two negatives do not equal a positve. -2 + -2 = -4. a "note" represents a liability, therefore nothing ever gets "paid". a "note" merely "discharges" a debt. think of it as trading one debt for another debt. I owe you $100, so I "exchange" a "note" (a debt instrument) for another debt, the $100 I owe you. debt is being exchanged for more debt which is why we are digging ourselves a bigger and bigger black hole each and every day. anyone remember the so-called "debt clock" that hung in Times Square? it was removed because it ran out of digits. the U.S. congress voted in 2006 to raise the "debt ceiling limit" to ELEVEN TRILLION AND COUNTING. can you say red ink???