u/rfcity2

My home has a persistent ant infestation and I would normally see them in the kitchen, garage, and near doors/windows. I never thought much of it and hired a local exterminator who sold me a monthly service to spray poison and lay little traps. Every time they came, the ants stopped appearing, and a week or 2 later, the ants would return, which coincided with the exterminator visit.

This describes about 2 years of "ant control".

But then I felt inspired by Dale to get into the ants head and dedicate a couple of hours following them around and basically drawing a map of their paths, noting the different cracks they traveled through.

OMG! I uncovered at least 3 different major points where the ants were burrowing from the outside, into my house. I found major cracks behind big stuff that don't get moved where millions of ants were in transit.

I got expanding foam, sealant, and other materials to seal the big and small holes, moved every object in the house and spent days just following the ants and every time they went into a space I sealed it right behind them. I must have looked as crazy as Dale, but it worked.

So far, the observable ants are 90% gone, and everyday I check my hotspots and make sure the paths are still sealed. Thank you Dave for inspiring me to go all in and get to the source of the infestation!

https://preview.redd.it/2p5q23emrjkh1.png?width=500&format=png&auto=webp&s=70a5f059b626d39712505866518e9dd38eccc424

Assumptions: There is a universal consensus in the US to either slow down or eliminate deficit spending at any cost (higher taxes and/or lower benefits) AND there are practical real-world ways to accomplish those goals (eliminating tax loopholes and/or complete revamp of non-discretionary spending).

If the US were to stop or slow down drastically the amount of treasuries its selling to finance the national debt, what would be unexpected consequences? Thinking around the lines of:

• Treasuries are no longer an option for institutions that use them for short term holdings.
• Treasuries are a big part of the social security trust fund, how else would SS grow outside of contributions?
• Would capital transition to other currencies, weakening the dollar?

And is there any scenario where the US would eliminate the deficit and use a surplus to pay down the national debt in advance? Would that mean to pay off the bonds earlier than the bond holder expected? Would that even be allowed?