Replies

I have to add that expenditures MUST also be cut drastically so we can payoff the MONSTER National Debt that is looming large. None of our current politicians wants to even acknowledge it but it's going to bite us eventually.

The budget deficit is a legitimate problem. But not in the issue of manufactures. This position of yours prompted me to remember someone else's post who also pointed out something contrary to such assumptions--even though the U.S. national budgetary deficit was reduced and went into the surplus column during Clinton's presidencey...this same problem of manufacturing decline and the trade deficit ballooning was unabated during his terms. Based on your position, the trade deficit should have abated during the latter Clinton years. It did not. Instead it continued to grow.

The budget deficit is a legitimate problem. But not in the issue of manufacture(r)s.

I simply added that spending reduction statement because as soon as I mentioned cutting taxes, I figured some Bush Basher would come in and say "AHHA, your boy Bush is spending like a liberal!!" My point was NOT to link the budget deficit to the loss of manufacturing jobs. Although, if spending keeps going up, it gives the Liberals the argument FOR raising taxes which will then have a negative effect on stateside manufacturing jobs. So my point could be validated that way. I was trying to cut the Bush bashers off at the pass...Forgetting that someone could come to your conclusion. Damned if I do & Damned if I don't...Oh well.

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Based on your position, the trade deficit should have abated during the latter Clinton years. It did not. Instead it continued to grow.

Now that's something I did NOT say. My theory is that if you reduce taxes and regulations, the trade deficit will go down by default because companies will move manufacturing back where there really want it anyway...the US of A. There simply would not be an incentive to move a process to another country. And there would be strong incentive to come home.

Neither taxes nor regulations were reduced during the Clintoon years. The exact opposite happened. Clintoon proudly points to his raising of taxes in '93. The truth is that Federal taxes just didn't go up as much as Clintoon would have caused had he not had a Republican Congress to stop him in his tracks. I shudder to think what would have happened to our manufacturing base if Hellary had gotten her way with Health Care. Don't forget that Clintoon added regulations he knew he couldn't get through Congress by way of the Executive Order. Bush has reversed many of his EO's over the past 3 years.

223- there was no surplus under xlinton, except a surplus of lies:

The Debt To the Penny
Current Amount

12/31/2003 $7,001,312,247,818.28

Current
Month

12/30/2003 $6,915,186,083,875.25
12/29/2003 $6,916,516,664,113.52
12/26/2003 $6,915,121,384,308.12
12/24/2003 $6,927,206,071,138.91
12/23/2003 $6,930,329,859,205.35
12/22/2003 $6,923,902,827,390.09
12/19/2003 $6,921,782,749,480.24
12/18/2003 $6,922,308,687,684.80
12/17/2003 $6,932,242,837,786.48
12/16/2003 $6,937,495,551,032.68
12/15/2003 $6,935,737,372,166.94
12/12/2003 $6,939,710,592,770.24
12/11/2003 $6,939,621,502,947.36
12/10/2003 $6,936,475,127,245.87
12/09/2003 $6,940,395,230,585.36
12/08/2003 $6,940,376,825,298.36
12/05/2003 $6,937,966,948,177.28
12/04/2003 $6,939,572,558,142.72
12/03/2003 $6,936,234,103,128.50
12/02/2003 $6,918,260,082,500.99
12/01/2003 $6,914,406,243,287.65

Prior
Months

12/31/2003 $7,001,312,247,818.28
11/28/2003 $6,925,065,499,881.34
10/31/2003 $6,872,675,839,106.67

Prior Fiscal
Years

09/30/2003 $6,783,231,062,743.62
09/30/2002 $6,228,235,965,597.16
09/28/2001 $5,807,463,412,200.06
09/29/2000 $5,674,178,209,886.86
09/30/1999 $5,656,270,901,615.43
09/30/1998 $5,526,193,008,897.62
09/30/1997 $5,413,146,011,397.34
09/30/1996 $5,224,810,939,135.73
09/29/1995 $4,973,982,900,709.39
09/30/1994 $4,692,749,910,013.32
09/30/1993 $4,411,488,883,139.38
09/30/1992 $4,064,620,655,521.66
09/30/1991 $3,665,303,351,697.03
09/28/1990 $3,233,313,451,777.25
09/29/1989 $2,857,430,960,187.32
09/30/1988 $2,602,337,712,041.16
09/30/1987 $2,350,276,890,953.00

SOURCE: BUREAU OF THE PUBLIC DEBT

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Updated January 2, 2004