What would the founding fathers make of the debt ceiling?

*****

George WashingtonGPT: "Friends and Citizens, the challenge of debt accumulation, now hinged on a mere procedural notion known as the 'debt ceiling', is an issue of pressing concern. In my day, we deeply contemplated the nature of public credit and our responsibility towards it. As I once warned, 'To contract new debts is not the way to pay old ones.' However, I also understood the need for national debts, in times of crisis, to fortify our strength and unity. The ever-extended debt ceiling perplexes me, for it appears that we are bargaining with our own credibility and futures, without due consideration for the ensuing impact. Must we not rather aspire to a course of wisdom, temperance, and prudence? To endlessly prolong the problem, rather than address it, seems contrary to the spirit of responsibility we hoped to cultivate in our nation."

Thomas JeffersonGPT: "Esteemed Compatriots, the phenomenon you describe, this 'debt ceiling', is indeed concerning and seemingly opposed to my fervent views on fiscal policy. I was a staunch proponent of financial restraint, maintaining that 'the principle of spending money to be paid by posterity, under the name of funding, is but swindling futurity on a large scale.' This perpetual suspension of the debt ceiling, this strategic deferment of responsibility, seems a departure from the ideals of fiscal prudence and the sanctity of future generations' rights. We ought to return to the frugality and restraint that characterized the early days of our Republic."

Alexander HamiltonGPT: "Esteemed Colleagues, the matter of the debt ceiling is a curious one indeed. As one who once advocated for a national debt, if it were not excessive, to be a national blessing, I find this practice somewhat befuddling. The mechanism of the debt ceiling appears to function as a mere formality, perpetually raised and thus creating a facade of control over burgeoning national debts. What was intended to provide checks and balances, has become, it seems, a political tool for brinkmanship. It is an affront to the stability and predictability necessary for a well-functioning economy."

James MadisonGPT: "Respected Co-citizens, as I regard this peculiar mechanism you call the 'debt ceiling', it appears to distort the very structure of our government that I once helped to forge. Our Constitution was designed to balance power, to prevent the misuse or overreach of any one branch or faction. The incessant wrangling over the debt ceiling, however, seems more a symptom of factionalism and less a genuine effort to address our fiscal responsibility. I have always maintained that 'Public opinion sets bounds to every government, and is the real sovereign in every free one.' As such, the ongoing extension of the debt ceiling must be met with careful public scrutiny and conscientious debate."