Robert Ariail for January 23, 2013

The D-E- and B, were racked up before his first budget period (continuing resolution IS a “budget”), while Republican tax breaks and wars still contributed significantly to the “T”.

Nice pun.

I bet Michelle doesn’t like this cartoon….but, no “ball and chain” to whom one might be married would….and..uhm….EVERYONE knows that women consider their husbands to be a ball and chain….right? /looks over shoulder at wife…right honey? ^ON topic….Mr. Arial could have put Uncle Sam on a shackle connected to the ball as debt puts a drag on all aspects of American life It’s a good bipartisan cartoon addressing a legitimate concern to all Americans. ^Both parties have worked over many decades to add coatings of iron and steel to the mass of that ball and the shackles reach out to every American who, unlike the CEO’s of HP, JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, et al, are one to six paychecks away from disaster. (Btw, the pharmaceutical company in bankruptcy after unsafe/unclean conditions resulted in the deaths of people receiving meds has paid large bonuses to the CEO’s as a way of reducing the amount of cash available to pay victims and creditors. It is a separate issue, but shows the arrogance of some executives who operate the “people” called corporations)^Oh well, back to using this hacksaw on my shackle.Respectfully,C.

The deficit has gone down every year he’s been in office.

C Downs: Great comment! Had a friend who used to play practical jokes on all his friends when they were married, i.e. the white paint “help” on the bottom of the groom’s shoes. He got his comeuppance when, while standing in the receiving line at the reception, his “best” man managed to get behind him and clamp a modified bowling ball on his ankle. All the reception pics show him holding the ball & chain. SHE was not amused!

One my Dad always swore was true was another practical joker whose wedding was interrupted by a resounding “I OBJECT!” A man then got out of a pew, walked down the aisle, looked more closely at the bride, then said “Dammit, wrong church!” and walked out!

Actually that was Clinton and Obama and Pelosi.

“Considering how much of it he is responsible for creating, we should hang it around his neck and not his foot!”-How much of it is he responsible for?

OK, I went and looked at the debt clock. How do you contend that it supports your claim? (You do know the difference between debt and deficit don’t you?)

On the subject of wedding pranks, someone with whom I used to work told this one:A prankster removed the hubcaps of the newlyweds’ car and put a dead fish inside each one. They couldn’t figure out where the smell was coming from for several days.

It’s a matter of actual mathematics that most of the debt is due to the Bush recession and Republican policies. Obama has generally paid for his programs, and he’s reduced the deficit every year. But it can’t overcome the bills for wars and unfunded tax cuts. If we’d actually followed his budget policies, in letting the Bush tax cuts expire and funding stimulus, we’d be doing better.

I don’t see why the GOP is concerned with debt. the big Dick Cheney said that Reagan proved deficits don’t matter. Obama is just following the Great Communicator’s message.

Interest as a line itme on the budget keeps growing, although rates have been down so far, I wonder if they actually fall now and then. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_public_debt#Negative_real_interest_rates

Bruce: when I ran programs, and got money to do it, it was still a “budget” even under CRs! Please note I used quotation marks indicating a subtending “dictionary”, if not “legislative” definition of the word.

BTW, yes, while the debt, and interest on the debt HAS continued to rise, annual deficits have declined, not enough, due to tax breaks and war spending, but they’ve declined.

President Obama has spent less than any resent president. The debt grows so fast because of the compounded interest grows so fast. Kinda like the guy who asked to be paid .1 cent and then double it everyday.

If Shrub and his administration had been truthful, they would have have put the Iraq/Afghanistan wars in the budget. But they, along with Dems who were afraid of being labeled anti-American, went along with the “supplemental” appropriations, which were never officially added to the budget during W’s term. Obama immediately “added” those items to the budget, which made our “spending” and “deficits” look much higher.