Negative Interest Rates

After quite the discussion with a very knowledgeable investment advisor about the global economy, the stock market and where we're headed, I became quite alarmed.

Many former economic powers such as China, Japan, Germany and 'safe financial haven' Switzerland along with several other countries as well as central banks, are all in financial trouble. Big time. Thus the reason banks and governments are charging negative interest rates on loans with hopes of lighting a fire under the economies of these particular countries.

To put it succinctly in the words of a Bloomberg article, 'borrowers get paid, while savers are penalized.' Can someone please tell me how this makes sense?

The U.S. is one of only a few countries that haven't gone this route ... yet.  But we very well could especially if we continue to grow the deficit.