Posted on 08/22/2009 7:47:38 PM PDT by mukraker
Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Government is too big and it spends too much.
I know, I know. We’ve been hearing this same old refrain all of our lives. But since the Democrats seized control of the nation’s purse strings in 2007, and with Liberals now in control of both the Congress and the White House, the people we’ve chosen to govern our Republic have turned up the flames fueling this smoldering cauldron of debt even beyond maximum.
And now, on Friday August 21, the Obama White House announced that over the next ten years America will spend another $9 Trillion over and above what we collect in taxes and other payments to the federal government. This up from the $7.108 Trillion in deficit spending they had announced just weeks ago.
Maybe they haven’t heard there’s a recession?
Borrow and spend, borrow and spend. This seems to be Barack Hussein Obama’s modus operandi. And why not? It’s not his money. Besides, it’s just one more thing he can blame on President George W. Bush. Obama inherited this mess, right?
When Barack Hussein Obama became President of the United States on January 20, 2009, he assumed responsibility for all matters concerning the United States, good as well as bad. He didn’t inherit anything. Responsibility comes with the job.
On January 20, 2009, the official U.S. public debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08, according to the Bureau of the Public Debt. As of August 20, 2009, that debt has climbed to $11,720,828,555,380.16, an increase of $1,093,951,506,467.08 (more than 10%) in our national debt in just seven months.
It’s being reported that the Obama White House will lower the official deficit forecast for this fiscal year, which ends September 30, from $1.84 trillion to $1.58 trillion, after removing $250 billion that had been set aside as part of the bank bailout program. So America only spent a Trillion and a half more than we took in this year.
Let’s see. There was the $787 Billion in “stimulus;” the $700 Billion in bank bailouts, minus the $250 Billion above; there was a $410 Billion emergency supplemental spending bill; the Billions that were spent to keep GM and Chrysler out of bankruptcy (that sure worked out well, didn’t it?); oh, and let’s not forget Congress’ spending that $1 Billion + $2 Billion more for used cars, which had to then be destroyed instead of being recycled. And now those governing our Republic want to spend some $1.2 Trillion more to pay for health insurance for 50 million people.
Maybe they haven’t heard there’s a recession?
But believe it or not, President Obama is not to blame for all these reckless spending programs. Neither can we blame President Bush. No, the real blame falls squarely on the Congress of the United States.
Recall your grade school civics classes. No money is spent unless first approved by Congress. Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution says “Congress shall have power…to borrow money on the credit of the United States.” Article I, Section 9 says “No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law.”
Deficits aren’t caused by a lack of revenue; deficits are caused by overspending. Never underestimate Congress’ ability to spend your money.
When Congress spends your money it’s called appropriations. And the one person in charge of all appropriations of taxpayer money is the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Wisconsin’s 7th District Congressman Dave Obey.
In April, 1969, the first month Dave Obey was a Member of Congress, the United States spent $1,079,848,755.73 more than it took in in taxes and other receipts, although the U.S. had a year-to-date fiscal surplus of $10,887,379,725.29. In FY 1969 (which ended June 30, 1969), the U.S. had a gross public debt of $353,720,253,841.41, but for the fiscal year actually had a surplus of receipts over expenditures of $6,141,847,415.53. Democrats controlled Congress; Nixon was in the White House.
By the time the Democrats seized control of the nation’s purse strings and made Dave Obey Chairman of the Appropriations Committee on January 3, 2007, our national debt was $8,677,214,255,313.07. As of August 20, 2009 it was $11,720,828,555,380.16, an increase in deficit spending of $3,043,614,300,067.09 (more than 35%) in just over two and a half years. Thank you, Dave Obey.
Maybe he hasn’t heard there’s a recession?
I realized when I looked at those numbers, I had to spend about 5 sec reading them before I could figure out the approximate magnitude.
The numbers are so big most calculators can’t calculate them.
I did the calculations. If you lay one dollar bills end to end starting from the sun and going out into the solar system, the amount they have spent so far goes between the orbit of Mars and Jupiter. The real debt (includes all the entitlements that are due) goes beyond the orbit of Pluto. In a word this spending is ASTRONOMICAL.
I know the entitlements should be included but I had a word limit, so I had to narrow the scope of the piece.
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