National Debt: Bush vs Democrats ... The Truth This Time

The truth is in short supply regarding the increase in the national debt under "W" Bush.

Politicians are adept at misdirection. Say a few things that are more or less factual and make an irrational link to the other guy so it looks like he screwed up.

I'm no fan of how Congressional Republicans under President Bush spent themselves silly in spite of demands by their constituents not to. Democrats' criticism of it is completely valid and most Republicans I know are at least as unhappy with it which is a big reason why Democrats have been winning big in national elections for the past three years.

Democrats have had a field day with it and hardly a week goes by that Democratic leaders don't slam Bush for the debt he created which in turn contributed in some measure to the financial crisis in which we find ourselves. Most Americans think that part of it was totally Bush's doing but the facts, if you're interested in truth at all, tell a different story.

Check out these facts:

1. According to the Constitution, Congress has primary(!) authority over and responsibility for taxing and spending. (They also have primary oversight responsibility over the federal financial institutions/bureaucracies that failed us in this crisis but that's a subject for another blog.) Note that the president does NOT have responsibility for taxing and spending. He may propose taxes and spending. If he doesn't like what Congress implemented relative to what he wanted he can also veto Congress' taxes and spending bills. But Congress has the last word and can override his veto if they feel strongly enough about it and can muster the necessary votes. Bottom line: ultimate/final authority and responsibility for taxing and spending rests with the legislature ... period. (To be absolutely clear, that means Bush wasn't. NO president is!)
2. Democrats were in control of the House AND Senate during Bush's last two years in office. That means Democrats(!) had primary authority and responsibility during that time over whatever debt was created. They had both the authority and responsibility to spend and tax as they saw fit, regardless of what Bush wanted. It's therefore completely(!) illogical and irrational to argue that debt created during Bush's last two years was his doing.
3. The average increase in the national debt under Bush before Democrats had full control and responsibility over it was about $450B per year (ie, for 6 years) and it never increased more than $600B in any of those years.
4. The increase in the national debt after Democrats took control of the legislature and were therefore responsible for debt (or surplus): $1.0 Trillion the first year and $1.9 Trillion the second year for an average that was TRIPLE what happened under Bush.
5. Of the total increase in national debt while Bush was president, 47% of the increase or nearly half(!) of the debt increase occurred while Democrats had total control over and responsibility for the debt (or surplus if one had existed).
6. During Bush's 7th year in office, the Democratic legislature's debt increase was TWICE what Republicans averaged under Bush.
7. During Bush's last year in office, the Democratic legislature's debt increase was FOUR TIMES(!) what Republicans averaged under Bush.
8. Is it any surprise that the first year after Bush was gone is going to be far, far worse than even that?
9. By the way, President Obama was a member of that Democratic-controlled legislature that spent itself even sillier than those from whom they took power. Isn't it arguably true that Obama was more part of the debt problem Bush's last two years than Bush since Obama had more control over it than Bush? Oh my!)

So, the bottom line is that nearly HALF of the debt increase Democrats say "Bush caused" during his eight years in office was actually created by a Democratic-controlled Congress, not by Bush at all, much less Republicans in general.

Democrats controlled the legislature and, therefore, our debt and significant aspects of our financial health for two years before the current financial crisis befell us. They had plenty of time and ALL the power/control necessary to blunt or even avoid the financial crisis. While Republicans AND President Bush deserve lots of credit for making bad fiscal and financial decisions for the first 6 years of Bush's administration, the Democrat legislature had sufficient opportunity and, arguably, responsibility to avoid or at least diminish the impact of the financial crisis. In my opinion ALL our elected representatives in the executive and legislative branches failed us ... miserably. For sure they ALL share significant measures of blame. (Makes one question the competency of our current 'leaders' to fix it doesn't it?)

Folks, if we're to do the right thing to correct problems in our governments, we MUST get our facts straight. We can't fix (properly at least) what we don't understand. Take responsibility to understand the truth and push your representatives to do a better job.

Haiti Heartbreak

(Image from the AP)

Oh My! I found myself mesmerized by this picture. Just kept staring at it trying to grasp in my pea brain what it must be like. I failed completely. I still don't get it. Pictures like this (and there are MANY more) express what words cannot.

