DVPGSR

The first chart is not comparing it to GDP. And you also forget that a recession started at the beginning of Bush's term, we had the Enron type scandals and a major terrorist attack on the US.

GDP will not always increase...we are lucky that it always has.

Agreed...my argument was not to accept the debt but merely to point out to Andy that his argument was wrong.

Fiscal conservative he was due largely to a Republican lead Congress that was very tight on spending. Congress is the ones that actually spend the money, not the President.

As for Clinton being a conservative (Andy's original point) that is the equivalent to me saying Trent Lott is liberal. That is an argument you cannot make and will lose every day of the week you try.

qtiger

Downturn had begun before 9/11. 9/11 itself had little effect on the US economy.



GDP hasn't decreased since the establishment of the Fed.



Bullshit! You forget that the only reason that Congress didn't spend much money is that Clinton vetoed all the spending bills that Congress passed. Modern Republicans (at least the ones that make it in politics) wouldn't know fiscal conservancy if it shit on their faces.

DVPGSR

You are kidding yourself if you think 9/11 had little effect on the US economy. The tourism industry was hit especially hard with drastically fewer people flying or traveling. My uncle, who owns his own travel agency, stopped taking a paycheck for almost a year just so he would not have to lay anyone off. Even still he had to eliminateparts of his business that were hit especially hard and no longer offers bus tours. And he was only a small part of the effect on the economy. Many areas that rely on tourism had huge economic downturns and tourists from abroad were fewer with all the restrictions being added to enter into the US. And this is only one segment of the economy. Many small businesses in NYC that were downtown had to close as a result of people and companies moving out of the area due to the effects of 9/11. 9/11 had a larger effect than you are giving credit for.

But look at the first year of the Bush presidency, we had a recession from the .com bubble bursting, terrorist attacks, and corporate scandals...any one of which is a lot for a new president to handle, let alone 2. Having had to deal with all 3 I think Bush has done a good job.

Thank God, but that does not mean it never will.

It is not bullshit but one part of the equation. Yes Clinton did break out the veto pen, and yes Bush has needed to do the same, but there are hardly few politicians that know fiscal restraint irregardless of the party affiliation. They each pander to thier constituency and love to talk about all the "bacon" they brought home.

fjm1

Well, I don't want you to get all worked up, but the $24,000 per man, woman, and child is only FEDERAL debt.

Here is another guy I think you'll like. Mike Hodges is not trying to be funny at all. Rather disturbing information actually. Some of it is real, other parts are overly sensational. I will leave it to you to decide which.

http://mwhodges.home.att.net/nat-debt/debt-nat.htm

redgoober4life

The plural of dominoes is dominoe's?

Duff Man

as the days have past us, look at us now. Who was right?