No, as a matter of fact, they didn't teach that little tidbit, because it isn't particularly accurate. The politicians like to use it because it makes ignorant people let them get away with thier irresponsibility.

If you want to be precise, what is relevant is the current deficit, the accumulated deficit, the projected deficits and revenues in the years to come, the inflation rate, tax rates, other budgetary commitments, and the interest rates and economic conditions over the time that is expected to be required to retire the debt. This lets you know what the cost load is for the spending on the overall economic capcity of the nation.

When the current spendthrifts in Washington are downplaying our deficits by saying they are small in relation to the GNP, they conveniently omit to note that interest payments on the accumulated deficit (7 trillion dollars and growing) now exceed 15% of our annual budget. That's about $350 billion dollars. The deficit is about 450 billion, I believe. We almost wouldn't have a deficit, if we hadn't had a deficit in the past.

Irresponsibility accumulates. That $450 billion dollars means that next years interest payments will be about $22 billion higher. The next year, they'll be $22 billion higher yet. There is no money in the budget to retire the debt, so this isn't like a car payment where the loan is retired. It's interest only. 15 cents of every tax dollar of yours goes to pay interest. It's gonna double in about 15 years. This fact is agreed to by Congress, Bush, and Greenspan. I don't know about you, but I kinda wish my tax dollar went to roads, guns, congressional intern's salaries;), rather than to interest on a loan.

As to business journals, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, The Economist, National Review, a bunch of web stuff. I'm ignorant and uneducated. Don't know anything about the stock market either. I'm just a silly trader.