These are the facts.

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Here are the facts regarding the deficits.  I know this won't be reported on Faux Noise and the like, but THESE ARE THE FACTS.  Facts aren't liberal or conservative, left or right, they just are.  I know facts don't carry much weight with some, but it is what it is.... I encourage those who actually wish to be better informed, rather than just noisy, to read the article linked at the end.

"The story of today’s deficits starts in January 2001, as President Bill Clinton was leaving office. The Congressional Budget Office estimated then that the government would run an average annual surplus of more than $800 billion a year from 2009 to 2012. Today, the government is expected to run a $1.2 trillion annual deficit in those years.

You can think of that roughly $2 trillion swing as coming from four broad categories: the business cycle, President George W. Bush’s policies, policies from the Bush years that are scheduled to expire but that Mr. Obama has chosen to extend, and new policies proposed by Mr. Obama.

The first category — the business cycle — accounts for 37 percent of the $2 trillion swing. It’s a reflection of the fact that both the 2001 recession and the current one reduced tax revenue, required more spending on safety-net programs and changed economists’ assumptions about how much in taxes the government would collect in future years.

About 33 percent of the swing stems from new legislation signed by Mr. Bush. That legislation, like his tax cuts and the Medicare prescription drug benefit, not only continue to cost the government but have also increased interest payments on the national debt.

Mr. Obama’s main contribution to the deficit is his extension of several Bush policies, like the Iraq war and tax cuts for households making less than $250,000. Such policies — together with the Wall Street bailout, which was signed by Mr. Bush and supported by Mr. Obama — account for 20 percent of the swing.

About 7 percent comes from the stimulus bill that Mr. Obama signed in February. And only 3 percent comes from Mr. Obama’s agenda on health care, education, energy and other areas.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/10/business/economy/10leonhardt.html?_r=1&em&exprod=myyahoo

[Black Pearl's Captain]

Thank you very much for this important message. i'm sure none of us could have ever read that on some news site or heard it on one of 47 different news channels on cable.

Why don't you create a thread titled "Useless political drivel" and post all this BS in one sinlge threadso all of us slow learners can find it easily.

Raymond

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Hey, half the bandwidth on this site is taken up with crying about how Obama is gonna bankrupt the country.  Giving it some perspective.  Like I said, some don't really care for the truth, especially when it conflicts with their opinions.  Thanks for confirming it.

[Wizzard]

guess that depends on what your opinion of "truth" is ???

[humshark]

About 33 percent of the swing stems from new legislation signed by Mr. Bush. That legislation, like his tax cuts and the Medicare prescription drug benefit, not only continue to cost the government but have also increased interest payments on the national debt

I'll read the article, but just off the top of my head, why would Bushes Tax cuts, and the one medicare prescription plan account for 33% -
And all of Obama's work only accounts for about 1/5 of the 33% ??  Really?

About 7 percent comes from the stimulus bill that Mr. Obama signed in February. And only 3 percent comes from Mr. Obama’s agenda on health care, education, energy and other areas.

The Govt is borrowing 48 cents for every dollar it spends right now.  I would really want my leader to look at where we are regardless of how we got here and determine how we are going to get out.  My brain doesn't wrap itself around the idea of spending at these levels to get out of a hole like this.

I tend to over simplify things - I like it that way - and - regardless of what people tell me, i succeed at doing incredible things that way.  One simple step at a time.

What I'm getting to, is that I 'd like to see our own govt act more responsible, not just say it.  Not tell me how bad we've been doing it, allowing it to be - spending more than what i have, buying to high, etc..  Show me responsible from the TOP. 

I am also not a great fan of serving the govt in order to empower it to serve others.  I also pay taxes, and give much more than a 10% to charities and church on top of that.  While i won't say that i don't see anything for my returned investment into govt, I'd say i get a much bigger bang for my buck at the local level.  Lives are impacted and changed.  Even the $500 to support my Candidate in a local WI election was gratifying.  If I still lived there I'd support him again as he heads for the governorship!

I'm SO tired of planned response article architecture, and policy execution.  I go crazy listening to both sides say specific words to get specific responses or at least start trains of thoughts in desired directions.  A simple news cast can be so slanted in one direction yet every nudge subtly placed.  We have examined ourselves too much, and have hired those who predict our behavior to dictate who and when to say things to get the most desired effect.  MY GOD I'M IN THE MATRIX!

Seriously, the "right" radio show hosts did a nice job in the beginning of sharpening the senses.  Learn and dig was the message.  Don't take what your told verbatim.  We have the tools and technology to empower ourselves with information.  Somehow when i come across those programs now, they more often sound like the circus they were warning us about years ago.

At some level we need common sense and responsibility to reign.  Don't just tell me - SHOW me.  I like shaking up a system and seeing what falls out, however when you replace the fallen with govt, I get SCARED!

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I agree with much of what you say Humshark.  The figures are from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office.   I think the main reason Bushes tax cuts account for 33% is that they have been digging the hole deeper for 8 years.  Obama has only been in office for 5 months.

[humshark]

I think the main reason Bushes tax cuts account for 33% is that they have been digging the hole deeper for 8 years.  Obama has only been in office for 5 months.

Let's hope that this simple math doesn't work out then -
33% -> 96 months    vs.    7% -> 5 months - what percent will it be at 96 months?       Yikes -

Seriously, we can't ignore the spending without some sort of plan to account for it.  We don't run our businesses and households that way, and if we have a plan to cover our expenses can we hear it, the good bad and the ugly?  ( Again, i know govt is not a household, but monetary principles do not change magically when the govt makes polocy )

Do we remember how Clinton responded to the voice of the people at the time calling for Govt to clear it's debt?  While Clinton stood opposite to me on many issues I agreed with a push to clear debt.  I never bought into the "Talk" that debt was good at the govt level. ( right wing radio again )  It's never good when you have a good plan in place.   - Sorry for the bunny trail

Have you noticed a larger paycheck lately?  I have heard flutter about the tax cut put in place by Obama but it's mostly warnings for those that may get caught owing more at the end of the year.  I'm seeing about $50 extra bucks a month at this time.  It was real and noticeable.  My wife works and is seeing the same.  That effectively puts an extra 1200 into our annual budget.  The WARNING is we are only eligible for $800 of the extra paycheck money with our current status as married filing joint.     

The theory of course is that we then spend that money and drive more tax revenue, but we are not currently set up to see the true benefits of that sort of equation yet at a federal level.  A flat tax  / fair tax ( goes by many names i believe ) would be more responsive to these types of revenue plans i believe.