There's More Than Enough Blame to Go Around

I posted this comment on my Facebook page this morning:

The White House blames Republicans for all that's wrong with America and says they have reached out to Republicans time and time again, but Republicans won't give. If you remember, Obama told Republicans "to get to the back of the bus" in 2009 and he, Pelosi and Reid rammed through legislation without even talking to Republicans. That's not reaching out...that's diminishing.

A friend of mine responded with this comment:

George W Bush got us buried oh so deep while the upper class continues to get tax breaks and not pay their fair share. Poor people are already tightening their budgets and barely squeezing by. How many republicans would be willing to give up tax loopholes and pay their fair share ???

Well...I couldn't let that remark go unanswered. So, here is my response:

Actually, both parties got us into this financial mess. Our problems can be traced back to decisions made by both parties since the 1930’s.

While I will never defend the amount of spending President Bush did or the fact that he added $4.9 trillion to our national debt during his eight years in office. His spending pales in comparison to that of President Obama, which has added another $3.87 trillion to our national debt in just two and a half years.

However, President Bush:
1. Did not create the Social Security or Medicare systems which are costing the country billions, if not trillions, in unfunded liabilities because administrations on both side of the aisle borrowed from the “trust funds” and replaced the money with I.O.U.’s.
2. Did not create the welfare system, Medicaid system or public employee unions which are financially strapping state and local governments.
3. Did not create the “Community Reinvestment Act”, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, sub-prime mortgages, mortgage backed securities, or repeal the “Glass-Steagall Act”; all of which contributed to the housing collapse of 2007 and the banking crisis of 2008.

There is enough blame to go around. Let’s not place it all at the feet of one president…George W. Bush.

As for taxes, did you know that the Top 5% of this country (the “wealthy”) already pay 57% of all Federal income taxes collected, while nearly 50% pay absolutely no Federal income taxes? The other 45% of us pay the remaining 43%. I would say that the “wealthy” already pay more than their fair share. I refuse to blame the rich for this country’s problems. It’s simple class warfare/envy and will not solve any of our problems. We could tax the rich at 100% of all their wealth and it wouldn’t make a dent in the real problem.

What is a “loophole”? A “loophole” is a legal tax deduction written into the US Tax Code. If you’re a homeowner, the home loan interest you deduct is a “loophole”. If you’re a charitable person, the charitable contributions you deduct are a “loophole”. If you're able to take advantage of the Earned Income Tax Credit, and get more money back in refunds than you paid, that is a “loophole”. If you have medical bills, the medical expenses you deduct are a “loophole”. And the list goes on and on and on.

The government only refers to legal tax deductions as “loopholes” when they want to demonize the people who take advantage of them. They want us to believe that something nefarious is going on, when actually it is part of the US Tax Code, written into law by the government. Did you know that the “corporate jet loophole” that Obama and the Democrats keep harping on was actually written into President Obama’s “Stimulus Bill” of 2009 to help stimulate sales in the slumping luxury jet industry? So, to have the same people, who added that tax deduction to the US Tax Code crying about it now is quite disingenuous.

We need long term common sense solutions to our country’s problems. Not the class warfare blame game that we are getting.

A Conversation with a Liberal

Liberal: This economic mess is all President Bush’s fault.

Conservative: How is it President Bush’s fault? He’s been out of office for over two and a half years?

Liberal: Well…President Obama inherited an economic mess from President Bush and we’re still trying to recover from his disastrous policies.

Conservative: What exactly did President Bush do that caused the economic mess?

Liberal: He gave tax breaks to the rich.

Conservative: True. So, President Obama raised taxes on the rich?

Liberal: Uh….no.

Conservative: True. In 2010, when President Obama and the Democrats had complete control of both the Executive and Legislative branches of the government, they could have raised taxes on the rich. Instead, they chose to extend the Bush tax cuts.

Liberal: Well…President Bush got us into two wars, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Conservative: True. So, President Obama got us out of those two wars?

Liberal: Uh…no.

Conservative: True. In fact, President Obama doubled down in Afghanistan (which I supported whole hardheartedly). But in addition, he also got us into two more wars in Libya and Yemen, without Congressional approval I might add.

Liberal: Well…President Bush spent too much money and he increased our national debt.

Conservative: That is so true. He never should have spent as much money as he did. Under President Bush, the national debt increased from $5.73 trillion on January 20, 2001 (the day he was sworn into office) to $10.63 trillion on January 20, 2009 (the day he left office). That’s an increase of $4.9 trillion over his eight years in office.

Liberal (with a smug I told you so grin on his face): Ha…see I told you he created this mess.

Conservative: Not so fast. So, President Obama decreased spending and our national debt?

Liberal: Uh…no.

Conservative: True again. On August 2, 2011; the national debt was $14.5 trillion (that’s an increase of $3.87 trillion in just two and a half years) and by the end of 2012, it is projected to be $17 trillion, thanks to the additional spending given to President Obama in the debt increase deal. That means in just the first four years of President Obama’s administration he will add another $6.37 trillion to the national debt. That’s almost one and a half times the amount of money President Bush added over his eight years in office.

Liberal: Well…he and the rest of the Republicans want old people to die, children to go hungry and they hate black people.

Conservative (shaking head in disgust): Yeah…that’s got to be it.