dimension to public debt and, if so, how can that dimension be measured? Public Debt and the Common Good addresses these and other questions by looking to the fiscal policy of the American states. Drawing on classical themes and the longest quantitative review of state debt in the literature, James Odom expertly integrates institutional analysis with dimensions of culture to define the parameters of political freedom in a theoretically coherent way. In doing so, Odom argues that centralization and injustice, or the incapacity for the common good, can help explain state indebtedness. Contributing to ongoing scholarly debates on public debt theory, this book will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners who work at the intersection of political philosophy and economics, as well as those who specialize in state public policy, state politics, and federalism more generally.

The American national debt stands at $20.49 trillion as of January 2018, or roughly $63,000 for every person in the United States. The national debt has grown six-fold in the past 25 years, and borrowing only has accelerated in recent administrations. What are the factors driving such unrestrained borrowing? Is American fiscal policy different now than in an earlier era? Is there a moral dimension to public debt and, if so, how can that dimension be measured? Public Debt and the Common Good addresses these and other questions by looking to the fiscal policy of the American states. Drawing on classical themes and the longest quantitative review of state debt in the literature, James Odom expertly integrates institutional analysis with dimensions of culture to define the parameters of political freedom in a theoretically coherent way. In doing so, Odom argues that centralization and injustice, or the incapacity for the common good, can help explain state indebtedness. Contributing to ongoing scholarly debates on public debt theory, this book will be of interest to students, scholars, and practitioners who work at the intersection of political philosophy and economics, as well as those who specialize in state public policy, state politics, and federalism more generally.

We see many negative things on television and newspapers and all around us every day. All of the morality in the world is gone, and there is no respect. People live as if there is no God. God didn't mean for it to be this way.The things that I wrote about in the book are intended to encourage people, to put a smile on their face, and to change their way of thinking. I know anyone who purchases this book and believes God's words will never be the same.We are supposed to treat people the same way that Jesus did. Think what this world would be like if people were nice to each other.As you go through this life, learn to trust God. Anything is possible with God.Remember, my friends, God is still in control. God loves you.About the AuthorJames G. Odom was born and raised in Perrine, Florida. He is a graduate of Miami Killian Senior High School, Miami Dade Junior College South Campus, and Elpis Seminary. He has a B.M. degree in theology.This is my first book. I had been writing for a long time but never took it seriously. I wrote something for my mother. She took it to church and read it. Everyone asked her where it came from. She said, "My son wrote it."I thought I would be a baseball player. But a woman said to me, "You touch more people with writing than playing baseball." I said, "You are right."All I ever wanted to do was make my mother proud of me. My mother and grandfather were the greatest inspiration in my life.All praise and honor go to God. I'm just doing what I was told to do.A Man of God