Students Shocked to Learn Their Share of National Debt

Caleb Bonham of Campus Reform took a walk around Charleston, South Carolina, recently to see what students think of the more than $18 trillion in national debt.

That equals about $56,000 owed to the federal government per individual. And when taking into account the $126 trillion in unfunded liabilities – like Social Security and Medicare – the number swells to $1.1 million per person.

Bonham asked students their birth date, then plugged that into a calculator to figure out each person’s lifetime share of debt.

First, he asked them what they’d do if they got a check for that enormous amount, but then he broke the news about what the number actually represents.

One student’s response? “Holy s**t.”

He then accused lawmakers of failing to think about future generations.

Another said “we got to do something to change that,” while a group of women blamed the rising debt on President Obama.