U.S. Government Credit Rating Downgraded - What Does It Mean?

This week, the U.S. federal government received a credit rating downgrade. Given the unsustainable levels of government spending and debt, as well as the skyrocketing interest payments to merely service the debt, should anyone be surprised? Endless wars and endless welfare promises come at a cost. It's obviously very easy for politicians to focus on the short-run and let future generations deal with the long-run. But the long-run always arrives, and is rarely expected.