President Obama's Bush-like Spending Habits Are Dangerous

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I agree with Turbo Tim on this one. It's as if Obama has never heard the word "inflation".
Spending trillions on healthcare, payouts to unions, etc is not the answer.
Can these entitlement programs and social programs be sold for profit or promote investment? I didn't think so. Which means what? His policies do nothing to promote ECONOMIC GROWTH. His policies are geared to realize his idea of "social justice", where they demonize the rich/corporations and give handouts to the poor so they can have a standard of living higher than they can sustain.
You're right, Obama is no Bush. Bush's highest deficit was about $850Billion. Obama? $1850Billion in his first year.
For the record, entitlement/social programs are a drain on the economy. They don't promote the economic growth necessary to create jobs.
My prediction: Obama's economic policies will fail. And once they do, people will FINALLY see past the rosy words and speeches about "how to talk about issues" (instead of actually talking about the issues...see his Notre Dame speech), and see that his idea of "change" will weaken the US terribly. The rich will become mediocre, and the poor will become destitute. These socialist-leaning policies are a no-win situation. Policies that promote business investment, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and economic growth are win-win policies (the rich get rich, the poor can find jobs, and the middle class can prosper).

Contradictions of MD 10:46AM May 20, 2009

Obama doe snot have an experience in fiscal management and he is probably giving too much to the treasury secretary because he himself does not have any idea on how to bring this economy back on track.
His spending and Bushes are similar because they must both answer to those who put them in office first before the American people.
They are spending because they had to bail out their friends who run the big corporations.
They are both similar in how they manipulate the American people to their advantage with the help of the media.
Just like Bush, once he is caught in the AIG scandal, his administration decided that the best way to keep th American people quiet is to pass a law that will require bonuses to be taxed. Instead of laws that can garnish wages including assets and allow these CEOs to bail out their own companies if they want to remain in business.
The federal government knows that, the rich and powerful in this country do not have to pay tax and are never held accountable. AIG donated money to the powerhouse currently in Washington and the president is in the second place, receiving over $100, 00.00 donations from AIG, why do you think there will be any laws enacted to protect the taxpayers’ money.
Our problem in this country is that we have been brainwashed to believe every other country is bad but ours and that our political system is the best in the world that we are not able to see the REAL corruption in American politics. No first world country allows politicians to raise money the way we do and when a candidate raises a lot of money we never question where the money came from. Instead, we see this as a reason to elect the person to office. Should not this tell us that someone with so much money would definitely answer to those individuals who provided the money to put him/her in office over the American people?
The media only reports a candidate whom they feel should be exposed and not because that candidate is doing something new and worse than others.
Obama talks about bringing change to Washington and yet he is not different from all those other politicians, in fact he is worse because he is using his race to his advantage. Obama is as crafty as Bush and he knows that the media and others will not want to expose him because they do not want to be perceived as racists. He used this during his campaign and it worked for him. Therefore, no one questioned his lies and his community activism.
Any one, who denounces his pastor of twenty years, is an opportunist. This should tell us something about his character.

Justice for working Americans of IL 3:18PM March 23, 2009

I think the issue is less about how much President Obama wishes to spend, and more about WHEN he wishes to spend. At this crucial juncture, President Obama is deploying his massive political capital in an attempt to roll many of his long-term domestic policy goals into an economic rescue plan that the American people wish to generate solid short-term results.
It's no secret that the President sees great value in spending now to streamline healthcare and improve pay, performance and accountability in public schools down the road. He's championed this idea for years. While those are certainly necessary investments in America's future, it may be unwise and overly hasty to make them at this point in time. Congress and the people demand quick, resolute, effective action on the beleaguered economy- freeing up credit, rescuing home values, creating jobs. Those are the worthy goals today. Less deserving of immediate support is massive spending on other issues that, while important, are best left for a more secure economic climate.
Once our financial woes begin to abate, then it will be time for a thorough discussion of the sacrifices that must be made to insure a strong American tomorrow. I stand with the President in the principles of his plan, but his timing seems less than perfect

Adam of DC 1:13PM March 23, 2009

Bush, the former King of Spenders has been demoted to Duke of Spenders in the Guiness Book of World Records; long live the new King of Spenders.

Luther of IL 11:38AM March 23, 2009

I think we're moving in the right direction. Just came from the mall. The parking lot was full. Lots of peopl were buying and I had to go from Target to Wallmart becuase Target was out of what I needed. The shelves were very full of anything.
As to the deficit we are going to be cutting 10 billion a month in spending in Iraq over the next 2 years. And there is probably more defense money that can be saved. If we can increase domestic energy out put and that means natural gas and batteries rather then oil we can spend even less on defense because 1) The Persian Gulf won't be as important and 2) We will not be sending as much money to our enemies. If we go to national universal health care it is going to make US business a lot more competitive. That will be good for the economy, too. Obama is right all these things are part of the economic problem and if we don't solve them all at one the economy will get worse.

