Ahhh...no, not quite Wyatt.
I think your missing the point, what you cite are budgeted costs as causes. The GAO takes Medicare and all those other goodies you mention into consideration. There may be slippage, there always is, but appropriations are made for those expenditures.
But when you are talking about increases in borrowing in excess of planned receipts, and unappropriated expenses, which triggers increases in Nat Debt...then one must look to "unbudgeted, unappropriated, expenditures" and how "governmental" accounting funds them, and thus Congress must borrow.
Nat. Gov. spending over the last three years has indeed increased in regard expense that lacked appropriation, which incidentally was for the WOT in 03 (not appropriated in '02 budget), and only partially appropriated in 03' for 04, due to how the budgetary process works for the Nat. Gov (the lag effect)...Expenses for the WOT have averaged about 350-400 billion a (YEAR)...what's 3X that Wyatt? (A drop in the bucket huh?) Well..it's money well spent.
Well, I agree, a trillion dollars over three years in regards to the size of our Economy (and Nat. Gov. Budget) is a drop in the Bucket.
As a side note, and in regard to what you cite as a cause, Congress has often robbed the Social Securtiy fund for appropriations...since as of now, it is fully funded....but projections have this going south in a couple of decades, thus congress will (unless benefits are cut or something else is changed)...will have to borrow for this with public debt at some point in the future.
Thanks, chief.
Yep. And they started out with a $236B surplus. Is it your position that $114B-$164B absolutely could not be cut from the budget to fund the WOT? With Republicans in control of the Congress and White House? No way?
The budget went from +$236B to -$318B, for a difference of $554B in total increased spending. Basically, when Bush, et al, took office, they increased spending to swallow up the surplus. That was irresponsible.
They had an opportunity to reduce the national debt, and instead they increased spending on socialist programs, and increased gov't bureaucracy. When the WOT began, they did not decrease spending to make up the difference and get back to at least a balanced budget. This is not a fiscally conservative administration.