Why do the Bush Bashers and National debt Folks fail to mention?

Question

that the terrorist attacks of 9/11 cost our economy a minimum of $500 billion including $150 billion in reduced GDP. This does not include the cost of fighting the war on terrorism. The cost for that is approximately 3% of GDP versus approximately 10% GDP during the height of the Cold War. Considering two years ago our nation endured its largest attack at the heart of its financial center, as well as an expensive war on terrorism, two tax cuts and numerous corporate scandals,

A 3.5% deficit in GDP does not seem unreasonable and on a percentage basis is still lower than we’ve seen in 20 years.

sorry not "two years ago" I co-joined two paragraphs into one and screwed up a bit

Blue ridge
We complain about the price of gas... perhaps because we buy so much of it. But compared to either 1962 or 1972, it is a bargain. Hmmmm, there's some food for thought, huh?

Answer 1

all this spending on war with a congress controlled by the democrats. the spending bills , last i heard, had to go through the congress.

Answer 2

Two years ago? 9/11 was 5 years ago.

Also, the economy did take a hit over 9/11, you are correct. However, based on that figure alone we should not be in the financial trouble we are in.

Answer 3

George Bush has almost doubled the National Debt. It is now over nine trillion dollars. 500 billion is a drop in the bucket compared to the debt he's racked up.

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of
$1.44 billion per day since September 29, 2006!

Trickle down economics has been completely discredited.

http://www.lafn.org/politics/gvdc/Natl_Debt_Chart.html
http://brillig.com/debt_clock/

Answer 4

Oh, OK then. So now that we have your directive to dismiss responsibility for economic hell on "extraneous factors" then that lets Carter off the hook for "double digit inflation" which is all I've heard from you people about Carter.

After all, if he had invaded a sovereign Mid East nation like bush did, we wouldn't have had gas shortages, now would we?
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No, I do not complain about the price of gas. As far as I'm concerned, we should be paying double or triple what we are currently paying. Only then will the lazy, stupid, Hummer/SUV-driving American start screaming about Alternative Energy.

I only use the gas queue as a point because I have read thousands of posts complaining about Carter and gas lines from YOU people.

Same reasoning: if you are not going to blame bush for this disastrous economy because of "extraneous occurrences" then you cannot blame Carter for gas lines and shortages.

See?

Answer 5

Cutting revenues while facing increased expenses makes no sense. Bush’s approach to the budget, the deficits and the debt has been irresponsible and profligate. The theories that Bush advocates have never been shown to work and this was hardly the time to test them.

Answer 6

The Debt has gone up almost $4,000,000,000,000 (trillion!) during Bush's term.

Assuming that every penny of the costs you give are accurate, that means Bush and the Republican congress have increased the debt 3.5 trillion more than the cost of the war.

Answer 7

Was GDP a recent talking point on Fox or something?

Answer 8

The conclusion is that this economy can indeed be wounded but can never be destroyed by an external attack.

The far more dangerous threat is the bashers who deny it.

The prime fuel of the US economy is attitude not mechanism.
The mechanism has demonstrated that it is sound and resilient.
The attitude is fragile and under attack by depressing ignorant, frightened little people.

"The only thing we have to fear, is FEAR itself"

Answer 9

nice strawman argument. poor math, but nice strawman.

I bet your next argument will be, that falling American dollar will make it easier to pay that deficit.

Answer 10

Uh, that $500 Billion (otherwise known as HALF A TRILLION DOLLARS) was a "minimum" estimate. Revised estimated peg the costs closer to SIX Trillion dollars, including Homeland Security's budget, increased intel gathering spending ($42 Billion last year, more this year) the Iraq War, the Afghanistan War, the "War on Terror", the costs to illegally keep, interrogate and torture "suspects", etc. The increased military costs of retention bonuses and training additional troops to serve in Iraq, the additional equipment, the civillian contracts (Halliburton's $4 Billion invoice is only ONE example- we are literally spending money in Iraq faster than we can borrow it from Communist China).

You also seem to be forgetting the $1 trillion Bush gave the Airline Industry after Sept 11, 2001 (OVER SIX YEARS AGO, this is not for you Thor, I know you know when the Towers were attacked) because no one wanted to fly (understandably) and they were going to declare bankruptcy. What airline CEOs did was to use the tragedy of the attacks to force unions to accept paycuts and fewer benefits, and then awarded themselves hundreds of millions in bonuses. Did the US taxpayer ever get that money back? Are the workers being fairly compensated for THEIR employment?

(The answer you're looking for is "no".)

How about the $800 Million in CASH sent over to Iraq to "grease wheels" and "pay service fees (bribes)"? 40 cargo carriers full of $100 bills, and absolutely no oversight, just grab what you need and don't worry about receipts?

What are we to make of the $1.4 TRILLION dollars the Defense Dept reported (coincidently, on Sept 11, 2001) as MISSING and unrecoverable from THEIR coffers?

