Though America is a deeply religious country, as of late it seems like our normal sins—greed, pride, etc.—have taken a backseat to a more secular offense: debt. As everyone knows by now, Washington is in the throes of a major battle over debt: how much of it we have and how much more of it we’re willing to take on in the years to come. With Republicans standing obstinately against any plan that would ask corporations and the country’s richest citizens to pay more taxes, the United States is approaching a very real precipice: It’s unlikely that we’ll default on our loans, but it’s very possible that Standard & Poor’s, the world’s foremost credit rating agency, will downgrade America’s impeccable bond rating. Basically, we’re going to get bad credit, and, as any doting mother will tell you, that’s a disaster.

My mother is certainly worried about credit. I know because she tells me constantly. “There’s nobody your age like you, son,” she says whenever my finances come up. “What are you doing?”