When the Democrats regained control of Congress in January 2007, they promised fiscal responsibility. They passed PAYGO (pay-as-you-go) which requires Congress to find a way to pay for programs without raising taxes.
However, in their first year, they increased spending by $454 billion, raised taxes by $98 billion, and added an additional $356 billion to deficit spending. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) once told his senate colleagues “If you want to have a new program, figure out a way to pay for it without raising taxes.” Attention Senator Reid, if you want health care reform, a stimulus package, a climate bill, and a “jobs” bill, then find a way to pay for it without taxing us into oblivion.
Liberals now, as in 2007, have used their large majorities to increase discretionary spending faster than syrup dripping on a pile of pancakes. In 2007, they blackmailed President Bush into agreeing to an additional $17 billion in unrelated domestic spending. They told the president that if he wanted his requested troop funding then he would have to agree to their increase.
Within his first 100 days in office, President Obama has spent the second half of the TARP bill ($350 billion), signed into law a failed economic stimulus bill ($872 billion) and the Omnibus bill ($410 billion), and submitted his $3.6 trillion 2010 budget. In his “Era of Personal Responsibility”, he proposed increasing discretionary spending by 12 percent. While the president “supports” the PAYGO law passed by the House, he managed to spend $1.5 trillion over tax receipts.
President Obama likes to blame his predecessor for our current budget woes, but let’s look at the numbers (courtesy of The Heritage Foundation).
President Bush expanded the federal budget by $700 billion; Obama expanded the same federal budget by $1 trillion. President Bush’s stimulus bill in 2008 was only $150 billion; Obama’s stimulus bill in 2009 was $872 billion.
President Bush was the first president to spend 3 percent of GDP on antipoverty programs; President Obama has increased this so far by 20 percent.
President Bush presided over a $2.5 trillion increase in the public debt by the end of 2008 (after 8 years); President Obama is set to add $4.9 trillion in only 6 years.
With all his spending, President Obama is set to be the biggest spender-in-chief since the 1930's. While President Roosevelt had to respond to the attack on Pearl Harbor, federal spending as it pertains to gross domestic product (GDP) averaged only 9.85 percent. It is estimated that with Obama’s spending, the GDP will average around 24 percent. While both Obama and Roosevelt had wars to contend with as well as a down economy, so did President Reagan. However, even with the Cold War, Reagan’s highest deficit as a percentage of GDP came in 1983 when it hit 6 percent.
Democrats claim that the PAGYO legislation turned the country’s deficits into surpluses in the 1990's. But what they fail to mention is that those surpluses came about during the last 6 years that President Clinton was in office when Congress was controlled by Republicans. I will admit that the Republicans went on a spending spree during the first six years of the Bush administration, a fact that doesn't sit well with many Conservatives.
During his tenure in office, President Calvin Coolidge managed to cut spending by 50 percent! If President Obama and the Democrats are serious about cutting the deficit and getting spending under control, then they would cut spending, cut taxes, cancel their efforts to pass health care and return the repaid TARP money to the Treasury.
Otherwise, its time for the American people to tell them “You’re Fired!”
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Obama’s first year in office – a missed opportunity
Instead of listening to the American people whose focus in 2009 was the economy and jobs, this president decided to spend his first year on health care. Because as he said, seven presidents have tried and failed in getting health care legislation passed and he was bound to make history and be the last. Forget about the millions who lost jobs in 2009, he focused on what he wanted and in return...
Missed an opportunity;
The elections of Republican governors to New Jersey and Virginia aren't anything new. Virginia has for the most part been a red state and every once in awhile New Jersey elects a Republican to lead them. But again, this president didn't listen to the voters. Instead, the White House reported that he didn't even watch the returns and brushed the results off stating that they had nothing to do with him. President Clinton brushed of the New Jersey and Virginia Republican gubernatorial wins in 1993 and he lost his majority in November 1994. It appears President Obama…
Missed an opportunity;
The election of Senator-elect Scott Brown in Massachusetts should have been a wake up call to President Obama. The state was electing someone to fill a seat held by a democrat for more than 50 years. In the bay state, Democrats out number Republicans 3 to 1 and Independents out number Democrats 2 to 1 so the White House should listen to the voters. Like in 1994, Independents tried to tell the Democratic Party that they weren't happy with their tax and spend policy and their desire to take over the health care system. This special election was an opportunity Bill Clinton didn't have in 1994. It appears President Obama….
