"The United States has amassed nearly $10 trillion in federal debt and about $50 trillion in unfunded liabilities — all at a time when our nation faces a deepening financial and economic crisis. With health-care costs rapidly rising and 78 million baby boomers about to retire, straining our Social Security and Medicare systems, our country faces severe long-term fiscal challenges, which could lead to steep tax hikes, major cutbacks in federal spending, higher interest rates, inflation and a declining economy — not to mention an unsustainable path for our children and grandchildren. "