Instead we now have $5 trillion in deficit. per year per the USA Today.

That is no fault of the President.

In looking at facts and figures, the national debt increase is normal spending that has been in place even before Obama took office. So he is responsible for no increase.

The right wing is selling the big lie. Truth be told, tax cuts we couldn’t afford and two unfunded wars were a main cause.

And if you are silly enough to believe Romney or Ryan on their budget plan, in which more tax cuts and spending cuts are the answer, then you really are fools.

$5 trillion deficit in one year, and your only response to to cry "But, but, it's not my guy's fault!"

Yep, that ought to be a big comfort to all. Particularly our kids who will have a terrible standard of living.

Say, Job1 - what would the tax rates have to be to generate $5trillion in one year?

33% with no exemptions on all parties.

That's not even that high, Spankalicious.

Our numbers aren't insurmountable.

Finding the political will to call republicans on their bluff, scope down our military, walk out of all our bad foreign entanglements overnight, and actually shore up SS/Medicare and seperate them from the General Fund is.

Lord, how you make me tired, Spanky --

It's hard to conceive how someone could create a $5 trillion deficit in one year when we're not even spending that much. We must have SOME offsetting revenue.

I'm sure bobby will be along shortly with the pathetic revenue statistics, which he will fail to recognize are caused by Bush's tax cuts.

Anyway ....

From the Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch --

http://articles.marketwatch.com/2012-05-22/commentary/31802270_1_spending-federal-budget-drunken-sailor

Here are the facts, according to the official government statistics:

• In the 2009 fiscal year — the last of George W. Bush's presidency — federal spending rose by 17.9% from $2.98 trillion to $3.52 trillion. Check the official numbers at the Office of Management and Budget.

• In fiscal 2010 — the first budget under Obama — spending fell 1.8% to $3.46 trillion.

• In fiscal 2011, spending rose 4.3% to $3.60 trillion.

• In fiscal 2012, spending is set to rise 0.7% to $3.63 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office's estimate of the budget that was agreed to last August.

• Finally in fiscal 2013 — the final budget of Obama's term — spending is scheduled to fall 1.3% to $3.58 trillion. Read the CBO's latest budget outlook.

Over Obama's four budget years, federal spending is on track to rise from $3.52 trillion to $3.58 trillion, an annualized increase of just 0.4%.

There has been no huge increase in spending under the current president, despite what you hear.

Why do people think Obama has spent like a drunken sailor? It's in part because of a fundamental misunderstanding of the federal budget.

What people forget (or never knew) is that the first year of every presidential term starts with a budget approved by the previous administration and Congress. The president only begins to shape the budget in his second year. It takes time to develop a budget and steer it through Congress — especially in these days of congressional gridlock.

The 2009 fiscal year, which Republicans count as part of Obama's legacy, began four months before Obama moved into the White House. The major spending decisions in the 2009 fiscal year were made by George W. Bush and the previous Congress.

Like a relief pitcher who comes into the game with the bases loaded, Obama came in with a budget in place that called for spending to increase by hundreds of billions of dollars in response to the worst economic and financial calamity in generations.

(some emphasis added)

What a pathetic, miserable existence it must be, when you exist to tell lies.

"Hope and Change" of 2008 has turned into "Blame and Hide" for Obama in 2012.

It is important to refresh what Obama claimed in 2008 and see how's he done in his four years. Obama is on record for saying if he didn't have the economy working well by this time, he'd be a one term president. That's changed now though, now it's back to blaming Bush and 'How do you expect Obama to clean up a problem that took 8 years to create?'.

Sure. Obama had all the answers in 2008, now he has all the excuses in 2012.

Uh, Spankers, did you actually read the article?

They applied the same rules going back to 2004 when Whats-His-Face was President (I swear, one day I'll be able to remember and use his name again).

Deficits are a major issue in this year's presidential campaign, but USA TODAY has calculated federal finances under accounting rules since 2004 and found no correlation between fluctuations in the deficit and which party ran Congress or the White House.

...and...

Deficits from 2004 to 2011 would be six times the official total of $5.6 trillion reported.

...and remember, when judging Whats-His-Face's deficits, remember that he and the rubber stamp that was the Republican-controlled Congress thought it would be just fine to not put the cost of Iraq in the budget.

Here, try reading for yourself...

www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-05-18/federal-deficit-accounting/55179748/1

Hey Jo-

Don't vote for him :) mmkay? Glad you got that off your chest.

Anna-

Issue is that some people look at percentages. Others look at flat numbers. I think the percentage increases or decreases matters most, since it controls the next years baseline. Republicans disagree and like pointing at flat numbers (3.6 Trillionohmygosh!) and going bananas over it.

