Political Forum » Obamas Spending

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Obama's 2009 federal deficit spending as a percentage of GDP is over twice as large as any year over the past six decades. This is out of control spending.

Obama did inherit a mess but that doesn't make him immune from making mistakes when cleaning it up. I feel like a sewer pipe burst under Bush's watch and now Obama's solution is to have us mop it up with piles of hundred dollar bills that belong to our children and grandchildren.

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I would look to cut spending and also look for ways to generate more revenue. One way to generate more revenue is to ask your boss for a raise (i.e. like raising taxes). Another way to increase revenue is to ask your boss if you could work overtime (i.e. grow the economy). Another way to increase revenue is to take a second job (i.e. grow the economy).

The theory behind tax cuts is they stimulate and grow the economy so the added tax base makes up for the tax cuts. For example, 20% of $100 is less than 19% of $110. I'm not saying this is the answer, but I am saying that is the thought process behind many of the people advocating for us to cut taxes.

I am not necessarily against raising taxes. We may need to raise taxes to prevent generational theft from our children. However, I am very much against raising taxes to pay for a bigger government. I think government is very inefficient with spending money so we should limit their spending to levels that make sense.

I agree that it is messed up when people who spilt the milk criticize the way Obama cleans up the milk he didn't even spill. However, it is also messed up to give Obama a free pass with how he goes about cleaning up the spilt milk. I don't want our children to carry the burden of cleaning up the milk we spilled and it bothers me when I just know the current approach being used to clean up the spilt milk will result in our children getting their fingers and hands all cut up and bloody by the shards of glass that are currently mixed in with the spilt milk. This isn't a job to burden our children with.

In 2008, under Bush, the federal deficit was 3.2% the GDP which is just shy of the Bush Administration peak of 3.5% in 2004. Bush spent more than he received in taxes. Bush doubled the national debt. Bush had a spending problem. However, with Obama's approach to cleaning up spilt milk, his 2009 federal deficit is planned to be a whopping 12.3% of the GDP. This is more than twice as high as any year over the past six decades. The closest comparable out of control spending year over the past six decades was in 1983 when, under Reagan, the federal deficit was 5.9% of the GDP.

I have a right and I also believe I have an obligation to disagree with the way Obama is cleaning up the spilt milk.

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It is interesting you mention this because in 1956 we had a budget surplus. The only years since then with a surplus were 1957, 1960, 1969, 1998, 1999, 2000, and finally 2001. It is difficult not to praise Clinton when looking at these statistics.

I think we agree on many things. The big difference is I watch Fox News and you are probably more CNN and MSNBC. These shows polarize their audience to the point where, for example, if you were to say something logical and true like "Criticizing Obama isn't a solution" it probably wouldn't translate perfectly to me because I have been programmed by Fox News to think you are a liberal and that what you meant to say was "We shouldn't question our savior Obama no matter what he does". What happens is I associate you with all the nonsensical liberal sounding sound bites I get fed by Fox News. Similarly, if I were to say something like "Out of control government spending is bad" then you might be programmed to think I am a hard core Republican fundamentalist and greedy executive who actually meant to say "Bush was perfect and everything bad that happens now is all Obama's fault unless Obama cuts my taxes and makes me richer". Anyway, I guess my point is there is a lot of common ground when we just listen to only what each other are saying.

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