our per capitagha – th federal debt as .:2 late ne t autumn will ” gnt to bout $4,66. ,5 t was t proj -‘)’5, as ing Pr siden ggyg m art t ‘ Q. $7 .3 ‘ i tin-RIPE 2 fiscal y c. . T e budget indicates a $ .5 billion deficit. he pu;1N%’!I N3 6 19 Gwwawitlswq it it .JmcHaHis.figu: oar-ninth t llion for the first time so Setim ‘ November. le er capita figure re es ts.the share for ev y , woman and ch oft epublic debt and th =pro’ ted interest on I ah tdebt ased on the 1980 ”’6’8 sus exceeding 226.5 million. interest paid on t e exceeds one-tenth A th ational budget. ? The U.S. Government jzlpnly $1.2 billion in or $11.85 per capita. 3 nse of the next 15 FY! s. which included World: War 1, pushed the debt to $16.1 bylionr by 1930 $131.51 per capita. Spending programs to cope with the Great Depression spiraled the figure to $51 billion by 1940. Americas participation in World War II sparked a spending upsurge that pushed the debt to $269.4 billion in 1946. Many thought the $1911.14 per capita of that year would bethe high water mark. But the debt climbed on. through times of peace as well as war. These milestones are noted by an Office of Management and Budget table: 1960. $291 billion; 1965, $323 billion: 1970. $383 billion; 1975, $544 billion; and 1981. $962 billion (estimate). In only two years since 1958 – 1960 and 1969 – has the federal budget shown a surplus. Will the new Reagan administration and “more conservative” Congress reverse the spending – inflation trend’? A lot of Americans will be hoping so.