The wars did not only cost $1 trillion. The Iraq War's costs alone are at least twice that because it was paid for with borrowed money. It's not easy to get a solid number because paying for war is not a simple process.
I agree our debt problem is a real one, but I don't think it's as urgent as it's being made out to be. I am not saying that we should be holding off on addressing it, though. I'm saying that we should fix our economy first (which requires spending some money), so that we can be better suited to addressing our deficit problem. For all the conservatives crying out for Obama to fix the economy, what do you want him to do? How can he work with Congress to fix it? Let me tell you, driving to the brink of not paying our debts and holding our credit rating hostage has not been a good solution.
Richie, I respect your opinions but I don't think you understand how our politics work. Our conservatives are a little bit different than your conservatives, and that's not even mentioning the social issues. Even without the wars, Bush was a big spender. And he liked spending with borrowed money. So conservative policies like less regulation are supposed to help our stagnant economy? It's that very lack of regulation that fudged us over in the first place. Banks were doing crazy things with money, knowing full well that if they slipped up, taxpayers (chumps) like me would bail them out. This is a truly sick system and the only way to fix it is through a revolution. Not a revolution with guns, but with knowledge (because knowledge is power!!!). So fudge the media and fudge the politicians, but most of all fudge the lazy populace that are too concerned with who they're voting for on The Voice over who they vote for into office.
And NewYork, I'd say the last four years ARE a testament to the diversity of issues that can be solved. Repeal don't ask don't tell, enact healthcare reform, bail-out the auto industry, helped college students with loans.
So as much blame as you put on Obama, and some of it is rightly placed, why don't I hear any of you upset with congress? The Democrats only control the white house. They have a majority in the senate as long as there's no filibuster, but we all know how that panned out.
In the end, Democrats had to compromise on extending ALL the Bush tax cuts, which is what the Republicans originally wanted. I really don't see how Republicans have made themselves accessible when they're willing to pull off the flimflam that they did.
So yes, let's cut spending. But we need to look at cutting defense, entitlements, social security and Medicare/Medicaid. What are your thoughts on a single-payer system for health care?
