[the_devils_advocate_666]

My liberal brother told me over Thanksgiving that Bill Clinton had a balanced budget and the deficit was in decline during his terms. Is that true?

[Nephi]

My liberal brother told me over Thanksgiving that Bill Clinton had a balanced budget and the deficit was in decline during his terms. Is that true?

He was drug, kicking and screaming to the table for a balanced budget, which the Republicans made an issue for the '94 campaign cycle. If memory serves, this followed on the heals of Hillary's attempt to commandeer the nations medical system. In the months long negotiation process, Clinton memorably said that the budget could be balanced in , 5 years, 7 years or 9 years, depending on what his mood was on the particular day.

Once the GOP took over the majority (thanks Perot voters) and enacted their reforms, the deficit began to drop quicker than predicted. Newt also suffered politically during this time. This was when the government was shut down while Clinton and Newt had a stand off. The media had a field day, spotlighting all of the people harmed by the government shutdown, which of course, they blamed solely on Newt. In my view, Newt caved right as public opinion started to figure out what was really going on.

So, the next time your brother brings it up, I would simply ask him if he is suggesting that the balanced budget was Clinton's inititative and then sit back and watch the stutter fest.

[Bernard]

The last time the national debt decreased from year to year was the year ending 12/31/1960, Dwight Eisenhower's last year as President. Since then, the national debt has increased every year.

You can view the historical tables at treasury.gov, or just google "national debt history".