Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

To: SkyPilot

Under Bush & Congress the Deficit increased 43% in 8 years. Under Obama & Congress the Deficity doubled that of Bush’s (86%) in 4 years. If you want to fix the probem, we need to find out “what” caused this increase and address that. Not too much has really changed under Bush vs. Obama. In fact under Bush we had 9/11, a “real” war (with bombs dropped), and a hurricance that cost much more than Sandy. Sandy doesn’t even account for the 86% increase. What did Obama and Congress spend it on? They need to look that First in order to address their fiscal problems.


19 posted on 11/13/2012 10:02:48 PM PST by annajones (Please Act)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies ]


To: annajones
A very reliable source with hard data (Heritage Foundation) answers your questions:

"Federal entitlements are driving this spending growth, having increased from less than half of total federal outlays just 20 years ago to nearly 62 percent in 2012. Three major programs—Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security—dominate in size and growth, soaking up about 44 percent of the budget. All three programs are growing faster than inflation, and—when joined with $1.7 trillion in new Obamacare spending—will drain about 18.5 percent of the nation’s total economic output by mid-century. Because that is about the historical annual average of total federal tax revenue, it means all other government programs—national defense, veterans health care, transportation, federal law enforcement, and others—would effectively have to be financed on borrowed money.

Other entitlements continue growing as well. Anti-poverty programs have surged by 49 percent in just the past decade, even after adjusting for inflation. Spending for food stamps alone has more than tripled since 2002. Health programs, including Medicaid, have increased by 38 percent, and housing assistance by 48 percent. Although these entitlement programs have dominated the government’s spending growth, discretionary spending—spending authorized by annual appropriations bills—also has grown by 40 percent more than inflation, to $1.289 trillion. Spending on non-defense programs has grown 29 percent. These outlays peaked in 2010 due to the stimulus bill, but remain 7 percent higher than their pre-stimulus level of 2008.

Bear this in mind: Defense spending is the only major discretionary program that has been cut (by Billions) in the last few years. Defense spending is also at a near historic low in percentage of GNP. It is also one of the few programs actually mandated by the Constitution.


20 posted on 11/14/2012 3:37:39 AM PST by SkyPilot
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson