Today’s Register editorial reports that our national debt is now $9 trillion dollars and lays the blame squarely at the feet of President Bush and the Republicans who held ppower for that long.ÂÂ
The Register reports that the federal debt has more than doubled under Bush epxanding by about $5.6 trillion dollars.ÂÂ
I have a 2005 CNS News.com article that cites U.S. Treasury Department statistics from 1776 to 2000 that it took 224 years and 42 presidents combined to borrow $1.01 trillionfrom foreign governments and banking institutions. From 2001 to 2005, Bush borrowed $1.05 trillion. And with our national debt soaring to $9 trillion, does this mean our presdient has racked up $8 trillion in credit card debt to the Communist Chinese, the Japanese and the Saudis since taking office?
Yet the right wing blogs here continue to paint Democrats as the party of taxation and out of control spending. The first step for the GOP is to admit financial mismanagement in mortgaging America’s future. And by doing so, they have placed our freedom and liberty at risk.
The Blue Dog Coalition, a fiscal responsibility group, suggests all federal agencies pass clean audits, balanced budgets and set aside rainey day funds for natural disasters.ÂÂ
Republicans are the Party of Big Government.
That’s the biggest “duh” I’ve read in a long time. When will people stop believing the patently absurd assertion that Democrats are “tax and spend, big government” types? Clearly it’s precisely the opposite.
Oh, yes, except the Republicans don’t tax and spend, they borrow and squander.
Once again the OC Register editorial board only proves it took years for them to realize what others have been talking about for some time.
A day late and a dollar short.
As Milton Friedman once said. The true amount of taxation is the federal budget. It’s either big taxes now or bigger taxes later. The GOP has proven they are the ultimate in taxation.
Republicans have passed the biggest tax increase ever, and passed it along to our kids and grandkids, and they lie shamelessly about it.
Not one of these liars ever explains how they’re going to pay for the wars that they keep expanding.
I’m glad that the Register is showing some minor consistency, finally, but it’s probably part of the idea that we just haven’t been good Republicans.
But you have to post stuff like this or Reeps keep believing their own BS; these guys are the true wasteful spenders and it needs to be spelled out in a regular basis.
Oh and the last president who cut the budget deficit and reduced the size of the federal government — Bill Clinton.
Thanks for posting the edit, Dan! All I can say to Aunt Millie is geeesh. Minor consistency? We’ve been bashing Bush and the war and his wild spending for years now. We will soon enough be bashing Hillary and her wild-spending proposals. We are perfectly consistent, as we criticize Republicans AND Democrats who love to spend our money on their priorities.
Steve —
The Register’s editorial pages have been critical of Bush and Republicans in the past and we note that by posting your editorial here. But I think we’ll all fall outof our chairs when you guys actual praise a Democrat for anything.
Dan:
Criticism of Republicans is easy, but you want PRAISE for Democrats now! That’s asking a lot. I have praised some Democrats for some specific policies (Gloria Romero and Mark Leno for their work on police issues and open government), Lou Correa for various pro-taxpayer and pro-property-rights positions he has taken. You can easily find those examples.
But we rarely have reason to praise Democrats because they almost always advocate the wrong policies, from our perspective. Dems almost always want bigger government. Even when they’re right — i.e., on the war now, even though most of them supported it in the beginning — they lack the courage of their convictions. There’s not much to praise in their handling of this important matter. They could end the war by ending its funding, you know, but they have their lame excuses.
Our philosophy is a pox on both their houses. You know that.
Steven
Dan,
Never mind big government, in Orange County the Republicans are now known for pendejo government. The litany of disaster is a mile long and growing…Chriss Street, Mike Carona, the John Urell Amigos, the defeat of Measure D…need I go on?
Nationally the GOP is as big a mess as they are in Orange County. No matter how you slice it, I think the White House will be going blue next year.
However, as I have pointed out on my blog, the Democrats are not without guilt here in Orange County. Your party chairman, Frank Barbara, endorsed Carona, as did his client, Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido, and OC Clerk/Recorder Tom Daly and State Senator Lou Correa. They all should have known better. Don’t they read the OC Weekly and the LA Times?
As Greenhut pointed out, your party owns Congress, but doesn’t seem to know what to do with it. Be honest with me now Dan…your congressional leaders are LAME!
Small wonder that nutty Republican Ron Paul just pulled in over four million in one day of online fundraising. The people of this country are thirsty for any kind of change.
So I must agree with Greenhut…a pox on both their houses! DTS is the way to go…
Art —
Where to start.
The Democrats have a small majority in Congress and a Razor thin one in the Senate. We cannot easily override a presidential veto and we don’t have a filibuster-proof majority. With Republicans blocking meaningful pieces of legislation, it isn’t easy to make the changes we want to but at least now there is oversight and not a rubber stamp.
With all the Republicans in the House and Senate retiring next year, the National GOP is going to have to spend a ton of money. Dems stand to gain a number of seats in the House and Senate in 2008; I predict Hillary Clinton will have big coattails (or a big black hem on her dress to carry a new and stroing Democratic supermajority in the House and Senate.
Say it Art: “President Hillary Clinton.” Say this: “Senator Al Franken” and say this “Private Citizen Tom McClintock.” It just rolls off the tongue.
As far as the county goes, Dems still trail Republican registration. We are making solid gains but it is a revolution that will takes longer to complete than I’d like. But I will point to the success of Progressive Democrats in Irvine. We have a safe city with excellent schools (in spite of the lack of support from our state legislative leaders); an economy with 3.5 jobs to every household. Our parks and transportation are outstanding. Perhaps other cities in OC could follow the lead of Irvine and show how progressive politics affects positive change.
For all the hoopla Ron Paul is raising, he doesn’t register more than 5 percent in national polls; even our “lesser” candidates seem to raise more money than he does. He raised $4 million in a day? Big deal; he trails Hillary and Obama by millions. Heck I think Dennis Kucinich could kick his butt.
Dan,
I agree with you. Hillary does appear destined to become our next President. I suppose she can’t be any worse than GW has been. Franken would be an interesting Senator. And McClintock is destined to join a think tank.
The success of the Democrats in Irvine is undermined by the absolute failure of the Democrats in Santa Ana. That failure has been aided and abetted by your party, specifically your Chairman, who continues to shill for Pulido and his cabal. You guys really need to do something about these fake Democrats! They are making your party look bad.
As for your final statement, I think that Kucinich is the most intelligent candidate your party has to offer. I don’t know that he would kick Paul’s butt. In fact I think they would agree on a lot of things. They certainly appear to agree that we ought to pull out of Iraq.
The Democratic voters in Santa Ana have all the power to change the staus quo no matter what rthe chairman says
Where have all of the Eisenhower and Goldwater Republicans gone?
Oro — I’d like to know the answer to that question too; that version of the Republican Party knew how to work with Democrats and vice versa to compromise and move the country forward.