US, Germany, France and UK face junk debt status

Aren't most of those gov'ts nanny gov'ts, care from the cradle to the grave? Another example of socialism not working.

I'm not too surprised about the US's junk bond status; there's no way in this world the amount of US dollars floating around in this world is backed by anything except hot air - and that's being generous. It should have the same value as monopoly money, and that's also questionable; monopoly money might have more "value."

Isn't the dollar based on how well our economy is doing at home?

Baldimo, The simple answer is "yes," but there are too many negatives to offset our "good" economy. All the deficits by our federal government and consumer debt must be paid off - eventually. Buying everything on credit means we're spending future earnings. How far do you think that goes into the future?