At the same time, e-filers who owe Uncle Sam don't have to pay up when they file.

WSJ: Tax Report: What's New for Tax Season

Moody's, the credit-rating agency, got publicity--for once, not negative--in January when it warned that the U.S. government may lose its triple-A rating within a decade if Uncle Sam doesn't do something drastic about the unfunded liabilities of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

FORBES: Magazine Article

So-called private student loans, meaning those that Uncle Sam isn't backing, are for the more prosperous students and tend to be larger and much more profitable for Sallie.

FORBES: Bad Student

But they won't have primos-hermanos, and they'll never know their grandaunt and uncle as we did.

NPR: Becoming More American Than Cuban

He didn't have children, but Mr. Ercolino was an "incredible" uncle, said his sister-in-law, who gave her name as Andrea.

WSJ: Deadly Clash Started in Workplace

As a result, they were able to borrow as much as they wanted and take risks with those funds that they couldn't have taken unless the markets believed -- correctly as it turned out -- that Uncle Sam would stand behind them.

WSJ: Not Everything Can Be Too Big to Fail