“The National Debt Threat” — a Rochester-based, non-partisan grassroots group of people working to share how serious our national debt situation is, and arm people with simple actions that can be done right from homes in southern Minnesota — will give a free presentation at the Austin Public Library at 7 p.m. Thursday.

According to The National Debt Threat, every working person in Austin, Albert Lea and across southern Minnesota owes $80,000 to the U.S. government.

The national debt is a real, tangible thing, and it has serious consequences, the group says. A growing percent of the debt is now owed to foreign investors. How does that happen in the richest country in the world?

Attendees will learn how to analyze the nation’s debt for themselves and will view the movie “IOUSA” — a 30-minute documentary produced by the former head of the Government Accountability Office — which outlines the danger of our current debt situation. The public is invited to bring ideas of how we as a nation should handle our nation’s debt situation.

Americans on both sides of the aisle are agreeing that our nation’s debt is on an unsustainable path, The National Debt Threat says.

Presenters include The National Debt Threat volunteers Bill Plummer, a retired engineer from IBM, and Steven Wilson, who has been involved with business development for more than 20 years.

In Plummer’s retirement, he has spent a decade studying the national debt and the long-term effects of our current debt crisis. He has written numerous articles for the Rochester Post-Bulletin concerning the national debt. He has also done radio and speaking engagements in conjunction with two former U.S. Congressmen from Minnesota.

Wilson spent 12 years as a business consultant with Land O’Lakes Inc., focusing on budgeting and borrowed capital in agriculture.

He is the founder of Coyote Ridge Christian Ranch as well as Bridge Builders for Kids. These non-profits are based in St. Paul and serve Rochester children as well.

He has served internationally with business projects in Honduras, Czech Republic and Hungary. All three projects were in conjunction with the United States Agency for International Development.

Most recently he has returned from a year tour in Iraq. He served as a U.S. diplomat with the U.S. State Department. He was embedded in the 3rd Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. His main duties revolved around creating jobs and stimulating Iraq’s economy.