Bill Couture of CA 10:09PM March 22, 2009

FDR--SS--& welfare
LBJ---Medicare
Bush 2---Prescitions--
These have killed our kids and grandkids future!!!!!!
WE NOW are sinking the SHIP of STATE..
The nations that survive & thrive in the future are the ones that DO virtually nothing for their citizens but DEFEND and protect their borders and deliver their mail and provide a low tax stable economic system that allows them to act on their dreams.
It is time that we return politics of policy---not personalities.

Wm. T. Smith of AZ 12:48PM March 22, 2009

I wrote this somewhere else, buy it bears repeating...especially in light of some of these people who keep using Bush as the same old tired excuse for Obama's free pass on every mistake that he makes now that He's in Office:
I read a couple of comments about Bush creating this deficit. I won't argue that he created deficit (good or bad it is what it is)....BUT WAKE THE HELL UP!.....OBAMA IS GOING WAY BEYOND BUSH. He' Mortgaging our childrens' futures!....(ironic, it's the Mortgage fiasco that really put us in this bind...and it was mostly the Demo's behind it)...Obama's putting THE US INTO MULTI TRILLION DOLLARS DEFICTS!!!! And some morons want to contiue to spout "I hate Bush"....ummm dude...or dudette...Obama's destroying the Economy and this country..."I don't care....cuz I hate Bush...Waaaaah!"
Do you Obama lovers even know how many zeros are in a Trillion Dollars? It ain't pretty. No wonder other countries have started to insinuate that the US is a bunch of deadbeats. Obama didn't inherit anything....I mean, was he not part of the Government? I didn't see him giving any warnings of what was coming(Oh that's right...he was almost never in office as Senator...he was already out running for office...just like showing up for his press coverage on Jay Leno). The only economic warning Obama sent prior was a letter he says that he sent to some official...and definitely sent when the problem was already an 800 pound Gorilla in the room.
Picture George W. Bush digging a ditch....then this moron named Obama comes along and decides to dig into this ditch and make it a grave. Are the Obama Blinders off yet? Has light dawned on Marble Heads? Probably not.
So now picture Obama digging this same grave but acting like it's the greatest thing eva' (more fun than picking Basketball's Final Four, Playing Bowling at the White House, or going on the Jay Leno show...it doesn't matter that the Economy and his administration are self destructing)...acting like it's so much fun, that he's able to get the Obama loving kids in the neighborhood to dig the ditch for him. In fact, he makes it sound so great that he gets these gullible kids to pay him for the privilage of happily digging their own grave........all the while Obama's quietly mumbling "Tom Sawyer and his white picket fence ain't got nothing on me".
OBAMA really stands for:
O.ne
B.ig
A. (fill in the blank)
M.istake
A.merica

Obama Loves His Lying Cheating Tax Cheating TURBO TIM of CA 2:41AM March 22, 2009

I have always been a liberal deficit hawk, and greatly regret the deficit spending and tolerance for debt that goes back to the Reagan years. The size of the existing debt has greatly limited our options.
But Obama is doing the right thing. Every reputable economist I have read recently, regardless of political persuasion, feels that the economic crisis is an emergency that requires unprecedented levels of spending, so long as the spending is on target. The stimulus bill and Obama's proposed budget seem to be well-targeted. I especially approve the emphasis on health-care. The lack of affordable coverage is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy, and high levels of bankruptcy is very bad for the economy. In working out the cost/benefit analyses, we need to take this sort of thing into account.
My chief fear now, as it is Ben Bernanke's, is the lack of political will to spend what is necessary to stimulate the economy, to stabilize the banking system, and to address the systemic causes of our bankrupt economy.

Mark Moulton of CA 4:27PM March 21, 2009

Gee... I hope the Muslim radicals agree with you. I hope Chavez and Putin are on the same page along with the Chinese and North Koreans. When the bad guys come for us - and they will - we need a bigger stick than they have or we're FREAKIN' TOAST!
So Bonnie, stop with the Peter Paul and Mary - "Love In" crap. The answer ain't "Blowin' in the Wind". There are scum buckets out there and they don't mind dying or killing... They aren't gonna strum their guitar and sing to your tune.
They smell our rot and weakness and they're coming...

R.L. Schaefer of CA 2:09PM March 21, 2009