And shouldn't we count in the taxpayer funded subsidies Big Oil has enjoyed the last 6 years? Hundreds of Millions of dollars to expand refinery capacity, when Big Oil has already announced that, because people are buying hybrids and using less energy, they have no intention of EVER expanding refinery capacity. Shouldn't we get THAT money back as well?

You can keep frosting that dog turd Thor, but it's never going to be a cupcake.
$9,000,000,000,000 and not one FOOT of fencing has been erected on our borders, after 6 years.
Osama bin Laden is still at large and apparently free to make as many videos as he wants.
The Taliban (you remember THEM, don't you? We used to consider them terrorists: This week, who knows?) are still in control of major areas of Afghanistan.
No nuclear weapons or fissible material found anywhere in Iraq.
More than 3/4s of the Iraqi population want US forces OUT of Iraq (if they are a democratic, sovereign nation, why doesn't THEIR leadership listen to the will of THEIR people, thank the US for its sacrifices, thanks for removing Hussein, but it's up to Iraq to lead itself from this point on?), so why don't we accomodate them?

And what has IRAQ gotten for all that money? Coalition forces control approximately 30% of just BAGHDAD, after 4 years of death and missing limbs. Apparently the Iraqi Army is completely incapable of the job they SAID they could do, as it has been YEARS since training began and they STILL don't have a clue.

The Iraqi leadership takes month-long breaks (at an average 3 US soldier deaths per day in Iraq), that's a solid ONE HUNDRED men and women who will not be coming back to the US in anything but a pine box, while Iraqi leaders "vacation" , needing a break from not accomplishing even one of the benchmarks they AGREED to achieve.

No electricity, no running water, hell, the OIL aint even flowing yet and it's been FOUR YEARS. Does Bush and his underlings really think the American people would just KEEP pouring money into a hole in Iraq, with no appreciable results?

Especially when women are bleeding to death in Los Angeles emergency rooms for lack of health insurance, kids are dying in the US RIGHT NOW of malnutrition, and a whole new generation of uneducated (ya can't go to public school in the US, if you don't have a permanent mailing address) homeless kids are waiting to work the fryers and Walmarts and shovels so you and I can sit here and bicker. (BTW, I have mowed lawns and picked oranges in Arizona, not to mention construction and the US Army: seriously, what is the most physically demanding job you've ever had? I sincerely doubt, it was pushing a mower for 14 hours a day in 110 degree heat, for $4.50 an hour and no benefits).

Our bridges, levies and schools are falling apart. Homeless shelters and schools for homeless children are closing for lack of government funding. The poor pay more for everything because their dollar is worth less and the rich don't care, because they already have more than they need to survive. Those whose unemployment benefits expire are not counted in US Dept of Labor Unemployment Statistics, but it is estimated only 1 in 35 who stopped receiving benefits stopped because they gained employment worth as much or MORE than the benefits they received, so claims of 4.5% unemployment are dangerously incorrect and not a true indicator of this nation's job situation.

-ETSing soldiers are not considered unemployed and you will NOT be eligible for unemployment benefits when you ETS (the Army doesn't pay Unemployment Insurance).
-Prisoners are not considered part of the group who is unemployed, even though they are not employed and number more 1.5 million US citizens.
Anyone out of work longer than 6 months (the maximum Unemployment benefit period) is not counted as out of work. If you count EVERYONE who COULD work but cannot because no employment is available in their area, or they are working parttime with no benefits and the Unemployment rate in the US is much closer to 10% than 4%/ hat's 30 million people in the US without employment which will offer them a decent living and a chance for promotion, for their hard work and dedication.
And even if you FIND a job such as that, you have no guarantee that, after giving your entire life to them in service, they won't gut your pension and embezzle your 401K.

Not to mention you are only referring to the NATIONAL Debt. That Nine Trillion is just what AMERICA owes the banks, at the FEDERAL level. When you count what the STATES owe and then what AMERICANS owe the world, money wise, that deficit turns into:

FORTY-FOUR TRILLION DOLLARS.

How are we EVER gonna get out from under all this debt? I'm asking YOU Thor; Your party got us into this mess, how do you propose to get us OUT of it? More tax cuts? Borrow MORE money wee cannot pay back? Wait until we have another "economic adjustment", (otherwise known a s a 'Depression'?)

This is exactly why the Canadian dollar is valued higher than the US dollar right now. What's next? How much further can the dollar plunge? Will the PESO be more valuable? The LIRE? The YEN?

Has it occurred to any of Bush's supporters yet WHY it's a bad idea to let someone who bankrupted every company he ever ran, have access to unlimited power and wealth, especially with no oversight? Why not just hand him a coke spoon and set him loose in Columbia?

And while we argue and debate, (and call each other "mean spirited" when real argument wont work anymore) the money just keeps going out. Over $600 Billion so far for a "war" which wasn't supposed to cost the taxpayers one thin dime, or, at the most, $87 Billion.

Why on earth would a US President decide the needs of the Iraqi people are more important to him than the people who actually HIRED him to make their lives easier?