David Hume correctly predicted 250 years ago that the government would infallibly abuse the privilege of incurring debt.

Resident Fellow Alex J. Pollock

The depressing summation of the government's vast future obligations ("Chump Change," Editorial Commentary, October 20) confirms a prediction made by David Hume about 250 years ago:

"The practice of contracting debt will almost infallibly be abused in every government. It would scarcely be more imprudent to give a prodigal son a credit in every banker's shop in London, than to empower a statesman to draw bills upon posterity."

Alex J. Pollock is a resident fellow at AEI.