Why do liberals not understand anything about our national debt?

Question

Why do liberals keep saying that Bush ran up a $9 trillion dollar debt with "his" war? Are they foolish enough to think the national debt was $0 when slick willy left office? Do they really think that the surplus was an actual surplus of the national debt? No, no one can be THAT dumb....can they?!?! It would make sense though. No wonder they are so mad. Jon Stewart told them all that bush spent $9 trillion dollars over the past 6 years. Where are all the "intellectuals"? Where are all the academic elite of democrat party? Why haven't they done a good job of explaining to the little folk what is really going on?

Answer 1

Because liberals see niether forward or backward. Only NOW. Therefore if it is $9 trillion and Bush is Prez he must have done it. If Osama attacked us on Bush's watch, Bush brought it on to us somehow.

Answer 2

"Why haven't they done a good job of explaining to the little folk what is really going on?"

If they did explain what is "really going on," they would be shot! Our politicians are bankrupting the country. The Federal Reserve has already said the United States will NOT be able to meet its future obligations.

The only time our politicians address the budget and trade deficits is to blame the other side. They don't seem to understand that this is a bi-partisan issue we need to address NOW.

The Clinton administrations had some budget surpluses, for which the former president gets a lot of credit. But those "surpluses" resulted from including Social Security and Medicare taxes in the revenues. Also, there were the so-called "peace dividends" that enabled us to downsize our military and drastically curtail military spending.

George W. Bush is obviously a member of the "Big Spenders" club. He will try to spend money on anything that may help him politically or help him save face. He recently opened up Medicaid to illegal immigrants. That is going to cost us a fortune.

Bear in mind that all significant government expenditures must be authorized by the House Ways and Means Committee. Republicans controlled this committee until January of this year. Now the Democrats are in control, so we'll see how they do (but don't hold your breath).

A good example of why our country is in such financial straits is the proposed immigration "reform" bill that just failed in the Senate:

Let's put aside our feelings about the humanitarian issues involved (like keeping families together). The fact is that many senators, and citizens, strongly supported this bill even though: 1) we don't know how many immigrants are in this country illegally (is it 12 million or 20 million?); and 2) in the debates and discussions, no one who supported the bill ever said what it would cost American taxpayers if the legislation was passed and implemented.

When someone commits to a project without knowing how large it will be or what it will cost, that, IMO, is irresponsible. So it's no wonder we are in such dire financial straits.

Answer 3

They haven't because the entire US government is as corrupt as any government in the world. That said and you seeming to know everything why don't you explain it to them?

The US has been spending money like a crazy house wife with a Visa card for decades with the fantastic repayment plan of letting her kids pay the bill. Sound good...or maybe I should get into the GDP, stagflate and the Chinese holding most or your treasury Bonds and refusing to float their currency? Let me guess you don't thinks the 2.8 trillion missing from the pentagon under this administration just before 9/11 means anything. But you would call me little people? Get your head out of the sand bro, people like you really weaken the US.

Answer 4

There's been national debt since WWII. However, Bush's war spendings severely exacerbated the debt, on top of that we've made little progress in Iraq. Alone, Bush has created over $3 trillion dollars in debt. Clinton made only about $1 trillion in debt--no comparison there. The national debt was far less when Democrats were in office, as can be seen by the graphs.

Thanks to Bush's war, the nation is still paying through their noses for a war that is making little progress.

Answer 5

Are this all liberals too?I don't think so.Liberals understand and conservatives with a clue agree.
Conservative economist Bruce Bartlett accused President Bush of "bankrupting" America and betraying the Reagan legacy in an interview on PBS's Tavis Smiley Show.
A domestic policy adviser to President Ronald Reagan and a treasury official under President George H.W. Bush, Bartlett assailed Bush's "big government conservatism" and said he was surprised at Bush's policies, despite his campaign pledge to be a "compassionate conservative."
"In 2000 I thought that was election year rhetoric," said Bartlett. "I didn't think it meant anything. I learned the hard way as a lot of us did what he really meant it when he talked about compassionate conservatism."
When asked how the current President Bush compared to his father, Bartlett responded, "If I didn't know with a certainty they were related, I wouldn't think that they were."
Bartlett also argued that current conservative fiscal rhetoric regarding supply-side economics is outdated. "We have a completely different economic situation, completely different fiscal and tax situation and I think people are still using rhetoric that was appropriate at one time for a situation that in which it is no longer appropriate."
Bartlett was also not optimistic about the remainer of Bush's term.
"I think we are on automatic pilot," said Bartlett. "Very few administrations do much of anything the last year and a half in office. I think the best thing we can hope for is a new president who will take America in a different direction."
Patrick Buchanan says there is no conservative party in Washington. Instead there is a Republican party of big business, big government and big war

Answer 6

Matt once again you have shown you really don't understand what you're talking about. You meed to ask your AWOL Bushie why he gave tax refunds specifically due to the fact there was a huge surplus.

Where are all the academic elite of Republican party? Why haven't they done a good job of explaining to the little folk what is really going on?

Answer 7

OK you win. President Bush has done an excellent job and is pulling in record amounts of tax dollars because of his tax cuts. When the xanax wears off and the blinders come off, tell me what you really think.

Answer 8

Thanks for your degree in GOP economics. Go back to Reagan years of national debts. Bush one "read my lips no new taxes" and his failure with the economy stupid. Clinton years of economic growth and yes surplus spent by GWB.

Might ask who paying for this war? The American taxpayers and there great great grand children. Only president to give tax cut to the rich and powerful in war. Way go GWB.

Answer 9

No matter how much it is exactly, it is WAY more than it should have been over the last 6 years. No in depth explanation will change that fact.

Answer 10

Thank you Mr Cheyney, but the fact is our Grandchildren will be paying off the money Trillions of taxpayer dollars that the bush administration has transferred to Defense Contractors.

Answer 11

I think the "liberals" are just citing the numbers released by the GAO and the Fed. You, on the other hand, are pretending that the true numbers are your exclusive knowledge. Since you don't provide them here, they're hard to dispute. I think I'll stick with the ones the government publishes.