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To: Ol' Sparky
You forget, or at least don't mentions, 8 years under the Clinton liberal treachery. Why?

My point is that liberal influence has been creeping in and taking out our country's core and core values for decades. It will take decades of concentrated, focused committment and patience to turn that around in a lasting way.

Than America was attacked. And nothing was or will ever be exactly the same again. Perhaps this explanation from John Barry, Chief Economist from the Tax Foundation, about the 04 budget will provide you some explanations and accurate comparisons.

The President’s FY2004 Budget in Perspective

President Bush’s fiscal year 2004 budget, released yesterday by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), requests $2.2 trillion in total spending and anticipates $1.9 trillion in total receipts. In other terms, based on administration forecasts, federal spending will be 19.7 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and receipts will total 17.0 percent of GDP in fiscal year 2004. Spending of $2.2 trillion represents a 2.2 percent increase over the administration’s most recent estimates for the current fiscal year and a 25.3 percent increase compared to a decade ago, fiscal year 1994, after adjusting for inflation. The $1.9 trillion in anticipated collections represents a 2.7 percent increase over the administration’s most recent estimate for the current fiscal year and a 25.5 percent increase compared to a decade ago. Figure 1 shows federal outlays and receipts as a percentage of GDP since 1940.

The administration’s budget shows a current year (fiscal year 2003) net deficit of $304.2 billion and a net deficit of $307.4 billion in fiscal year 2004. The budget shows continued deficits through at least 2008. The deficits over this period will increase outstanding debt held by the public from an estimated $3.9 trillion at the end of fiscal year 2003 to an estimated $5.0 trillion in 2008. Measured as a percentage of GDP, debt held by the public is expected to decline from 36.1 percent of GDP at the end of fiscal year 2003 to 36.4 percent of GDP at the end of fiscal year 2008.

It is important to put the current budget proposal into historical context. To do so, it is necessary to translate current spending and revenue proposals into real terms either by adjusting for inflation or by expressing the proposal in terms of the broader economy. Looking merely at the budget in nominal terms that do not account for inflation or economic growth is misleading and inaccurate. The table below contains information about the current budget in the context of the post-World War II era and the past three administrations. Highlights include:

The President’s budget proposes spending $390.4 billion on defense related activities in FY 2004. This amounts to 17.5 percent of all spending and 3.5 percent of GDP.

-This level is roughly the same as defense spending was in 1996, which amounted to 17.0 percent of all federal spending and 3.5 percent of GDP.

-Defense spending in 1987, the height of the Reagan build up, was 28.1 percent of all federal spending and 6.1 percent of GDP.

The President’s budget proposes a fiscal year 2004 budget deficit of $307.4 billion, which is 13.8 percent of all spending and 2.8 percent of GDP.

-This level is roughly the same as the deficit was in 1994, which amounted to 13.9 percent of all spending and 2.9 percent of GDP.

-Deficit spending in 1983, the highest point during the Reagan administration, was 25.7 percent of all spending and 6.0 percent of GDP.

A chart is included but I'm unable to link it here for some reason. A link to the article can be found here.

Prairie

286 posted on 02/01/2004 5:58:40 AM PST by prairiebreeze (WMD's in Iraq -- The absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence.)
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To: prairiebreeze
Yikes more coffee needed. Sorry for the typos

Prairie
290 posted on 02/01/2004 6:08:10 AM PST by prairiebreeze (WMD's in Iraq -- The absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence.)
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To: prairiebreeze
The principles of limited government have been shaping public policy since Reagan left office. It was one of the reasons a balance budget was actually achieved in the 1990s.

Bush is the one shaping the Republican party into one of big government. He's the one strong-arming his own party into huge expansions of government, like the Medicare prescription plan, not seen since the 1960s.

344 posted on 02/01/2004 10:41:28 AM PST by Ol' Sparky
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