Government debt now greater than the whole economy

Factoid buried in a Washington Post graph caption:

The federal debt of the United States — including debt owed to the public and to parts of the government itself, such as the Social Security Fund — climbed to $15.22 trillion on Dec. 30. That marked the first time since the 1940s that the national debt was larger than the American economy, as measured by the gross domestic product. Since Dec. 30, the debt has increased an additional $4 billion.

via New year, more debt – The Washington Post.