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Edge of Collapse

Becoming collapse aware in the age of the permanent polycrisis.

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The Tightening Noose of Debt

9 min readMay 21, 2025

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Antique cash register buttons in black and white.
Photo by Jason Dent on Unsplash

You feel it, don’t you? That tightness in your chest when another bill hits, when a reminder pings about student loans restarting, when a paycheck evaporates before it lands. That’s not anxiety — it’s economic reality. It’s everywhere. It’s in your inbox, your budget, your mortgage statement. And it’s getting worse.

The truth is, America is debt-sick. Not metaphorically. Systemically. Pathologically. And it’s not limited to individuals or families. From kitchen tables to Capitol Hill, everyone’s running on borrowed time and borrowed money.

The illusion of economic recovery is exactly that — an illusion. Household debt is spiking. Credit scores are sinking. People aren’t buying homes, they’re clinging to them. Renters can’t afford to dream. Consumers have been pushed past exhaustion, turning to whatever new financial gimmick will float them another week. All the while, the government racks up trillions in IOUs, cheering on tax cuts for the elite while slashing lifelines for everyone else.

And now the walls are closing in. Moody’s has finally done what the other agencies already did: slapped a downgrade on the U.S. credit rating. That’s not some abstract Wall Street hiccup. That means interest rates spike — on everything…

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Edge of Collapse
Edge of Collapse

Published in Edge of Collapse

Becoming collapse aware in the age of the permanent polycrisis.

Angus Peterson
Angus Peterson

Written by Angus Peterson

Becoming collapse aware in the age of the permanent polycrisis. Follow to get all the new stories: https://anguspeterson.medium.com/subscribe

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