The magnitude of the devastation is incomprehensible isn't it? So is the amount of suffering. They need so much ... relief agencies of any and all kinds, our most generous donations and our prayers. And they'll need it for, literally, years ahead.

It's The Constitution Speaking Through The People

It's interesting to me that so many people are surprised by the outcome of the Massachusetts senatorial special election last night in which a seat to which Democrats felt entitled was won by a Republican. Democrats have been having their way ... completely ... on The Hill for the past year and in the process not only ignored what anyone else wanted done legislatively, but even showed disrespect and disdain toward anyone who dared oppose their juggernaut.

Massachusetts is only some 35% registered Democrats. When you disrespect the other 65% of the state's citizens by telling them "we won ... we get to do it OUR way" and then proceed to do exactly that, how do you expect them to react? It demonstrates a degree of arrogance on the part of Democrats to ignore and otherwise disrespect 65% of a state's citizens and expect them to just shut up and take it. Even the president SAID(!) early last year to anyone who opposed the Democrats' unilateral actions: "be quiet and get out of the way". Think how incredible a demand that is by a president of ALL the people.

This is a democracy. The president should be encouraging all Americans' involvement, not telling half of them to be quiet and get out of his way. Those so-called representatives in the legislature and executive branches have no right to disenfranchise nearly half of Americans. In fact, they have a duty to ensure all Americans have equal opportunity to participate in and/or contribute to the process. Shutting off the voice of half of Americans is arguably unconstitutional.

The representatives doing this claim to be smarter than most Americans. They keep half of Americans from having a voice in government and think there won't be a strong reaction? That doesn't sound smart to me. They're clearly full of themselves, not wisdom.

Granted, a Republic can be a messy thing. It's all supposed to be about compromise and incorporating a balance of all the best ideas from all corners of the political spectrum ... based on the will and interests of The People. Autocracies are most certainly an easier way to govern. Just do it the current leaders' way and ignore or punish the opposition. However, this is a government of, by and for THE PEOPLE, not of, by and for one party. It's called Freedom which is, by definition, for ALL The People. One-party rule as we've had for the past year is the antithesis of Freedom. Last night's election result suggests that maybe the majority of Americans do understand we either embrace Freedom (and accept the messiness inherent in it) or lose it.

Mr. Reid and Democrats In Congress: Your Hypocracy Is Showing!

So Mr. Reid can say during last year's presidential race that then senator Obama is a "light-skinned" African American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one" and it's no big deal, huh? It's okay to say "negro" and that Senator Obama turns his "Negro dialect" on and off? I say, huh? Is that extraordinary that anyone, especially one of the three most politically powerful people in our country would say that? By the way, isn't it really, REALLY easy to imagine how Democrats would react if a Republican Senate Majority Leader had said something racially insensitive? Wait a minute, we already have an example in the Trent Lott affair. Hmmmm.

At least three huge problems with what's going on. First, condemnation should be universal and universally immediate and unqualified. Regardless of one's politics, this cannot be excused. Second, could the hypocracy of Democrats in Congress be any more clear? Third, the ease with which Democrats are capable of both saying such things and excusing them(!) is shocking to every fair-minded American who, to a man/woman, ought to expect contriteness, not spin. The subject and fact of racism in America begs we do better and hold EVERYONE accountable for screwing up. Especially our leaders!

Will we see any outrage from the African American community? I hope we will because they lose credibility that racism is a matter of conscience and principle instead of politics if they won't stand on those ideals when Democrats do it.

Ohio State Simply Outplayed Our Oregon Team

Gotta give kudo's to Ohio State and their fans. They simply outplayed our boys. Our boys' heart and desire and even talent was evident but on that day they made too many mistakes and the quality of play just wasn't up to their usual level. Ohio State was clearly on top of their game and deserved the win so congratulations to Ohio State, their fans and the Big Ten for a job well done.

We hope to meet you again in the same contest next year to even the score. ;-)

Game On!

DUCKS 'N BUCKS

- 2010 ROSE BOWL -

GO DUCKS! BEAT THE BUCKS!