Most conservatives and all democrats don't care to take a hard look at the budget... The fact is is that Social Security, Medicare/Medicad, Defense, and interest on our debt alone accounted for more than the total revenues that our government took in.... These are the mandatory spending with the exception of Defense... So everything that you know about our government, be it Homeland security, Veterans Affairs, Foreign Aid, the State Department, the Department of Education.... the list goes on are all paid for with borrowed money.. So when we simply think that we can tell DC to stop the spending and somehow think that we are offering a rational solution, we are far from it...

I am a conservative, but I also understand that the problem is not so simple... This year, the big three mandatory spending and Defense alone put the government into a deficit of $71 Billion before they even considered spending the first dime of discretionary spending.. Next year the growth in Medicare and Medicaid spending will be an additional $218 billion over what it was this year, meaning that if there is no significant change to the revenue side of the budget that that $71 billion deficit turns into $289 billion, again before we spend a dime on the function of the government itself..

There has to be reform at all levels of government, entitlements and tax codes and we have to purge the government of needless spending on failed programs or programs that were never intended to be in the purview of the federal government...

What we have now in the federal budget is insanity and no one is really doing a good job of addressing it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_United_States_federal_budget

Very good question John. Several things happened. Politicians happened, the ones who lost focus on the responsibilities that go along with being the greatest, richest, most powerful country on the planet. Partisan ways happened, people who cannot see that success as a nation did not come from good things from only one administration alone. It took several things from several administrations working together that put the priority of our countries well being on top of the most important things to do list. Just as it took more than one administration to tear it back down. Being the last two to be specific. Greed, fueled by the lobby efforts of big money, got to the people who lost sight of the big picture and undermined the very fabric that made this country strong in the first place. Partisan ways have us so divided that people would argue about the color of swiss cheese if that is what their party was pushing. They have no intention of ever considering hands accross the aisle compromise unless the package includes a bunch of pork barrels stuffed with their favorite goodies. People bitch about the debt left behind previous administrations but do not consider at all the contribitions to said debt previously left by their own. While the cost of defense is agreeably low in comparison to our national debt, billions per month spent on two wars fought at once for several years and put on America's credit card compiled with interest and inflation will contribute to it considerably. Bustin in like ole John Wayne is what happened. We got involved with people that have been fighting in religous wars for 2000 years and tromped all over their so called Holy Ground not once but twice. Did we stop to think weather this was going to go away any time soon? Dems and Reps have become so efficient that they now have divided the country so evenly that harvesting illegal votes and dangling chad seems to be the artform. Where did the middle class go? They fell under the poverty line. Without the middle class being healthy, our treasury will always be starving since the wealthy are the only ones with taxable income. Take the money out of washington and the greedy will leave. Kinda the opposite of "Field of Dreams". Then pay them with a modest wage an bonuses for the good they do. In a perfect world, Right? I am an aging retired farmer with no hope of affording good insurance. I don't think our country can afford the health care program that is being proposed as it is, but its a start. If politicians were just half as good as they think they are and worked half as hard as most people do just to make ends meet, they might come up with one that would work. This is just my opinion,I may be wrong--Larry

Well, something has to be done Lancer, the debt has to be the scariest thing out there, like I said in an earlier post if interest rates go back to the norm of the last 30 or 40 years then interest becomes the largest line on the federal budget.. and the Fed can not keep printing money, if they do then we really will become a third world country and our people will not be able to keep pace with rising prices...

Just as you fear the republicans and what they may do to social programs.... I fear the democrats ability to face a debt crisis and act responsibly, just look at the democratic bastions at the state and local levels and see the trouble that they are in.... They drove right over the cliff as they either were really not smart enough (Blagojevich) or plainly did not have the political courage to confront the fiscal issues until after the point in time that those issues became insurmountable and forced themselves on them and they now have no room to deal with them and are looking to the federal government and bankruptcy courts for relief.... There is no bankruptcy court for the Federal government and I can guarantee you that foreign governments holding our debt will provide no relief...

On the contrary it is not a snied remark like you are making about the banks and bankers being folks just like us that is going to make the difference. Try to imagine this, People with real money are holding it right now because they plan 5 years ahead. They want to see change, Romney and Ryan, and then see the plan and know what the obamacare situation will work out to be..! These money folks and I will invest and get going at our levels as soon as the threat of 4 more years of this jerk are over. You are going to see a great change in attitude and results. Romney and Ryan have realistic plans to start the transition back to the America we love and were raised in and want for our kids. When you have more money in your pocket due to Tax cuts by this team you and I will be spending however we like and slowly bringing the local businesses back to life. Every journey starts with the first step and that will be step #1. Then the total cancellation of this horrible obamacare plan. Redesign this with the help of real Doctors and health professionals and make a plan that covers 100% of young to old poor and rich. Being able to cut the restrictions to shop for health care OVER STATE LINES. This team will do things that help your family and mine at the grass roots level. I am very invested in this team and the plans that they have ON PAPER not pipe dreams. Get involved and educate yourself, listen with an open mind to the debates and see how human and caring Romney and Ryan actually are. You will like the results even if you are grumpy now..!

I think you are the one thats sees untruths where there isnt any. lets go over the list again, one at a time. I see no lies here. Democrates all seem to have this weakness. I guess it comes from the the blindfold thats been placed over their eyes by the libreal meida. How come they all watch FOX news? They all seem to hate FOX news How come they say it tells lies. Just because it not what their used to hearing from the controled main meda??

Hey Lancer, you are right, there is much blame that can be heaped onto the republicans... I will concede that the Bush administration was fiscally irresponsible, there is no doubt about that, in fact he pretty much doubled the national debt during his 8 years in office.. And they were his own policies with the support of republicans in congress who allowed him to become one of the most fiscally irresponsible presidents to ever hold the office, but then came President Obama, he has made Bush look like he was playing small ball when it comes to irresponsible spending... You are right to complain about republican deficit spending, 2 wars with no revenue or spending offsets.... even though his medicare drug plan was much less expensive than the democratic alternative he offered no revenues to pay for it.... On these facts I agree with you and we have not changed the budget structure to correct these deficiencies.... but Lancer... President Obama has a gift for deficits, his are outrageous...

Lancer, Highspeed rail in and of itself is not a bad thing... A multi billion dollar investment in a track that stretches between Tampa and Orlando, 80 some odd miles is a horrible idea... no one is going to leave their car at home unless they are simply going to visit Disney World and there is a station in the park....

The problem with the High Speed Rail projects that the government just funded is that they are a lot of small tracks that in some cases lead to nowhere... It was all a political grab of federal dollars and they will be spent stupidly... Why not build one useful track, LA to San Fran, or NYC to DC.. why waste the money on stupid tracks that will soon become a drain on the states that will have to make up the operational shortfalls?