Luckily, most economists also worry about percentages and less about numbers.

Unluckily, most americans don't have degrees and don't grasp 4.3% as much as they grasp 7.2 TrillionDollarsOhMyGosh!

So there's your fight :)

How much did Bush spend after inheriting a huge surplus? Was this money spent on education, infrastructure, keeping and creating jobs in America, war off the budget? Just how did we get such a high deficit in the first place Spanky? Obama didn't start a zero. Bush, however did, actually a minus, and blew the surplus in one year so don't complain about Obama. People living in glass houses should not be throwing rocks.

For example --

In fiscal 2012, the total receipts that were budgeted were $2.67 trillion, against spending of $3.63 trillion, as described in the WSJ article. Where you get a $5 trillion deficit out of those numbers is hard to see, except maybe in your imagination.

Or was that USA Today? And you guys scoffed at MY source.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_United_States_federal_budget#Total_revenues_and_spending

Da Noid - no one was home to read the article to Spanky so he/she has NO IDEA what it says!

tek: Don't vote for him :) mmkay?

Still waiting tek, still waiting for you to explain the "90% of scientists are liberal" when you modified the 37% of "Independents" in the poll to be "Democratic leaning". In other words, you lied.

Yes how do we blame bush when he left our country in such good shape? Didn't he leave us with low unemployment and a surplus? Oh wait that is what bush inherited.

In 8 years bush has taken the surplus that would have paid off our entire debt by 2010 and turned it into the largest deficit in our countries history.

But of course let's blame President Obama.

Interesting that bush and the republicans voted on and created the deficit by choice and now it is everybodies fault but theirs.

You bought into a pack of stupid lies, then repeated them and now want to convince the rest of us your brain is bigger than a peanut.

A mistake I admit freely.

So, you gonna cop to making frequent and often 'mistakes'?

Because you can cite one error, which I acknowledge, but I can cite quite a handful of flat-out fabrications which you tend not to address.

But that's the difference, isn't it?

I acknowledge mistakes.

You intentionally lie. :D

And your arguments would be hard-pressed to even be considered 'sophomoric'

Anna Molly,

The Facts just can't get into the Republican bubble.

Here's what's wrong with the analysis in the USA article. The article states --

The deficit was $5 trillion last year under those [GAAP accounting] rules. The official number was $1.3 trillion. Liabilities for Social Security, Medicare and other retirement programs rose by $3.7 trillion in 2011, according to government actuaries, but the amount was not registered on the government's books.

The $5 trillion deficit number posited in the article includes Social Security and Medicare liabilities, but the officially reported $1.3 trillion deficit number doesn't appear to count those liabilities OR the trillion dollars Social Security taxes that were collected.

http://www.usgovernmentrevenue.com/

This source, for example, says that, when you include all of that, actual total revenue is much closer to $5 trillion, which would make Social Security pretty much a wash.

In other words, Spanky, you're not comparing apples to apples.

teknishan - I was going to say you were being far too nice to JAS. Fabrications? Lies, Lies and more Lies! That's what JAS always posts!

Well yes. But you could always hope to eventually get through to serial liars, like Jo, and I really do avoid trying to launch too much into attacks.

But for some, they are simply a lost cause. unable to defend their position they post fabrications and lies. Not once or twice, but like...every day. It's sad.

So I'll keep trying to take the high-road, and undoubtedly she'll continue lying, and then I'll go home at around 4PM PST and forget about her until I log in tomorrow to see more blatant lies posted about.

It's cyclical :D

tek: A mistake I admit freely.

It's so much fun to see them dance when they get caught.

This guy is a freaking Fred Astaire.

I'm a Fred Astaire for acknowledging a single mistake?

I think your brain circuits have melted to incoherence. You were close, so I'm not surprised, But I am sorry.

Bet you're glad you have the ACA around to make sure you can get the medical you desperately need.

And since I pay 28% of every dollar in taxes, I guess I can pull a page right out of the (R) playbook...

You're Welcome.

I'm a Fred Astaire for acknowledging a single mistake?

Re-thinking it, you're more a Michael Jackson.

Didn't you also say you were an "elitist"? Odd, you don't seem elite.

No Hope and change, but the old liberal media is doing a great job manipulating the deficit numbers to make Barry look much better than he really is....! They will blame Bush and by extention Romney for all of Barry's economic pimples!

What's old is new again -- I thought this would be about Romney's plans of going backward to the same failed GOP/Bush-era policies that got us in to this mess in the first place.

Anna Molly

Lord, how you make me tired, Spanky --

That's the whole goal of trolls, like terrorists, to get you to needlessly burn BTUs thus bleeding you dry. That's their only hope for victory.

