I think the best quote from the 2006 Congressional vote to extend the budget ceiling was the following, “The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that “the buck stops here.” Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.” Too true! Barack Obama nailed it when he said that. Yeah, THAT Barack Obama, y' know the one who promised to cut the national deficit in half by the end of his first term1. Reid was adamantly against raising the debt ceiling, also2.
Of course that was when we were looking to raise the debt ceiling to a measly $9 trillion. Hm... that was also the year the liberals took over the budget. Under Obama the debt ceiling was raised to $14.3 trillion. Now in just over two years we're going to have to explore raising it again. I hope Obama and Reid remember their words. Of course those words translate into, “It's Bush's fault.” Now raising the debt ceiling will be an “investment in America”, and any conservatives that resist raising the ceiling will be guilty of hating women and children, wanting to starve old people, and being obstructionists... It does get old, does it not? Oh, and I expect to hear at least a couple Dems blaming Bush during the upcoming debt ceiling debates. Seriously, you guys are a broken record stuck on a track that no one believes or wants to hear.  |
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Finally, I don't think anyone “won” the latest budget debate. I sincerely believe there was a lot of posturing and pretense for sake of the voters. The drama was intentional and I'm fairly certain they all (Boehner, Reid, Obama) knew how last week was going to end up last Monday. Both sides failed, yet both are claiming victory. No, neither side won, but every American lost. Call your Congressmen, email them, send homing pigeons, and tell them the time to SUBSTANTIALLY cut the budget has come and gone. Let them know your vote is not guaranteed. We, the American people, upset the status quo last November. We can do it again next year. Stay informed, stay vocal and demand change!
Random thought - Brace yourself for the next round of reasons to raise taxes. Boehner is right about at least one thing, it's not a revenue problem... it's a spending problem.
1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaQUU2ZL6D8 1 minute, 30 second video
2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELkbDdPeL7I 1 minute, 59 second video
2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELkbDdPeL7I 1 minute, 59 second video
Kept telling that same piece about keeping score and voting about it to everyone here that was in full "Chicken Little" mode last week over the possible shut down.
ReplyDeleteThere is a simple and non-painful solution to reducing the budget=repeal the Bush tax cuts and have corporations pay their fair share. To really put the economy in overdrive, we need to roll the tax rates back to pre-Reagan and stop providing tax breaks to companies that send jobs overseas...in fact, ban awarding government contracts to such companies. Finally, a single-payer national health care system would enable our companies to better compete in a global market. Oh, and I almost forgot, raise the income level ceiling for contributions on SSI and put SSI in a lock box and make the governemnt stop funding wars with oyr Social Security...and pay back what they "borrowed."
ReplyDeleteTo the second anonymous poster, would you watch this and then get back to me on your "simple and non-painful solution"?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=661pi6K-8WQ