Your timing is a bit off - try a bit earlier. There have been 6 major things that occurred over the last decade that contributed to the deficits - everything else has been tiny or paid for through pay-go. #1: Bush tax cuts - 10 year time frame: no attempt to counter the decrease in revenues #2: Iraq and Afghanistan wars - open ended time frame: treated as emergency spending to avoid needing to be paid for #3: Medicare Prescription expansion - endless time frame: completely unpaid for #4: A massive recession - 2-8 yr time frame: major a decrease in revenues #5: Stimulus package - 2 yr time frame: major government spending #6: Obama/GOP tax extension compromise - 2 yr time frame: same as #1 You do the math of who's responsible for how much of the deficits.
Major and Rowdy... good try, but alas, it will make no difference. Intentional ignorance is the most vexing of problems in our current discourse.
setting aside for the moment who is or isn't responsible (and there's plenty of blame to go around), if we're agreed that the deficit is a problem, whose responsibility is it now to try and reduce it going forward? my answer would be "Congress and the President." the House, led by republicans, is at least making an effort. whither Obama?
And this effort bears all the hallmarks of their previous fine work in this department! Maybe we should see if the Republicans can come up with a plan to increase the deficit - They might actually come up with one that cuts it. That way we can put their ineptitude to work for america.
<object style="height: 390px; width: 640px"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aikAt-CqtjY?version=3"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aikAt-CqtjY?version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></object>
if the republicans made a true effort they wouldn't have held the country hostage on tax cuts for the wealthy
See Sam's post. And you see exactly what happened with regards to the deficit, and we know which party was responsible for extending those tax cuts and pushed against the President in regards which did far more harm to the deficit than their cuts help it.
What? You can't fix the budget without addressing (1) defense (2) entitlements and (3) raising taxes. You have to have a combo of all 3 if you're serious about dealing with the deficit. The proposed GOP budget doesn't touch any of those - it's a childish wishlist of programs they don't like. There is no actual attempt to deal with the problem or share the sacrifice. It's a bunch of nonsense with domestic discretionary programs. The proposed Obama budget doesn't touch entitlements either, but it does touch on the other two. And as far as making an effort? The Obama budget cuts the deficit more than the GOP budget. So the real question is where are the Republicans?
And speaking of jobs... House Speaker John Boehner was asked this morning about expected job losses as a result of Republican budget cuts. "In the last two years, under President Obama, the federal government has added 200,000 new federal jobs," he said. "If some of those jobs are lost so be it." Asked exactly how many thousands of Americans would be left unemployed as a result of GOP cuts, Boehner said he didn't know. http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/ The Boehner quote should be the heart of Dem ads from now until November 2012.
the Obama budget does not cut the deficit at all- it increases it. whether the repubilcan proposal is perfect or not, at least it makes an effort. and, you can cut the deficit w/o raising taxes, by cutting spending. i would be in favor of an across the board cut in spending, start at 5-10%, cut everything, SS, defense, etc. if we focus on individual programs, and the politics involved w/ each, we'll never get anywhere.
Ryan speaks well. <img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bT*xJmx*PTEyOTc4MTczNDE1MDkmcHQ9MTI5NzgxNzM*NTE3NSZwPTEyNTg*MTEmZD1BQkNOZXdzX1NGUF9Mb2NrZV9FbWJlZCZn/PTMmbz*wZjZjOTk1YzA5Yzk*NDQ4YTM1YjQ3NzVmZDIzOTkzYiZvZj*w.gif" /><object classid="clsid27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,124,0" width="344" height="278" id="ABCESNWID"><param name="movie" value="http://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt_2_65.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowNetworking" value="all" /><param name="flashvars" value="configUrl=http://abcnews.go.com/video/sfp/embedPlayerConfig&configId=406732&clipId=12919234&showId=12919234&gig_lt=1297817341509&gig_pt=1297817345175&gig_g=3" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><embed src="http://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt_2_65.swf" quality="high" allowScriptAccess="always" allowNetworking="all" allowfullscreen="true" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="344" height="278" flashvars="configUrl=http://abcnews.go.com/video/sfp/embedPlayerConfig&configId=406732&clipId=12919234&showId=12919234&gig_lt=1297817341509&gig_pt=1297817345175&gig_g=3" name="ABCESNWID"></embed></object>
Why do you keep ignoring the fact that the Republicans pushing for extending tax cuts did more to hurt the deficit than any cuts they are making. Either you should address that fact, or quit pretending like the Republicans are trying to do something that will help reduce the deficit, when it's crystal clear that isn't their priority.
Didn't Republicans learn their lesson with the Jindal-Kenneth the Page fiasco? ? Gabe from the office speaks well <object width="512" height="288"><param name="movie" value="http://www.hulu.com/embed/_TGzyoGUV84xccV03zWtVQ"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.hulu.com/embed/_TGzyoGUV84xccV03zWtVQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="512" height="288" allowFullScreen="true"></embed></object> Try to find a non NBC thursday night standard bearer next time
I don't care who's they are. Obama was against the top ones, and the Republicans refused to consider any other legislation unless they all passed. The Republicans were the ones pushing for the tax cut extension. The fact that Obama gave in on that, doesn't change the facts that the Republicans were the ones who pushed for driving up the deficit.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/aikAt-CqtjY?hd=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I guess since this is the 2nd time on the page a wingnut has posted this it shows us that they ignore basso's posts too.
An old comic from PHD Comics from last year that puts the federal budget in prospective. It's funny how both the republican and democrats are trying to shave dollars from those tiny tiny bars in the budget and completely ignore the elephants in the room. Spoilered for large image. Spoiler
<iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ih1gGj1fKOc?hd=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> <iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2aK_bp4bvaU?hd=1" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
probably speaks for itself -- Goldman Sachs: House Spending Cuts Will Hurt Economic Growth ABC News’ Jonathan Karl reports: A confidential new report prepared by Goldman Sachs for its clients says spending cuts passed by the House of Representatives last week would be a drag on the economy, cutting economic growth by about two percent of GDP. “Under the House passed spending bill [which cut spending by $61 billion],” says the report, which was obtained by ABC News, “the drag on GDP growth from federal fiscal policy would increase by 1.5pp to 2pp in Q2 and Q3 compared with current law.”
