what can I say?

is that statement true or false?

as usual, reasonable is the operative word

Anyway. As to the other stuff, I think it's all a matter of timing, King. Right now, a tax increase on the middle class would be counterproductive because it would stifle the very consumer spending we need to keep the recovery going, meager as it is. That's the idea behind the payroll tax holiday as well, and I think it's a sound idea. At some future point, though, I do think all of the Bush tax cuts will have to expire, at least for a time. It just so happens that the only increase that makes economic sense today is for those at the higher end. It won't happen, of course, but that doesn't mean that it shouldn't.

Bottom line, these deficits are not going to disappear overnight, and trying to make them disappear by further weakening middle-class spending power will only serve to make the long-term problem worse, not better, imo.

I don't think a balanced budget amendment would be very useful at the moment given the size of the whole that's been dug.

The only other thing I'll say is, it's the 'spend' part that must be gotten under control, because the 'tax' part will kill us otherwise. What neither party has been able to achieve is to curb spending. The best effort was what the Republican Congress achieved during Clinton's presidency. They bent the spending curve slightly (it increased at a slower rate than usual), and look what happened, a balanced budget. Then the Republican Congress under Bush lost their collective minds, spending exploded, and look what happened. Then the Democrats took over and the fiscal insanity became twice as bad. When Obama took office, I made the comment that this was like going from the frying pan into the fire. Obama has done nothing but prove me right.

What I really want is to cut spending first, and then cut taxes second (when we can). We're nowhere close. The only tax cuts I'd like to see now would be to address our jobs problem, and that would be in the area of cutting taxes on job creators (business). I can't think of one advantage to having high business taxes in a global economy. All that accomplishes is to leave less capital for hiring. The revenue will flow to the government after more people are employed.

Sounds like you just promoted a bunch of tax increases too. I thought we agreed tax increases hurt people.

And then you went against your own idea of instituting PayGo by condemning Republicans for insisting on it in the debt ceiling negotiations. You can't have it both ways.

Also, I didn't blame Democrats for the mortgage fee. I don't know where you got that from. I blamed Congress and Obama for it, because they are the ones who passed it and signed it into law. I really don't know which party came up with the idea. I have my suspicions, but I'm not jumping to conclusions until I have the facts. Your beef was misplaced.

Bush inherited a normal cyclical recession, yes. And then 9/11 hit. Definitely a challenge for any president, but not insurmountable. After 9/11, he had a country united and dying to help him solve problems. He could have led us, but instead he snookered us and bankrupted us and set our country back perhaps decades. He will go down as probably the worst president ever. And rightly so.

Yes, I give the Republicans a lot of credit for the compromises it reached with Clinton in 1993. Of course, as soon as it began working and Clinton's popularity kept rising, they caved into the batsh*t craziness that has largely typified their party ever since and certainly typifies it now.

Ironically, what I see as Republican courage and leadership in 1993, they now see as bad politics that could only serve to deny them the White House.

Why would I retract my comments about the workforce exodus when they are correct ??? We have the lowest labor participation rate in 30 years.

If you want to hear real propaganda, listen to the White House attempt to portray the workforce exodus as an "economic positive":

http://campaign2012.washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/wh-people-leaving-workforce-economic-positive/360901

For more real propaganda, listen to the DNC chair claim that unemployment hasn't gone up during Obama's tenure:

http://hotair.com/archives/2011/12/12/dnc-chair-unemployment-didnt-go-up-under-obama/

And stop being racist.

Which is worse, Tax and spend or the republican business model: Cut taxes, spend and then borrow.  You do realize that over 11 trillion of the national debt happened during times of economic prosperity and approved by Conservative Republican Presidents.  I am not saying the Democrats had no blame, butyou hit obama for his extreme spending you also need to blame the other party for there portion of this problem.  Personally I will take tax and spend any day.

Odd.

On the plus side, we're finally out of Iraq for the most part. And as for Afghanistan, I'd like to see us get the hell out of there ASAP, too. But since, we're talking budget here, comparing those two wars to drone bombings in Pak and Yemen is ridiculous.

I don't see us being stupid enough to start a war with Iran. Not even the GOP candidates are that stupid, even though they think it's macho to rattle sabres.

As for the Democrat plan….oh, I forgot, there isn't one.

The only irony is you falsely accusing me of class warfare. Weak.

Bush also inherited a recession. I have many problems with the things Bush did, but I also recognize the facts.

Do you give the Republicans any credit for the Clinton balanced budgets ? They controlled Congress and the purse strings then, you know.

The primary difference between Bush's debt and Obama's debt is that Obama's debt was built-in before he ever took office… thanks to Bush. Bush entered office with a $200-billion surplus.

Why is it you support Obama again ?