"elusive birth certificate?'

Naa, I think that's been covered. I'm far more interested in the college and law school transcripts and applications that have been sealed. The Law review papers that are sealed. The medical records that have been sealed.

Dude is the smartest, best-est pres ever, not to mention the self purported 'most transparent dude on the planet' so what's with all the secrecy?

That whole kerfluffel with the author biography is just silly funny, right?

Somehow I think we are going to get a whole lot more vetting this go around.

And it's nothing, if not amusing.

Congrats, Steeler Fan!

Naa, I think that's been covered. I'm far more interested in the college and law school transcripts and applications that have been sealed. The Law review papers that are sealed. The medical records that have been sealed.

Spanky - Grades are irrelevent when you graduate from Harvard. Just being there is credibility enough.

My question is though, why are you questioning his medical records? What's that got to do with anything?

Taking a page out of Spanky's deflection book....HEY SPANKY! Did ya see how General Powell DECONSTRUCTED that tower of intellect Sean Hannity on Fox News the other day on foreign policy? Just askin!

Congrats Steeler Fan!

If for no other reason, these stories will be kept alive to stir up the base.

Certainly the Rev. Wright/Obama connection on some SuperPacs storyboard, but never released for public consumption, will remain. It's odd we never hear about what are on the storyboards for the SuperPacs that back Obama, but I digress.

That compared to Obama trashing Romney and Bain's 80% success rate in saving troubled companies in public every day. It's odd the media doesn't dissect that position as much as they do a storyboard at a conservative SuperPac.

Spanky - Grades are irrelevent when you graduate from Harvard. Just being there is enough credibility.

Yeah . . . , showing test scores and grades that demonstrate what mastery you have over a certain subject are pretty irrelevant now in days. We should do away with transcripts and just trust everyone on that.

They will use Wright as a diversion from real issues and, by the way, Arizona has just accepted Obama's birth certificate from Hawaii and now agree he was born a US Citizen.

Good question, Steeler Fan, congrats.

I'm still waiting for republican leadership to stand up and put the birther nonsense to rest; to call out these elected yahoos for being stupid. The AZ Secretary of State, Ken Bennett, said he receives e-mails about it; well, here's a novel idea--write the birthers back and tell them President Obama was born in Hawaii. It isn't hard to tell the truth instead of feeding the lies. Bennett is Mitt Romney's campaign co-chair in AZ and the fact that Romney said nothing about this speaks volumes--he's scared spitless of the far right which has taken over the GOP. Everytime someone who should know better make such idiotic comments, and everytime Romney, Boehner, McConnell or whoever says nothing--it paints the GOP as crazy.

Jody - "it paints the GOP as crazy." Crazy is as crazy does!

Good One, Steeler Fan!

Congrats Steelet Fan!

Good question, I had been wondering about the same thing!

Nice to see the Boiler Room up & running again! ;o)

Thanks for the congrats, all. I have been astounded that these things are still out there--interesting to hear Mark & Domenico's take on it.

For more recent history, I'd sure like to see Romney's tax returns.

Ursula - since the GOP got their heads handed to them over the birth certificate nonsense they have now gone on to college transcripts. They are too stupid to realize they lose there too.

Let's see Columbia University and Harvard Law School - headed Harvard's Law Review. Most of us with intelligence know this doesn't happen unless you have intelligence. However, the likes of Spanky (who I STILL don't believe EVER attended law school - unless it was to take out the trash) are trying to make a conspiracy of this - because they didn't look stupid enough with the birth certificate debacle!'

Don't ya know - it's the "conspiracy of the month" club - the GOP!~

So we assume, poor JoAnna: that you will take the LSAT, apply to Harvard Law, and show ALL of us how you can get admitted with no qualifying credentials, correct?

Yes, Seeking Sanity: as if Spanky would have the 170+ LSAT and qualifying grades to get into Harvard Law. Make me laugh to think about it.

Joanne - You can't become the editor of the Harvard Law Review with anything but stellar grades, and a lot of other credentials.

I got a great idea though. Why don't you and your RWNJ's research his birth certificate and see if he was really born here. "What a Maroon"

Hey Spanky, I'm still waiting for your reply as to why Obama's medical records are so important. I'm honesty curious about that one....

Joanne - You can't become the editor of the Harvard Law Review with anything but stellar grades, and a lot of other credentials.

Things seem to be slipping at ol'Harvard. Grades used to matter back when Teddy Kennedy went there. He even hired someone to take a Spanish test for him when he thought he'd get thrown off the football team because he didn't know the material. He got caught and they threw both of the cheaters out the door.

