Should we raise the national debt limit to accommodate more trillion-dollar deficits? In Washington, it's taken for granted that we should and will.

As we approach the next artificially constructed, politically motivated, intentionally promoted national crisis, we should keep one thing in mind: though we speak of a national debt, there is no single national debt.  The debts the government owes are real enough, and a source of national shame, totalling as they do over $16 trillion.  But those debts are owed to millions of holders of the various Treasury notes, bills, and bonds, each of whom may own multiple securities of various maturities.  Sold weekly, the securities come due and, as people get around to it, are either rolled over or redeemed every business day.That is important because as we run up against the debt ceiling, the fear mongers will claim that failure to raise the ceiling will cause us to default on the debt, as if it is one single sum owed to a single debt holder.  Defaulting on it is made to sound like the sky is falling, as if it would be the end of the nation itself.Another category of securities are those held by government agencies, such as the Social Security "Trust Fund" and the federal pension funds.  Failure to redeem one of these securities would be politically explosive, exposing the duplicitous nature of the generational theft caused by runaway spending.In fact, defaulting on one of these debts, as stupid and irresponsible as that would be, would merely cause people to reconsider the soundness of tying up their money in Treasury securities.  That would cost the government more in interest payments in the future, which would probably lead to a chain reaction of inflation.  On the other hand, it might lead people and institutions to invest in more productive ways, such as in the stock market.

Since November's debacle, hundreds of conservative pundits and activists have wrung their hands over the GOP’s messaging problem. Luckily for Republicans my background is in branding, marketing and communications, so let's fix this.In today's mainstream media, conservatives can't catch a break. Epic Democratic catastrophes are ignored while minor Republican faux pas are branded as threats to the republic. Among the chattering classes liberalism has all the power; that won’t be reversed overnight. So conservatives must use liberals' power against them.

Welcome to our new podcast " The FreedomCast." Twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday, I'll be bringing you interviews, news and updates on issues important to our listeners and the FreedomWorks family. Today, Senator Mike Lee and I discuss the fiscal cliff bill, the upcoming debt ceiling battle, and why truth resonates with the American people.

Update December 20th, 11:30 p.m. ET: Speaker Boehner's "Plan B" tax bill died today, just hours after FreedomWorks sent Congress a letter and launched a national call to action opposing the bill.

Lots of finger pointing has occurred following the first-ever downgrade of the United States credit rating last week. Numerous political figures, including Sen. Kerry (D-Mass.) and the Obama administration’s former chief advisor David Axelrod, blame the Tea Party for the Standards and Poor’s (S&P) downgrading the U.S. credit rating from AAA to AA+. Some media talking heads have even dubbed it the “Tea Party Downgrade.” The truth, however, tells an entirely different story.

For most of this year, the talk in Washington has been focused on the debt, the debt ceiling, spending, and tax revenue. Politicians, economists, reporters, and citizens keeps referencing these large unfathomable numbers, like $14.6 trillion in debt. But what does that really mean?

The so-called historic debt-ceiling deal passed the Senate 74-26 yesterday and quickly landed on President Obama’s desk. He immediately signed the lousy compromise to raise the debt ceiling by $900 billion. The past few weeks have been filled with numerous lies and scare tactics.