BUSH: Go ahead liberal punks - just try to outspend me!
by Mike Crane

Every so many years the world sees the rise to power of a man who rises to the pinnacle of success in some endeavor. In some cases mankind benefits, sometimes only an elite few benefit.

Thomas Jefferson was just such an event. Thomas Jefferson set the standard that may never be surpassed in the understanding and creation of government - man relationships. Generations have benefited greatly and still are. My grandchildren will benefit from the legacy of Thomas Jefferson if we do not throw it away in our life time.

George Washington was just such an event. George Washington risked all; fame, fortune and life to create a country in which many generations would have the opportunity to prosper. Many generations have already benefited from the work and sacrifice of this man. My grandchildren will benefit from the legacy of George Washington if we do not throw it away in our life time.

George W. Bush is just such an event. But this is an event of a different nature. George W. Bush will go down in history as the greatest spender of all time. The greatest accumulator of debt for future generations of all time. Unchecked he may preside over the accumulation of more debt than the rest of the entire world combined during his eight years in office.

A record that will hopefully never again be surpassed by any mortal man.

Many generations of Americans will suffer from this accumulation of debt, including your grandchildren and mine. There is no excuse for such fiscal irresponsibility. Please read that again. There is no excuse for such fiscal irresponsibility.

Some have compared his spending habits as spending like a "drunken sailor." This is so wrong - so misguided - that it should never be used. I have ancestors who did their tour of duty as "drunken sailors." I have friends who did their tour of duty as a "drunken sailor." True - these men wasted their money, maybe they wasted their children's money - but they did not put my grandchildren in debt! George W. Bush is putting all of our grandchildren in debt every day, year after year.

Too many so-called "conservatives" whether they be Republican or Democrats have cowered before President Bush and groveled to fight for their place in the feeding trough of public debt on the credit card in our name. They have accepted their ever larger campaign contributions from special interests and paid lip service to the citizens they are sworn to represent.

There is no excuse for such fiscal irresponsibility.

Just how much debt has George W. Bush  and our current crop of politicians accumulated?

I. National debt by Treasury Department (http://www.publicdebt.treas.gov/opd/opdpenny.htm)

09/30/2005        $7,932,709,661,723.50
09/28/2001        $5,807,463,412,200.06

In 4 years - 2.1 Trillion dollars, that is $2,100,000,000,000.00. The bad news, next year will be just as bad or worse!

II. Trade Deficit (http://www.bea.gov/bea/newsrel/tradnewsrelease.htm)

Month	2001 Surplus  (Deficit)	2002 Surplus  (Deficit)	2003 Surplus  (Deficit)	2004 Surplus  (Deficit)	2005 Surplus (Deficit)
January	(35.2)	(29.6)	(41.4)	(43.1)	(58.3)
February	(29.4)	(32.6)	(40.4)	(42.1)	(61.0)
March	(32.7)	(31.5)	(43.7)	(46.0)	(55.0)
April	(31.5)	(34.0)	(42.5)	(48.3)	(57.0)
May	(28.0)	(34.0)	(40.8)	(46.0)	(55.3)
June	(29.5)	(35.4)	(40.0)	(55.8)	(58.8)
July	(30.1)	(34.1)	(40.8)	(50.1)	(57.9)
August	(28.4)	(36.2)	(40.2)	(53.5)
September	(30.8)	(36.6)	(41.3)	(51.6)
October	(30.8)	(35.0)	(41.5)	(55.5)
November	(29.7)	(39.7)	(40.0)	(60.3)
December	(26.6)	(43.2)	(44.0)	(56.4)

Just adding up the Trade Deficit for the same period 08/2001 - 07/2005 is almost another 2.1 Trillion Dollars, that is $2,076,800,000,000.00. The bad news, this year is headed for another George W. Bush trademark - highest trade deficit for a single year in the history of the world! This year's deficit has exceeded last year's all time highest deficit in the history of the world - every month so far!

Without counting the Federal Pension fund shortage, the Social Security fund shortage, the new corporate Pension fund bailout shortage and the countless other federal fund shortages, just the Treasury Debt and Trade Deficit debt amount to just under 4.2 Trillion Dollars in four years. Over 1 Trillion Dollars a year and counting! That is roughly $14,000.00 of debt - per man, woman, child and murdered unborn baby in the entire country. That is above and beyond the taxes collected and spent.

These are the government's own numbers, not ours.

These are just plain facts. The facts are very simple and plain, George W. Bush is presiding over the greatest accumulation of debt in the history of the world and is the world's all time leading Big Spender!

But there is no uproar in Congress from either the Republican or Democratic Parties. In the last 40 years these same two parties, each taking their turn as the controlling party have converted our country from the world's largest creditor nation to the world's largest debtor nation.

If you believe that such spending and debt accumulation can continue - then you should be happy with the current crop of politicians today.

Hopefully you have a better grip on reality. You know - the spending and accumulation of debt can not continue and must end. You know -  from personal experience there are very few ways to handle excessive debt; paying interest, increasing taxes, lowering quality of life, inflation and devaluation. You know - none of these options are positive things. You know -  these are going to be your legacy to your grandchildren if nothing changes. You know - that such irresponsibility is wrong - dead wrong.

You also know that nothing will change until you - the citizens make it change! But the longer we wait, the more that things will have to change!

We need a return to the Principles upon which our country was founded.

This will not be an over night change, it will be a long walk back up the slippery slope of fiscal irresponsibility that we have been sliding on. But every year that we wait we are digging the hole deeper, at least a Trillion Dollars, that is $1,000,000,000,000.00 deeper. Now for the bad news - the Democrats are almost as bad.

Going back to the initial two men mentioned, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington. Both warned us that our greatest enemy would be a growing central government and George Washington warned us about the corruption that would come with the abuse of political parties. Today their warnings, unheeded, have come home to roost.

Way too many in the Republican and Democratic Parties have abandoned our founding Principles, including "limited government" and it is hard to see what will break their collusion with special interests. They have in effect abandoned you - the citizens - and your future generations. Maybe it is time to abandon them until they shape up, if they can.

Some suggest that all we need is a return to the "undisciplined spending habits" of the Democrats. Much, much more is needed.

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing
because he could only do a little.”
― Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)