This chart from the original post belongs on a late night informercial. The bars coming up from the zero line might fool you into thinking that the government is bringing in more than it is spending in those years shown. It's not.
Note the verbiage on the chart that says "Positive numbers equal smaller deficit." And it's measured as a per cent of GDP. This chart is made to fool Obama lovers into thinking it's all rainbows and pancakes out there. So, to original poster. Sorry, but you've been punked.
Here's what's really happening. As a percentage of GDP, last year's deficit was less than the year before. That was the first time in years it was like that, so the rules of this ridiculous chart mean it gets to show a positive bar. Huzzah.
Here's an analogy for you. Two years ago I took out $10,000 of credit card debt. Last year I took out $9500 on top of the $10,000 already outstanding.
By the rules of this chart, that additional $9500 of debt would show a positive bar for a "deficit reduction."
Yes, the Bush years were a catastrophe. So were the Obama years. Don't be so gullible as to see a chart from Investor's Business Daily and assume that your golden boy is doing everything right, just like you thought he was. Obama and the Republican Congress are sinking the economy as fast as they ever were, but some blogger makes a silly chart and you think it's all just dandy.
And just think, if only you had a solution to propose. But, you have none. No perspective as to how previous administrations pulled us out of high unemployment times. Anyone got a clue. Or is it just more blame game. Trying to make the us economy look like their checking account.
I have plenty of ideas.
1. Gut the federal registry. Most regulations aren't made to protect the public, but to protect existing industry from new competition. This alone will make a huge difference in unemployment. Most important thing we can do to get people back to work.
2. Eliminate all income taxes except the highest rate. Leave the highest rate in place on the wealthiest, eliminate income taxes for everyone else.
3. Totally free trade with the entire world. Not a single tariff, excise tax, or trade restriction.
4. Remove the restriction that only the US dollar can be legal tender. Let people and businesses use whatever medium of exchange they see fit so long as both parties agree. This will result in a gradual change away from our destructive monetary system which is the single most important factor in these giant recessions we get every few years. THis will move us towards an economy that is stable and self regulating.
5. Severe cuts in the military budget now. This is how we reduce the national debt. Entitlements are too entrenched into society to tear them up, but the military and homeland defense is an enormous expense that adds very little. Bring home 100% of troops in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and leave nothing more than tiny outposts in the rest of the world. Gut the homeland intelligence community. Did you know that more than 100,000 people work in intelligance gathering in this country?
6. Eliminate all federal spending on education and welfare. Anything the states want on those fronts, they can pay for.
7. Open the borders. Federal immigration policy should be: whatever the states want, we're not getting involved. States have to balance their own budgets. They'll learn quickly the key here is no government-provided social services to non-citizens, but people who want to come here and work are welcome.
8. END THE WAR ON DRUGS. Not only will that save billions on federal law enforcement, but it will drastically reduce most violent crime and cut way back on prison expense in every state.
9. Eliminate the payroll tax. If you get rid of all the programs mentioned above, gov't expenses can be paid for without it.
10. Get rid of all farm subsidies, industry subsidies, research subsidies, and anything else where the feds hand out money to people who aren't doing government work.
I could go on and on. A roadmap for fixing the economy is pretty simple. The hard part is getting Washington to do it.