Things probably changed again for the worse at Harvard when that great Native American, Elizabeth "Blathering Bull" Warren showed up.

I got a great idea though. Why don't you and your RWNJ's research his birth certificate a

Obama's own bio at Harvard said he was born in Kenya. Or was that just one of the credentials Obama used to get into Harvard?

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/born-kenya-obamas-literary-agent-misidentified-birthplace-1991/story?id=16372566

GT- 2021701 - they are hoping, through his medical records, to prove that he is an alien life form, from Mars! Just the newest "grasp for any straw" by the GOP!

LOL, Spanky jumped down the rabbit hole. Did you demand to see George Bush's Harvard transcripts, his Harvard secret society records, his medical records or do you simply reserve these requests for President Obama? Never mind, we already know you just like to blow smoke out your nose.

Poor, POOR JoAnna: so undereducated that she still thinks that just anyone can go to Harvard. When will you apply to prove it, poor JoAnna? Here's a hint: if you just get a letter size envelope back, don't bother to open it, it is a rejection. You get a packet when you are accepted.

[Never mind, we already know you just like to blow smoke out your nose.]

...Psst...Jody...his nose isn't where the smoke is coming from... ;)

JAS - why do you post such obvious lies that are so easily disproved? Don't you know it makes you nothing but a joke?

President Obama's records at Harvard DO NOT say he was born in Kenya.

Honestly I am embarrassed for you. To sink so low and put something so stupid in print just shows how desperate the far right is - and how dishonest!

[To sink so low and put something so stupid in print just shows how desperate the far right is - and how dishonest!]

If Snuffy bothered to read the link it provided, which she usually doesn't, even Andrew (not so)Breitbart didn't believe President Obama was born in Kenya...

Dishonest is a great word, but I kinda like "LIAR" better.

They are just that...LIARS. Just go back and read some of their posts:

Obama gave $2 billion to Brazil;

Obama cut off all oil production in the Gulf after the BP crime;

The EPA raided Gibson;

Obama is banning asthma inhalers;

NY's pension retirement system is failing;

Obama wants to take away our guns;

Gas prices are high because of Obama;

...the list is endless, and even when shown facts and proven wrong, they continue to lie. Why is that?

See, here's the thing...they know they are lying....

...which brings me to another word to describe them...

...PATHETIC

But apparently they do Bob. Especially the Tea Bag variety.

Bob, you may not care, but obviously Spanky is still looking for conspiracies...and (just guessing) Spanky's not a Democrat.

... and (just guessing) Spanky's not a Democrat.

LMAO! You can say that again!

Well, imagine that, republicans don't care and that is why did Joe Ricketts and the GOP prepared such a lengthy plan to drag Rev Wright back into the race? Not long before the Ricketts plan was revealed to the public, Romney mentioned Rev Wright himself. The only reason Romney "repudiated" it was because they got caught, someone leaked their sleazy plan. Be careful, Mitt and GOPers, if Rev Wright is fair game so is the Mormon faith.

Be careful, Mitt and GOPers, if Rev Wright is fair game so is the Mormon faith

You betcha it is, Jody. Let the TeaPeople/Radicals go there.

Heck, Willard still won't talk about that 'job creation' at Bain, and he won't release his taxes........What's he hiding?

Boo.

Obama shouldn't be waiting for them to attack Wright. They're going to do it, he should pre-emptively punch Romney with Mormonism and polygamy. "So do you know which of your Grandfather's wives was your grandmother? Did it matter? How many great uncles and great aunts did you have? Are they all in Mexico or the US? Split? Now, let's move on to communal living...when you were born, did your grandfather still have multiple wives? How does communal living like that work? Did he work, or did the ladies work? Did everyone have a job? Is this a normal precept of the Mormon Church, this one dude and multiple ladies thing?"

Oh yeah. Someone needs to be going nuts on it.

"You mentioned children do better in school with a mother and father at home. Howsabout multiple mothers and one father? Did that help your own family, you think?"

Get the verbal beating sticks out, quit trying to empathize and just ruin this guy. They've gone after his wife and his daughters, time to take the fight to them.

without a book of mormon on hand, I won't push anything else since i can't cit. But I seem to recall some very abnormal ideas in that book.

We also know they like to baptise dead people into the Mormon faith without consent and without the knowledge of families; they had a particular interest in Jewish people who died in the holocaust; they baptized President Obama's mother, too. That's just creepy.

What's really going on in Utah.....

Multiple wives may be illegal, but, still goes on...sister wives or whatever.

Come on Willard, since you're so very religious, be proud, tell us about it!

