Bangee5 Loc: Louisiana

I was thinking (sorry 'bout that) about the debit ceiling and wondered why is it that we can not have a budget, cut our spending and have a surplus like we had at the end of Bill Clinton's term. Okay, I am no wiz at business math but I can budget my money and pay my bills and maybe have a little money at the end of the month to carry over into the next month. Why can't our government do the same.
What is keeping us from having a surplus now?

BTW, came across this about Bill Clinton's surlpus... Did he have a surplus?

http://www.craigsteiner.us/articles/16

TucsonCoyote Loc: Tucson AZ

I'll agree with that statement you made Bangee!lol

Bangee5 Loc: Louisiana

Okay, I agree with you also, but do you have any other opinion about the topic instead of me. Show me what a wiz you are.

TucsonCoyote Loc: Tucson AZ

I think he has dug us in so deep (with not a peep from either Dems or GOP) can't hear us calling to him to stop.....maybe he figures he may as well go all the way down to China now !
You can't balance a scale with a ton on one side and a feather on the other side !
Nobody's given a shit about the spending since Reagan started back in the 70s, was it....I can't do anything about it now, why should I give a shit !?
World finances is supposed to implode soon according to rumors ....let's keep our powder dry OK ! 8-)

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

As you can see here:

http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/spending_chart_1900_2018USp_15s1li011lcn_F0f_US_Federal_Spending

...federal government spending has been steadily decreasing since Obama came into office. Apparently reducing spending does not directly equate into surplus. There are other factors involved. Engaging in money-wasting wars is probably one of them. The continued decline of the manufacturing industry is another. Certain individuals are certainly getting rich in the process, but overall these policies are stagnating the economy.

rcirr Loc: Gilbert, Arizona

government spending has not been going down since Obama was president...but this does show you can manipulate statistics enough to make monkeys fly!

Lmarc Loc: Ojojona, Honduras

With a little help from statistics, LOTS of things are possible! :thumbup: :thumbup:

dville Loc: Mountain states

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since it was claimed that the Clinton administration left a surplus... and for the most part ACCEPTED.

If it were as Craig Steiner claims where was he all these years that he is just coming forward now? And why?

If, as he claims, there was no surplus, the Republicans would have been on this like bears on honey, like dung beatles on crap, like piranhas on a pig.

David Haynes Loc: New Boston, NH

dville Loc: Mountain states

Yes! You can manipulate statistics...we see it all the time.
But you can't manipulate that it is the Congress that does the spending not the Pres.

And since the beginning of this administration there has been a very OBVIOUS movement to make sure the Pres. looks bad.

The Republican Party electorates have made it their #1 Priority to hurt, embarrass, blame, accuse him of all the problems.

But in fact...Congress has denied him to move forward and the country suffers because of their political posturing.

And then there is the T Party that keeps John Boehner in check....because he is afraid of losing his 'seat' and his six offices. The "T" were pushed through by big money not because they would make good legislators but merely to take a seat away from the Democrats and it worked.

If you are looking for the cause of where we are now you don't have to look far beyond the T's.

dville Loc: Mountain states

Like the man said if it doesn't fit you must ignore.

You know you fit in with what Bill Moyers wrote in "Facts Still Count". He said in so many words that if the facts don't fit with ones preconceived notions they will be twisted so they do fit. Congradulations.

b_morello Loc: north CA

Clinton left office w/ a trillion dollar surplus. Shrub left office w/ a trillion dollar deficit. Why?
1) A very expensive war that drags on. (Troops there and in Afghanistan.)
2) Tax cuts for the rich! Which the present Congress isn't rescinding.
Shrub was a guy who bankrupted 3 businesses, so we let him have at the national treasury. How stupid is that? Except he stole both elections, we never really elected him.

If you are so inclined, read the book "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell. There is a chapter about a former Vietnam captain who was asked to run some "war games" against a rogue dictator of a desert country, who 'used to be our friend.' This was in JUNE of 2000. So this whole travesty of the Iraq war was planned before before Bush was even elected. They had to steal the election.

I heard Michael Moore on "Democracy Now." He talked about going to a conference in Mexico called, ""The War on the Middle Class," in 1986. He heard about it and got someone to pay his way. And there were all these CEO's and politicians talking about how to really stick it to us. And they have been doing it ever since. This has all been PLANNED, I hate to tell you. The elites are trying to turn us into a Third World country so we'll be happy to work for slave wages or less, and be happy w/ whatever crumbs they throw us.

Blurryeyed Loc: NC Mountains.

No... not actually, but he came close in his last two years. That had a lot to do with the republican congress and the last governmental shutdown.

TucsonCoyote Loc: Tucson AZ

Balancing the budget for a short 5 minutes is one thing....it was just a trick actually !
....anyway that does nothing for the huge debt that remained unpaid and today just the interest is unmanageable !

Bangee5 Loc: Louisiana

Congress controls the funding but who dose the spending? Doesn't the President ask for the funds for what he wants to spend? Without a budget and/or a ceiling cap the President can go wild with spending. If congress says No then what? Dirty politics!
Shouldn't our goal, the Presidents goal be to pay our debt, fund the government and work for a surplus? Isn't congress job is to control the spending?
The president says that raising the debt ceiling will not add to the debt. I don't know how that could be true. If you borrow more money to fund the government and pay our debts, doesn't that only add to the debt? Like, you borrow money to pay for what money you already borrowed.