Check this out -- we're in some serious debt!

[Emillereid]

US gross external debt more than $6 trillion-Trsy
Wednesday October 8, 7:40 pm ET

WASHINGTON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - U.S. debt owed to foreign governments, central banks, private banks and other investors topped $6 trillion in the quarter ended June 30, the Treasury Department said on Wednesday.


Of that, about $1.270 trillion in principal and another $53.73 billion in interest is due within the next 3 months, according to a new report on the U.S. external debt position issued by Treasury.

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The report shows the extent to which the United States remains dependent on foreign investment. Even for an economy totaling $10.803 trillion annually, the $6.357 trillion in external debt is a hefty 58.8 percent of gross domestic product.

By comparison, the U.S. government takes in about $2 trillion annually in taxes and fees, and the anticipated 2003 budget gap of around $400 billion would be about 3.7 percent of the overall economy.

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The report can be found at http://www.treas.gov/tic/external-debt.html.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/031008/economy_treasury_debt_1.html