In the meantime tell us about your time at Bain, your time as Governor, and of course, produce the tax filings.

A person with the smallest amount of high school civics education could tell you...

You don't have to provide transcripts to be placed on a ballot.

Not in Spanksters world...We need those transcripts and college papers from 20 some plus years ago..Yesiree we need to litigate this NOW!!!!

The only thing sinister I see is a bunch of conservative whack-a-does who can't stand the idea that President Obama is in the White House so they go around inventing reasons as to why he is there and demanding he jump through hoops no other President has ever been asked to do. All this conspiracy nonsense does is provide further proof that conservatives have lost their collective marbles. "It is as fatal as it is cowardly to blink at facts because they are not to our taste." John Tyndall.

Well, Reagan defunded mental health institutes for a reason...

And did not fund the community services to replace them as he said he would.

teknishan, NDD, true. As a result of Reagan's lack of compassion, mentally ill people were discharged into the streets and many ended up homeless.

Jody - sadly that's true. We see it all too often. Plus, so many of our military who are having serious mental health problems are also on the street. No problem sending them into battle but we don't do much for them once they get home. It's a national disgrace.

Hannity's a liberal? Who knew??

Talk about a sliding scale...

Hey V-Bob, Sheriff Joe sure as hell isn't a liberal... Only RWNJ's could create such a conspiracy theory and make complete fools out themselves, and turn around and try to blame the liberals and the press for the mess "you people" made. Typical Republican idiot!

Bob, Bob, Bob - You poor feeble minded Pachyderm, you gotta get a grip on reality.....

Obama/Biden 2012

You too Jody!

Jody, you have a good weekend too. All kidding aside.

Have a good weekend, Jody!

Oh Kannin - please. You truly need to get a life! Pathetic!

Not a single ounce of sanity in the GOP!

So, Kannin, guess that means we'll be spending a lot of time discussing Romney's Mormon faith and it's a whole lot more disturbing than one sermon by Rev Wright. Personally, I don't care what Romney's faith is nor do I care what Rev Wright said in one sermon; I've heard preachers say a lot of things with which I disagreed. I happen to find Rev Hagge's anti-Catholic and anti-Jewish hateful sermons disgusting. No person should be held accountable for what another person says and no person should be judged by another for attending a church.

Seeking - I appreciate it when you attack me, rather than my arguments. It is your clear admission that my post is entirely accurate, and that you have no valid counter to any part of it.

Jody - Dozens of hate-filled sermons, not just one. And what part of Wright's statements like "We started the AIDS virus. We are only able to maintain our level of living by making sure that Third World people live in grinding poverty." have anything whatsoever to do with religion?

Jody - Dozens of hate-filled sermons, not just one.

Personally, I'm hoping the GNOP runs with this from now until election day. No better opportunity to bring up Willard being a cult member then this!

"We started the AIDS virus.

Tell us, how does it feel to live in a soundbite world?

There is a whole element out there besides your instant gratification circle jerk!

Listen OR read the entire sermon and then get back to us...

Until then, there are none so blind - who will not see!

You junior are a poster child for them!

The Character Suicide of Rev. Wright

By Jack Kelly

The Reverend Otis Moss III has injected a little levity into the controversy over the revelation that Sen. Barack Obama's spiritual adviser is a foul-mouthed bigot. The news media, he said, are guilty of "character assassination" for printing and broadcasting excerpts from the sermons and speeches of his predecessor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright Jr.

"Dr. Wright has preached 207,792 minutes on Sunday for the past 36 years at Trinity United Church of Christ," Rev. Moss said. "It is an indictment on Dr. Wright's ministerial legacy to present his global ministry within a 15 or 30 second sound bite."

Unfortunately for Rev. Moss and Rev. Wright, there are lots of sound bites from which to choose.

Blacks should sing "God Dxxn America," Rev. Wright said on one occasion. America got what it deserved on 9/11, he said on another. The U.S. government created the AIDs virus to kill people of color, he said on a third. This is the "US of KKKA," he said on a fourth. Trinity United Church of Christ offers many of Rev. Wright's sermons for sale on DVD. ABC News said it is difficult to find one in which Rev. Wright does not use profanity, like the crude sexual metaphor he used to describe Bill Clinton's relationship with blacks, or say something vicious about whites.
This was character suicide, not character assassination, said Web logger Ed Morrissey.

"It isn't the media that's delivering that message; it's the Reverend Wright himself," Mr. Morrissey said. "It doesn't count as assassination when the victim exposes his own character, and the media simply rebroadcasts the suicide."

Listen OR read the entire sermon and then get back to us...

Like I said...

You know what you can do with your op-ed piece dontcha?