Missed an opportunity;
Many pundits thought that with his party losing in MA the president would have no choice but to move to the center. But his State of the Union speech showed us that he won't give up trying to change the tone of Washington and continue to use liberalism as a way to separate America. During his address, he scolded Democrats, Republicans, Washington, the Supreme Court and the American people. Since his election, he has talked to the American people as if they were school children. The "we know what is best for you" attitude isn't cutting it with voters. We might as well have all been sent to after school detention. It appears President Obama...
Missed an opportunity;
When Obama campaigned for president, he promised hope and change. After one year, the “change-agent-in-chief” is showing us he has nothing to offer but more of the same. Back doors deals with democratic senators in order to get their vote and deals with union leaders in order to get their support, just to get his agenda passed. With a super majority, he could have taken the high road and worked with the opposition party. Instead he decided to tell them to get out of the way. He told them during the summer that he didn't' want the people who created this mess to do a lot of talking, just get out of the way. It appears President Obama…
Missed an opportunity.
A year ago the nation handed him a super majority and skyrocketing approval ratings. After one year, his approval ratings have plummeted and his super majority decided to not become “yes men” to his agenda. On top of that, he let far left groups such as Apollo Alliance write major legislation like the stimulus bill. When Bill Clinton lost his majority in 1994, he rolled toward the center. He knew there would be “painful compromises” with Speaker Gingrich and his party. But some of Bill Clinton’s most successful legislation (welfare reform in 1996 and balanced budget legislation in 1997) came about when he worked with the Republican Party.
According to Rep. Marion Berry, democrat from Arkansas, the president told him that the Democrats in Congress have one advantage they didn't have in 1994, the president himself. When the Democrats lose control of the House and the Senate is split 50/50, will the president miss another opportunity?
Missed an opportunity;
The elections of Republican governors to New Jersey and Virginia aren't anything new. Virginia has for the most part been a red state and every once in awhile New Jersey elects a Republican to lead them. But again, this president didn't listen to the voters. Instead, the White House reported that he didn't even watch the returns and brushed the results off stating that they had nothing to do with him. President Clinton brushed of the New Jersey and Virginia Republican gubernatorial wins in 1993 and he lost his majority in November 1994. It appears President Obama…
Missed an opportunity;
The election of Senator-elect Scott Brown in Massachusetts should have been a wake up call to President Obama. The state was electing someone to fill a seat held by a democrat for more than 50 years. In the bay state, Democrats out number Republicans 3 to 1 and Independents out number Democrats 2 to 1 so the White House should listen to the voters. Like in 1994, Independents tried to tell the Democratic Party that they weren't happy with their tax and spend policy and their desire to take over the health care system. This special election was an opportunity Bill Clinton didn't have in 1994. It appears President Obama….
Missed an opportunity;
Many pundits thought that with his party losing in MA the president would have no choice but to move to the center. But his State of the Union speech showed us that he won't give up trying to change the tone of Washington and continue to use liberalism as a way to separate America. During his address, he scolded Democrats, Republicans, Washington, the Supreme Court and the American people. Since his election, he has talked to the American people as if they were school children. The "we know what is best for you" attitude isn't cutting it with voters. We might as well have all been sent to after school detention. It appears President Obama...
Missed an opportunity;
When Obama campaigned for president, he promised hope and change. After one year, the “change-agent-in-chief” is showing us he has nothing to offer but more of the same. Back doors deals with democratic senators in order to get their vote and deals with union leaders in order to get their support, just to get his agenda passed. With a super majority, he could have taken the high road and worked with the opposition party. Instead he decided to tell them to get out of the way. He told them during the summer that he didn't' want the people who created this mess to do a lot of talking, just get out of the way. It appears President Obama…
Missed an opportunity.
A year ago the nation handed him a super majority and skyrocketing approval ratings. After one year, his approval ratings have plummeted and his super majority decided to not become “yes men” to his agenda. On top of that, he let far left groups such as Apollo Alliance write major legislation like the stimulus bill. When Bill Clinton lost his majority in 1994, he rolled toward the center. He knew there would be “painful compromises” with Speaker Gingrich and his party. But some of Bill Clinton’s most successful legislation (welfare reform in 1996 and balanced budget legislation in 1997) came about when he worked with the Republican Party.
According to Rep. Marion Berry, democrat from Arkansas, the president told him that the Democrats in Congress have one advantage they didn't have in 1994, the president himself. When the Democrats lose control of the House and the Senate is split 50/50, will the president miss another opportunity?
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