Et Tu, Barack?

When still a Senator, Barack Obama called President Bush:

UNPATRIOTIC

for adding $4 trillion to the national debt in eight years.

Barack Calls Bush "Unpatriotic"

Never mind that during that time, Bush had:

• The 9/11 attack


• Fought 2 wars, in Iraq and Afghanistan


• Dealt with the near-meltdown of the financial market (I've always been suspicious of the CAUSE of that "crisis" - it seemed too mysterious in its sudden onset, just before the election - and a near-copy of a Tom Clancy novel's plot).

Today, $5 trillion added in just over 3 years is - well - OK.  Not a problem.  Not a reason to hunker down and cut expenses.

Oh, come on!  Any sensible family in those circumstances would do the same - it's no time to take on NEW debt, and it's a great time to:

• Pare away the frills - the gym membership, the nights out on the town, the fancy home entertaining, etc.


• Ruthlessly comb the budget for ways to save - refinance the home or car, change shopping habits, call up your creditors and ask for reductions in finance charges, renegotiate for better pricing on cable, phone, and other regular expenses.


• Have a garage sale, and put the proceeds to debt reduction.

The government could do the same - do we REALLY need to have a Congressional Gym?  Could we charge for it?  Could we cut the budget for state entertaining?

Could we look at ways for government entities to save money - is the process for government procuring something that could be reformed?  How about the banks we stash cash in?  Should we hit them up for better deals - instead of paying them to hold our cash, could we GET money for it?

Let's look at selling off government lands - or, better yet, find businesses that want to lease them for - dare I say it - PROFIT.  Lumber companies, mining interests, etc.  By leasing, we're not giving away the land at fire sale prices.  And, we're eliminating the cost of land management.  Plus, with the land in private hands, it's less likely that the fires will get so out of hand - something that takes a LOT of money to fight.

So, when you go into the booths on election night, ask yourself,

IF George Bush was "unpatriotic" for adding $4 trillion in 8 years, WHAT is Barack Obama for adding $5 trillion in 3+ years?