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The one president who has approved debt at a faster rate than any president in US history = Barack Obama. Some say it was necessary, some say he's the poster child for compulsive spending in human history. He's the man who insisted that Congress must deficit spend this year if taxes were not raised. (Most intelligent people know that raising taxes in a bad economy isn't a common sense approach, but whatever.)
But here I am watching CNN - the second most liberal leaning new outlet behind MSNBC. Wolf Blitzer is interviewing Obama. And Wolf asks why Obama is against a Balanced Budget Amendment, and thankfully I have a DVR, so I can rewind and post exactly what he said:
Wolf: "Why don't you support a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution?" Obama: "Well (long pause) I support balancing our budget. The question is do we need to change our Constitution to do it? We didn't for a lot of years and (long pause) what we've always said is that the federal government needs as a act of last resort - if we go to war - if we've got a recession - to be able to step in a way that states or local government can't do. Wolf: "Couldn't you write the language into that so that in case of a war or an emergency there would be exceptions?" Obama: "I guess here's the question is, why can't Congress make good choices? Why can't the President and Congress working together get a handle on our debt and deficits. Why do we need to go through a Constitutional Amendment process and have a whole bunch of contortions and try to write in every single contingency that might come up instead of simply saying the same thing that people all across Iowa and all across the country do which is: You know what? Here's how much money we're bringing in and here's how much money we're spending and if it's out of balance, fix it. Wolf: "It's clear that Congress can't do that. That's why they need it - according to the argument. 74% [of Americans] according to our poll want a balanced budget amendment." Obama: "You know what? Here's my suspicion. 100% of people want Congress to act responsibly. 100% of the people want us to make sensible choices. We don't need to amend our Constitution to do that."
The rest of what Obama said was all about blaming the GOP and saying why it's all their fault. (For the record, Dems and GOP are both guilty as hell for the debt.)
Okay that's just a short bit of it. Counterpoints:
1.) This guy does realize that he's not an outsider looking in right? He realizes that he's a part of the problem doesn't he? This guy does remember signing his name to record setting deficit spending, doesn't he? Or did he forget?
2.) Obama had two years with 3 out of 3 - a Democrat President, a Democrat controlled Senate and a Democrat controlled House. They never once passed a balanced budget. No, having the "right party" in complete control doesn't fix the problem. Complete control by the Dems did exactly the opposite, and looked a helluva lot like an attempt to set an unbreakable world record. Not sure if they called Guinness yet. And they've actually taken Keynesian Economics to the greatest extreme we've ever seen and as far as I'm concerned they've completely debunked the validity of that economic theory.
3.) You don't actually need to build in "every possible contingency that might come up" into a balanced budget amendment. You just need to make it extremely difficult to deficit spend. 3/4 of the House, 3/4 of the Senate, the President declares a state of national emergency and 3/4 of State governments must approve it. If you have a real emergency, you can get all of that done in less than 24 hours. But if you are just trying to find more money to for whale reproductive research, you're never going to get it. Hey look, I just made the contingency clause of the Balanced Budget Amendment, and I didn't have to specify anything!!
4.) Unless and until I see President Obama vetoing every deficit spending measure that make it to his desk, I will continue to point out the obvious: Barack Obama is a damned hypocrite! His presidency is better at running up debt than George W or any other administration.
5.) That is exactly why we need a balanced budget amendment. Politicians will offer lip service to the idea of balancing the budget ... they just won't ever do it.
6.) Mr Obama, the thing that hasn't happened "for a lot of years" is the federal government passing a balanced budget. Only very rarely has the USA had a balanced budget since World War II. Do you really think we know how to balance a budget unless forced to?
I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm taking a stand on this issue. I will vote against anyone who stands in the way of a Balanced Budget Amendment in any way. Anyone with me?
5.) That is exactly why we need a balanced budget amendment. Politicians will offer lip service to the idea of balancing the budget ... they just won't ever do it.
Technically WE DO have a balanced budget. I know that sounds odd to hear with trillions of dollars a year in deficits but balanced budgets mean that you pay your bills. The US Government has NEVER NOT paid its bills. A balanced budget doesnt limit borrowing, it just mandates things are paid for.
The United Countries of Europe just announced that they want their countries to put balanced budget amendments into their constitutions.
Since our President likes to look to Europe for inspiration on his other policies and leadership of this country, perhaps he should consider their example.
You can probably eliminate the last option. No one is that dumb.
Also, we haven't had a budget in nearly 3 years and that is the reason I want the Constitution to say that we need a balanced one every year.
Of course, Obama has enjoyed the no budget years but he is wrong to say that the Congress could do something as simple as pass a budget. Dirty Harry said a month or more ago that he thought they had been doing quite well without a budget. Since the two of them feel that way we must have the very words in the Constitution so politicians can't continue to avoid having a budget.
Technically WE DO have a balanced budget. I know that sounds odd to hear with trillions of dollars a year in deficits but balanced budgets mean that you pay your bills. The US Government has NEVER NOT paid its bills. A balanced budget doesnt limit borrowing, it just mandates things are paid for.
But we haven't had a budget in nearly 3 years and the Dems have been in control if Congress that whole time, except the past 7 months and they refused to accept any attempt to pass a budget.
But we haven't had a budget in nearly 3 years and the Dems have been in control if Congress that whole time, except the past 7 months and they refused to accept any attempt to pass a budget.
True, but they still manage to do it without bouncing anything, which by definition, is a "balanced budget".
You stand alone amidst the tumbleweed and crickets
Never before has this country had to deal with:
1) A POST-DUBYA economy.
2) A historically high level of GOP obstructionism.
3) A racist political movement (tea party) controlling the House when the President is a black man.
A Bush/GOP-wrecked economy cannot be fixed with just spending cuts and your outrage falls flat when it's noted that you and your ilk where SILENT about the budget when Bush was ruining it. This means that you're not really concerned about the budget, BUT ONLY ABOUT GETTING THIS PRESIDENT OUT OF OFFICE.
President Obama is absolutely in the right here and now all we need is for the GOP to get the hell out of the way, so this great President can resuscitate the country from Bush/GOP damage.
Voting Pubs out of office and out of Congress is the first priority.
ALexus, do you have a special edition race card? You use the race card like you get frequent flyer miles or some crap like that.
Give it a rest lady. Sorry that you are so sensitive. Not EVERYONE who disagrees with him is a racist. Yet, I'm sure you will NEVER say any black person who voted for Obama simply because he was black is NOT racist, am I right?
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You stand alone amidst the tumbleweed and crickets
