"They are all right, and that's What's Wrong"

With (2) days to go it looks like it's going to be some slapped together debt ceiling plan passed. Dollars to doughnuts it won't make anyone happy. It's kind of like when you are traveling with your family in a car and dad wants to stop at the next greasy-spoon truck stop and mom wants to stop at a really nice place, so you end up at IHOP. Dad doesn't get his greasy SOS and mom doesn't get her nice ambiance. Neither are happy despite trying to put a good spin on it and the kids well, they didn't get a vote to begin with. In the debt ceiling scenario the american people are the kids. We don't get a say in the plan and we definitely are at the mercy of the decision makers. So kids swe'll do what we always do, resign ourselves to where we are at in the scheme of things and order the flapjacks!

All the principle arguments in this national tug of war are right and that's the problem.
Consider:

Was our national budget balanced just 12 years ago?
Yes, it was. There is no debate about it we had a balanced budget and several years of a surplus under Bill Clinton.

Did George Bush start us down the road to Perdition?
Yes, the debt went from being balanced to 7 trillion in the hole in his 8 years. He began two (2) wars, created Homeland Security, airport security, awarded HUGE government contracts to Blackwater, Haliburton and countless others. He reduced taxes on the wealthiest americans and then towards his final year in office the economy tanked and there were revenue shortfalls to add to the mess. A perfect storm of bad luck, bad decisions and the govenrnment's failure to (or unwilliness) to recognize the problem even as it was unfolding right in front of them.

Has Barack Obama contributed greatly to the debt problem?
Yes, the debt went from 7 trillion to close to 16-17 trillion in 3 years. He kept all the spending began by Bush and added countless programs of his own. The federal govenment has grown by 20% under his watch. He needed to embark on spending cuts his first day in office but instead he went the other way and spent, spent, spent. Wait two more years when ObamaCare kicks in. Yikes we haven't even added this to the debt ceiling yet.

Have revenues fallen?
Yes, they are at an historic low. Annual revenues are down to 14% when normally they are around 20-22%. Why? Well, tax cuts to the wealthy did not contribute to economic growth. They did not create jobs. The rich just banked more money while paying less into the system. Add to this the moribund economy, the lack of workers buying things, investors not investing, housing starts at record lows plus a dozen more things and you begin to see the Government is simply not getting enough money.

Is spending out of control?
Yes, absolutely. At the very first sign of economic collapse (Late 2007)the economic whiz kids should have jumped into action. They should have begun working on "what if..." scenarios such as what if things tank, what are we going to do? What if revenues fall what are we going to do? Let's start creating a spending cut plan.BUT they did nothing. Like deer in the head lights they just blinked a few times and waited for the collision. Now, 3 years into the great recession and government spending still hasn't been curtailed. Wars are still going on, Halliburton gets their checks on time as do all the other war vendors, increased unemployment, and the list goes on and on and on. The American people have cut their personal spending (good for them, but bad for the overall economy which ironically is also them) but the government has to be dragged kicking and screaming into spending cuts.

Should Obama make concessions in spending?
Yes
Should the Republicans make concessions in taxing wealthier Americans?
Yes

Should Republicans and Democrats alike stop the philosophical war over the
size, scope and purpose of the National Government and start acting like the "people first" patriots they purport to be?

Yes!! The fact is there are millions of Americans scared and holding their breaths. The college student facing the loss of tuition assistance, seniors wondering if they will lose their medical care, young families that want to buy a home but can't meet the sudenly too ridgid lender demands, people that want to work but yet are facing another month with no job.

Time to stop waving flags, exploding fireworks, and playing Lee Greenwood's patriotic song over and over again! All the outward trappings of being an American are worthless if you rot from within. We all need to get with it. American people have to get smarter, vote smarter, and politicians need to put the common welfare of Americans over their party or personal careers.