Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Time is running out for federal officials to prevent an economically catastrophic default on U.S. debt. 

I know! We’ve done that story over and over and over again as raising the debt limit — something that used to be a routine part of running the government — has become increasingly politicized.

But at the heart of the debate over government borrowing, there is an uncomfortable truth: This economy only works, because we believe in it together. On a special episode of “Marketplace,” host Kai Ryssdal explores what’s at stake in the fight over the debt ceiling and what it reveals about the nature of money.