Our view on the federal budget: Both parties share blame as deficit soars to new heights

USA Today | 2009-10-21

[SteamShovel]

Ultimately, the blame lies with those who do not vote and those too stupid or too lazy to be informed that do vote.

This has been my belief too.

Term limits are a BandAid for a voter problem when the elected leader is bad.....

.....and a poison to the country when the leader is good.

Voters should be qualified by education, experience, and a stake in the outcome. Those who do not qualify should not be allowed to cast their vote for the best looking candidate or one who will give them the most loot.

[FredZarguna]

George Will cited the stat on the occasion of the Bush Tax cuts, arguing, I think correctly, that the way for conscientious "fiscal conservatives" like Specter, Snowe, and McCain to finance the cuts was by spending less. I can't recall his original source but it might have been Grover Norquist.

The stat, or one like it, has popped up in various forms by people who point out that as bad as deficit spending is, actually allowing Congress to raise taxes is even worse; they act as if they've taken care of the problem, so they can do even more spending.

[sickoflibs]

RE :”Considering that voters have been fed the idea that tax cuts pay for themselves it’s little surprise to find them electing irresponsible politicians.”

Only one group have voters have been fed that, most here. Others are fed stuff like “Health Insurance reform added entitlements will pay for itself and the deficit because no one will get sick anymore”.

Liberals really sound like they believe this, (even though they want higher taxes too because they say that is an investment to pay off later.) And conservatives (most here) really sound like they believe their tax cut paid for itself, while they also claim they want to starve the beast of money.

[Pelham]

Good points.

[bamahead]

...the government borrowed 40 cents in fiscal 2009 for every dollar it spent. A family can't sustain that for long, nor can a nation...



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[Landru]

Amusing comments *ping*.

Good ol' USA Today.
What would we ever do without 'em. LOL

[Pining_4_TX]

They would probably find a way around it, but the only solution I can think of is to devise a formula that computed how much spending a state’s senators vote for, and base the tax rates for the state on that. If your state votes in big-spenders, then your state’s citizens would pay a greater amount. If your state’s senators are more frugal than average, then your taxes would go down.

Well, it sounds good anyway. :-)

[gargoyle]

...Ahhhhh, Ok, so that’s what happened to the Repubs. “Drug down”...

[FBD]

How about that!
- a blind squirrel really *can* find a nut... ;^)
-and I thought it was an urban legend!

[Landru]

"-and I thought it was an urban legend!"

What?
Blind squirrels, or nuts? LOL

It's rich, isn't it?
Always after the fact, akin to Confession. LOL ;^)

[FBD]

yeah, that's rich all right!