State of the Union Address

AGDee · #1 01-28-2010, 10:48 PM

What frustrates me is that during the GW's second run for President, they talked down the national debt as if it were no big deal. Now that it's a Dem in office running it up, it's suddenly a major deal again.

I'm not as upset about spending in general, but what things the money is spent ON. I keep hearing that Dems are tax and spend, but I've had a bigger tax cut through the stimulus package than I did through Bush's tax cuts all put together. It's all a bunch of rhetoric. They all spend more money than we have, just like most of our citizens are doing.

I would love for someone to stand up and point out the obvious: If you spend beyond your means, it is a problem. Whether it's the country, a business or individual citizens. GET OUT OF DEBT people. Do NOT mortgage your house to 100%+ equity. Equity in your home does not equal free money. This country is so incredibly wasteful and greedy. Everybody wants to have it all and we want it right now. If we were ALL more responsible, we wouldn't be in this mess.

ASTalumna06 · #2 01-29-2010, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AGDee

I would love for someone to stand up and point out the obvious: If you spend beyond your means, it is a problem. Whether it's the country, a business or individual citizens. GET OUT OF DEBT people. Do NOT mortgage your house to 100%+ equity. Equity in your home does not equal free money. This country is so incredibly wasteful and greedy. Everybody wants to have it all and we want it right now. If we were ALL more responsible, we wouldn't be in this mess.

Exactly.

And Obama VERY BRIEFLY mentioned this, and basically said that people need to be more educated about how they're spending their money... yet he proposed no ideas as to how to make that happen.

I feel as though, as a country, we are generally pretty clueless when it comes to economics and how to handle major financial decisions. Someone needs to work to fix that.

KSigkid · #3 01-29-2010, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AGDee

What frustrates me is that during the GW's second run for President, they talked down the national debt as if it were no big deal. Now that it's a Dem in office running it up, it's suddenly a major deal again.

I'm not as upset about spending in general, but what things the money is spent ON. I keep hearing that Dems are tax and spend, but I've had a bigger tax cut through the stimulus package than I did through Bush's tax cuts all put together. It's all a bunch of rhetoric. They all spend more money than we have, just like most of our citizens are doing.

I'm not sure who "they" are, but, again, there are a lot of conservatives who are pretty upset with the way that Bush ran up the national debt and the way he spent. And, as I've said before on this board, if the Dems actually ran a credible candidate that year (instead of Kerry, who's not even a good Senator), then that election could have been a whole different story.

As far as hearing that Dems are "tax and spend," well that's just the stereotype that's come up over the years. Both sides put out rhetoric, it's just the name of the game. It's not like the Dems always stick to the issues and never use rhetoric.

I just wonder when people can finally acknowledge that BOTH parties do this stuff. If the health care debate has taught us anything, it's that both parties love using the moral high ground argument when it's convenient for them.

ETA: I'd also like us to stop talking about "Wall Street and Main Street." It's such a flawed concept that I don't even know where to start.

AGDee · #4 01-29-2010, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KSigkid

I'm not sure who "they" are, but, again, there are a lot of conservatives who are pretty upset with the way that Bush ran up the national debt and the way he spent. And, as I've said before on this board, if the Dems actually ran a credible candidate that year (instead of Kerry, who's not even a good Senator), then that election could have been a whole different story.

As far as hearing that Dems are "tax and spend," well that's just the stereotype that's come up over the years. Both sides put out rhetoric, it's just the name of the game. It's not like the Dems always stick to the issues and never use rhetoric.

I just wonder when people can finally acknowledge that BOTH parties do this stuff. If the health care debate has taught us anything, it's that both parties love using the moral high ground argument when it's convenient for them.

ETA: I'd also like us to stop talking about "Wall Street and Main Street." It's such a flawed concept that I don't even know where to start.

"They" were Bush administration/supporters during that election who responded when questioned on it.

I wasn't blaming one side for the rhetoric. I'm really hating the two party system that people hide behind. Instead of doing things "along party lines" and causing constant deadlock, why not take each issue individually and deal with it individually according to what the majority of the constituents in your area believe in. Are we really "of the people, by the people, and for the people" here or are we "of the party, by the party and for the party"? It feels like the latter.

I agree about Main Street and Wall Street too.

AGDee · #5 01-30-2010, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimano

Weak reasoning. Obama has a much larger deficit than Bush.

Not yet, but if it continues at the same rate, he will.

Psi U MC Vito · #6 01-30-2010, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimano

Not true. Obama has a larger deficit than Bush.

Actually Obama has a larger deficit in ONE year than Bush had in 8 years.

I call bullshit. Cite your sources.

DrPhil · #7 01-30-2010, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Psi U MC Vito

I call bullshit. Cite your sources.

Here we go again. Are you all bored? LOL

DrPhil · #8 01-30-2010, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimano

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...032100104.html

What is your interpretation of this?

DrPhil · #9 01-30-2010, 05:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimano

I will let the messiah say it for me.

Obama's your messiah? That sucks. And it sucks that you can't speak for yourself.

moe.ron · #10 02-02-2010, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shimano

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100130/..._obama_deficit

Quote:

The government reported Friday the economy grew at an annual rate of 5.7 percent in the final three months of 2009. It was the second consecutive quarter of growth and the fastest rate in more than six years.

Hmmmm

deepimpact2 · #11 02-03-2010, 07:15 PM

Quote:

What frustrates me is that during the GW's second run for President, they talked down the national debt as if it were no big deal. Now that it's a Dem in office running it up, it's suddenly a major deal again.

I agree.

Quote:

I'm not as upset about spending in general, but what things the money is spent ON. I keep hearing that Dems are tax and spend, but I've had a bigger tax cut through the stimulus package than I did through Bush's tax cuts all put together. It's all a bunch of rhetoric. They all spend more money than we have, just like most of our citizens are doing.

I would love for someone to stand up and point out the obvious: If you spend beyond your means, it is a problem. Whether it's the country, a business or individual citizens. GET OUT OF DEBT people. Do NOT mortgage your house to 100%+ equity. Equity in your home does not equal free money. This country is so incredibly wasteful and greedy. Everybody wants to have it all and we want it right now. If we were ALL more responsible, we wouldn't be in this mess.

Well said.