Fitch Ratings downgraded its assessment of the U.S. government's creditworthiness Tuesday afternoon, declaring that Uncle Sam is a mere AA+ rated credit, no longer AAA. • It was a weird decision, not because the U.S. fiscal outlook is pretty (it isn't) but because of Fitch's stated reasons. Why it matters: The U.S. government does face tough fiscal tradeoffs in the decade ahead, with interest costs poised to eat up a growing share of the economy, deficits crowding out private investment and Social Security facing steep automatic cuts in 2033. • But the issue isn't so much one of creditworthiness, as implied by the ... (full story)