Welcome to Friday, September 4th, sights and sounds...

Voting begins in some states in 14 days. Seriously.

You don't have to wait until November 3, 2020, to cast your ballot for president. On September 18, a few states will allow voters to begin casting their ballots in the general election. From there, it's a staggered race to the finish.

Remember: You do NOT need an excuse to vote early.

Do you plan to vote early?

On the Radar

Debt to Exceed GDP For First Time Since End of WWII

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Wednesday released an update to its annual federal budget projections and reported that the U.S. national debt is likely to exceed the size of America’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2021 for the first time since 1946, when the country was in the midst of the post-World War II demobilization.

This CBO chart shows historical and projected debt held by the public as a percentage of U.S. GDP. The CBO projects that debt will reach 98% of GDP in 2020 before climbing to 104% in 2021, which will be followed by new records of 107% in 2023 and 109% in 2029. At the end of World War II, federal debt held by the public reached 104% of GDP in 1945 and 106% of GDP in 1946.

The long-term growth in the debt that the CBO has been projecting for years is largely attributable to growth in spending on entitlement programs for the elderly (Medicare and Social Security) plus the rising cost of servicing the national debt. 

Are you worried about the national debt?

And, in the End...

Remember self-service food bins?

On this date in 1885, the Exchange Buffet opened in New York City. It was the first self-service cafeteria in the U.S.

Even if you have to serve yourself a sensible portion of pie that hasn't been sitting under a heat lamp for three hours, try and celebrate Eat an Extra Dessert Day,

—Josh Herman

Talk to us via email at editorial [at] causes.com. And don’t forget to keep in touch @Causes.