Obama's budget makes a bad situation worse.

From Weeklystandard.com

It was pretty much inevitable that government would pick up the pieces of the financial crisis and its aftermath. A stimulus bill and some form of bank bailout were going to be facts of life. And tax revenues are plunging thanks to the recession. So the federal government's balance sheet was always going to deteriorate in 2009. The problem is that Obama's policies would move us from deterioration to disaster. The national debt Obama gripes about? His budget will double it to 80 percent of GDP in 2019. Whatever that is, it's not "a new era of responsibility."

Republicans: Less spending is path to prosperity

From AP

Republicans say the path to prosperity is not the excessive spending proposed by President Barack Obama but limited spending that holds down the growth of government, taxes and debt.

"We believe you create prosperity by having an affordable government that pursues its responsibilities without excessive costs, taxes or debt," Sen. Judd Gregg said Saturday in the GOP radio and Internet address.

_ "It is the individual American who creates prosperity and good jobs, not the government."

_ "We believe that you create energy independence not by sticking Americans with a brand new national sales tax on everyone's electric bill, but by expanding the production of American energy ... while also conserving more."

_"We also believe you improve everyone's health care not by nationalizing the health care system and putting the government between you and your doctor, but by assuring that every American has access to quality health insurance and choices in health care."

He said the nation "has an exceptional history of one generation passing on to the next generation a more prosperous and stronger country, but that tradition is being put at risk."

Wastefull Spending

From Azcentral.com

Massages for state employees, tai chi classes and comic books are just three items state government spends your paycheck on. Not all government spending wastes money so visibly, but there is credence to the saying that for every rat you see, there are 50 more you don't.

You haven’t seen anything yet

From Poligazette.com

Writing in the Chicago Tribune last week, President Obama fell back on one of his favorite rhetorical tics: “But I also know,” he wrote, “that we need not choose between a chaotic and unforgiving capitalism and an oppressive government-run economy. That is a false choice that will not serve our people or any people.”

Really? For the moment, it’s a “false choice” mainly in the sense that he’s not offering it: “a chaotic and unforgiving capitalism” is not on the menu, which leaves “an oppressive government-run economy” as pretty much the only game in town. How oppressive is yet to be determined: To be sure, the official position remains that only “the richest five percent” will have taxes increased. But you’ll be surprised at the percentage of Americans who wind up in the richest five percent. This year federal government spending will rise to 28.5 per cent of GDP, the highest level ever, with the exception of the peak of the Second World War. The 44th president is proposing to add more to the national debt than the first 43 presidents combined, doubling it in the next six years, and tripling it within the decade. But to talk about it in percentages of this and trillions of that misses the point. It’s not about bookkeeping, it’s about government annexation of the economy, and thus of life: government supervision, government regulation, government control. No matter how small your small business is — plumbing, hairdressing, maple sugaring — the state will be burdening you with more permits, more paperwork, more bureaucracy.

If our national debt is not addressed in the near future, we will fail as a nation.

From Wilkesbeacon.com

America, let’s be serious.
It’s not the war in Iraq, party discrepancies, or ideology that is our biggest threat.
In recent months the economy has been the sharpest pain that the United States has been enduring. It’s hard to fathom that in order for us to balance our national budget we would need $53 trillion.
The documentary I.O.U.S.A, recently screened on campus, outlined what is contributing to this economic mess. Certainly, there seems to be no easy solution to eliminate the debt.

Annually, the national budget increases by two to three trillion dollars. The U.S. government continues to borrow money from various countries that it will never be able to pay back in order to cover expenses.
But the reality is clear: ultimately the countries we owe debt to may one day have a ruling voice in U.S. policy.

Within less than ten years, an unequal balance between individuals receiving social security and those paying into it will begin. We won’t be able to take care of the people who took care of us.

According to I.O.U.S.A, “In 2008, the United States spent $610 billion on Social Security benefits, $330 billion on Medicare, and $204 billion on Medicaid.”
A step in the right direction for solving the budget deficit would be to tighten up guidelines for those who qualify for Social Security. I believe that Social Security requirements need to be reviewed and revised.