the American economy is a living, breathing organism that experiences periods of growth in addition to periods of decline similar to the human body. Government policies can stimulate the economy, or it can be wholly free-flowing and self-regulating. Both sides have merit, and I believe the that an effective system consists of a mix of the free market in the form of capitalism and government policies. As we have seen with our current economy; too much government interference can offset the balance and lead to high levels of debt. It is evident that high levels of debt are not beneficial. We as individuals in our personal lives will not achieve the so-called American dream saddled with high levels of debt, and this should be the exact viewpoint of our national economy as well. High levels of debt can lead to high taxes, penalties, and strict regulation of spending which can negatively impact areas such as our military, education, and healthcare system. To fully thrive as a nation, the economy will have some level of debt; it is unavoidable, regulating that debt and not oversaturating the marketplace through stimulus packages, subsidies and artificially low interest rates, can help to reduce the