How Vista can help reduce the $9 trillion national debt
![zd-defaultauthor-dan-farber.jpg](https://www.zdnet.com/a/img/resize/7a46472de14e7cdb67d372a5c496156ef36d0759/2014/12/04/24ebf345-7b65-11e4-9a74-d4ae52e95e57/zd-defaultauthor-dan-farber.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&frame=1&height=192&width=192)
Enough said: The wire services are reporting that the Senate voted in favor of increasing the national debt to nearly $9 trillion (to avoid the first-ever default on U.S. Treasury notes), which means every person in the U.S. is on the hook for about $30,000. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says he plans to spend $500 million this year to promote new products, such as Vista and Office 2007. Here's a promotion that Microsoft could use to entice users to upgrade to the new Windows: Do your part to reduce the national deficit--upgrade your Windows software to ensure the tax dollars flow and the business friendly Bush tax cuts stay in place. (Note: Bill Gates has been on the side of keeping the estate tax, which a certain party wants to eliminate.)