What Happened to Cutting The Debt?

Good question. Unfortunately, it seems like social issues are going to determine how people choose to vote on the Republican side of the aisle. Democratic, obviously, will swing for Obama. But in 2016, I'm sure their side of the aisle will still go for the big-spending, big-government values they hold near and dear. Our debt problem isn't a big enough problem for people to realize it's a problem. A lot of individuals in America who are poor and struggling look at rich people as to why that has happened, and then to politicians to make it all better with more spending and more regulations. A lot who do realize that we're over 14 trillion in debt don't view debt as a problem whatsoever. It's nothing taxing people can't fix. It's nothing that some infrastructure spending won't fix. It's not like it's real money actually owed to anyone. It has been happening for decades. It exploded exponentially under Bush II, and Obama is Bush II x10 squared in terms of his willingness to spend. And this is just the face on the postage stamp of America. The lobbying isn't calming down. The unions aren't going anywhere. Government will continue to grow in size (that 1,000 position cut is a smoke screen that will ultimately result in an ironic 10,000 new positions opening to train government employees how to be more efficient). My brother made a bold prediction the other week. He said that when America crashes and teachers, fire fighters, police, government workers, and big-wig privateers go belly up, it'll be the Wal-Mart cashier and the Burger King fry cook in the best position to scrape through -- jobs thought undesirable by a spoiled generation who would rather camp in tents, mooching off of any and everyone, rather than start at such a position. We look at money like it's something we're owed just for living; like it's meaningless to owe anyone else. But when it finally hits the fan, there won't be a dry eye in the house.

Actually, no, the most important task of the Administration wasn't cutting the national debt it was creating jobs and getting the economy growing again. Most economists will tell you when you're in or just coming out of a recession it's not the time for massive spending cuts. Growth of the economy will automatically bring in moire revenue which can then be used to cut the deficit and pay down the debt. I realize it would have been better for the GOP if the American auto industry would have been allowed to wither and die and millions of people put out of work but fortunately that didn't happen. George W. Bush's wars were "off-budget" so it didn't show up in the deficit while he was in office. Annie

Anyone not calling for audits and investigations into the total misuse of federal money cannot call themselves rational human beings.

Three things: 1). It is an election year. 2). They forgot about the debt and hope we did too. 3). They never intended to actually cut it....only to spend more, but wanted us to think otherwise. It is nothing but a bunch more political rhetoric that we don't need. Though we should expect it.

I do in fact wonder as well. That did seem to be the huge talking point over the Summer of 2011. Deadline coming, deadline coming, something has to occur, and then eventually it seemed to just hit a wall and few people seem to be talking about it. It was such a hot button event that was made out to be a dire situation(as it was) and now it just seems like it was swept under the rug. Obviously this is how we got in debt in the first place, by sweeping these various obvious things under the rug and it is just a matter of time before the other shoe will drop.