The Debt Ceiling

Andrew Sullivan argues here that the Republicans are being irresponsible by threatening to vote against raising the debt ceiling if certain conditions are not met.  I am not certain whether this is true.  I believe that the law says that the government has to make interest payments.  They also have to make other payments and are authorized to collect a certain amount of money.  The problem is that they are not authorized to either collect enough money to pay out what they are required to pay out or borrow money to make up the difference.  What this means is that the President will be given a contradictory set of instructions.

I doubt that the President would be impeached for servicing the debt.  Assuming that the ceiling will not be raised, he has to set priorities on which of the funds that he is required to pay out, he will actually pay out.  I don't think it is a good idea to give that kind of power to a single individual.  It is indeed irresponsible.