One needs to first ask who's really to blame for the deficit. The answer is any President and/ or Congress which did not maintain a balanced budget by failing to pay their bills, that's who. The President was quick to remind us last night that "the deficit was on track to top $1 trillion the year I took office". You want to blame Bush for that, you go ahead. But any spending or increased debt after you took office, Mr. President, is on your watch and is your responsibility, baby! Instead of paying off our debt AT THAT TIME, which you had the opportunity to do, the money was instead spent elsewhere on an unprecedented spending binge, a massive health care bill that most Americans never asked for and a ‘stimulus’ bill that backfired miserably producing further unemployment instead of jobs.
Two and a half years later you are just NOW realizing that if we stay on the current path, our growing debt could cost us jobs and do serious damage to the economy?? You used the future tense here, Mr. President, as though serious damage to the economy has not yet occurred. How can the most powerful person in the world be so out of touch in regard to the state of the Union. I am afraid for the futures of my children as well as yours.
As the country goes down the tubes financially, know that Mr. Obama wants a government that lives within its means, but right now there are far more important things to pay for – things like new roads and bridges; weather satellites and food inspection; services to veterans and medical research. Vitally important things like that. As the President said: "Understand – raising the debt ceiling does not allow Congress to spend more money." Yet every time they raise it, THEY SPEND MORE MONEY!
The President is asking you all to make your voice heard regarding a balanced approach to reducing the deficit by letting your Member of Congress know. Have you no shame, Mr. President? Now you want the American people to bail you out of your spending addiction. Yes, make phone calls, but let those calls echo the statement of John Boehner who also spoke last night:
The solution to this crisis is not complicated: if you’re spending more money than you’re taking in, you need to spend less of it.
Simple stuff, that Economics 101. Contact your member of Congress and ask them:"If the debt ceiling is raised, do you promise to spend less?"
Obama was quite accurate when he said: History is scattered with the stories of those who held fast to rigid ideologies and refused to listen to those who disagreed. Yea, like in 2009 when by a 227-196 vote, the House affirmed Democrats' plans to move health care legislation under rules that block Republicans in the Senate from being able to slow — or even stop — it from proceeding. If you're gonna preach it, then live it!
So what have the Republicans done? Boehner summed it up this way: And over the last six months, we’ve done our best to convince the president to partner with us to do something dramatic to change the fiscal trajectory of our country. . .something that will boost confidence in our economy, renew a measure of faith in our government, and help small businesses get back on track.
Spending what remains of our life savings, 401k's and our children's future will not accomplish this, Mr. President. Your tax increases are destroying jobs. Simply put, the jobs and savings of too many Americans are at stake. STOP THE SPENDING and save a country!
James Richardson
