[ThaDocta]

My father sent me this graph about US deficits...me no likey
http://sasoc.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/a ... -deficits/

[Robair]

Holy crap!

Canada isn't in that graph, where's Lemmy? What are we at, 19% - 20%?

[PostFactum]

Horror

[Brenda]

How can they put the EU together with countries?? And where is Haiti?

[PostFactum]

Brenda wrote:

How can they put the EU together with countries?? And where is Haiti?

Very funny.

[ThaDocta]

I found this for Canada through 2008, looks like 30%
http://www.budget.gc.ca/2008/plan/ann1-eng.asp

[andyt]

What's funny is that this seems to be a Republicon screed, when it's them, since Reagan that have created this debt. Obama followed the plan already in place when he took office and, likely every other nation increased it with a stimulus plan. I guess the Republicon mantra is debt accumulated by slashing taxes and engaging in a futile war good, debt for providing health care to all citizens bad.

[sandorski]

ThaDocta wrote:

I found this for Canada through 2008, looks like 30%
http://www.budget.gc.ca/2008/plan/ann1-eng.asp

The US calculates Federal and State Debt in their overall figure. If Canada does the same the Canadian figure becomes mid-70%, although it might be around 80% right now. The more significant figure is that before this Recession, Canada's Debt/GDP Ratio was falling while the US's was rising. Before the Recession the 2 countries were approx even.

[Lemmy]

Robair wrote:

Holy crap!

Canada isn't in that graph, where's Lemmy? What are we at, 19% - 20%?

For 2008, the number I got from StatsCan is 29%. But that's just the Federal debt. We also have provincial debts in Canada, which are around 20% of GDP. That puts our total around 50%. Of course, Uncle Stevie went on a mad, drunken-sailor spending spree last spring, so I would expect that number to be significantly higher for 2009. Since Cousin Dalt has also spent like a sailor-on-leave this year, the provincial debt, at least for Ontario, will also be north of the 2008 stat, I suspect.

[BartSimpson]

andyt wrote:

What's funny is that this seems to be a Republicon screed, when it's them, since Reagan that have created this debt.

Okay, a quick refresher on US government: all spending bills originate in the House of Representatives.

No President (be it Reagan, Clinton, Bush, or Obama) spends money or cuts spending. The House of Representatives does this.

Presidents may propose budgets, but those proposals get sliced and diced or refused outright by the House.

The Reagan-era spending was originated in a Democrat-controlled House. The Clinton-era budget surplus originated under a Republican-controlled House. The Bush-era multi-trillion dollar spending sprees were the responsibility of both parties (check the votes - they crossed party lines for all of Bush's spending bills).

The House can stop the spending anytime they want to. Except they don't. And then the President (any President) has no power to trim the horrific waste from the budgets - they can say 'yea' or 'nay' to the bill the Congress sends to them, but they have NO power to adjust the spending.

[andyt]

BartSimpson wrote:

andyt wrote:

What's funny is that this seems to be a Republicon screed, when it's them, since Reagan that have created this debt.

Okay, a quick refresher on US government: all spending bills originate in the House of Representatives.

No President (be it Reagan, Clinton, Bush, or Obama) spends money or cuts spending. The House of Representatives does this.

Presidents may propose budgets, but those proposals get sliced and diced or refused outright by the House.

The Reagan-era spending was originated in a Democrat-controlled House. The Clinton-era budget surplus originated under a Republican-controlled House. The Bush-era multi-trillion dollar spending sprees were the responsibility of both parties (check the votes - they crossed party lines for all of Bush's spending bills).

The House can stop the spending anytime they want to. Except they don't. And then the President (any President) has no power to trim the horrific waste from the budgets - they can say 'yea' or 'nay' to the bill the Congress sends to them, but they have NO power to adjust the spending.

Yet it's the president who is always help responsible. So you're saying the Democrats under Reagan slashed taxes like fiends, for which he is given "credit" while the Republicons under Clinton raised taxes?

[Robair]

Clinton was still operating under the pay as you go law that Dubya senior came up with. When jr was elected, his daddy's law was expiring. Jr did not pay as he went, that's for sure.

[Beej]

Some interesting sites that some of you have likely seen before:
http://www.debtclock.ca/
http://www.usdebtclock.org/

[martin14]

Beej wrote:

Some interesting sites that some of you have likely seen before:

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

That US one is really scary

[PostFactum]

martin14 wrote:

Beej wrote:

Some interesting sites that some of you have likely seen before:

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

That US one is really scary

It's normal, look at the taxation income)