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.