We are currently in a fiat system, which means the dollar is backed by the faith and confidence of the United States government, but what happens when the government is 40 trillion dollars in debt and still fiscally irresponsible?

The answer is inflation, which is another world for printing more money. While short sighted, this may also pose some benefits. If the money you have saved gets devalued, you are more likely to invest/spend it. Gone are the days when Warren Buffett saved money from his newspaper route to build an investment empire. Inflation also means that everyday you don't get a raise you are getting paid less. This also means that while food is getting more expensive in price, it is just a symptom of the system. Take vehicles for example, at 4% inflation in 25 years the median new car price will go from about $50,000 to about $150,000. If you think the median salary will go from $83,370 to $250,000 you haven't been paying attention.