Do you remember the mantra of the Republican Party in the mid 1990s? Led by Rep. Newt Gingrich who called it a "moral imperative", balancing the budget was the battle cry. For what seemed like month after month, every other word that came out of the mouths of conservatives somehow was connected with balancing the budget. If we didn't balance it, they cried, America would be destroyed.
And so, then-President Bill Clinton not only balanced the budget, but his administration produced a huge surplus by beginning the evisceration of this nation's social safety net.
Yet a funny thing happened a few years later. A Republican became president and, all of a sudden, balancing the budget was no longer important to his party cohorts. It wasn't important to the new president either. He ran up a humongous deficit and left office with a federal budget that was severely UN-balanced.
Over the past year, the roles have flip-flopped. While Bush was still in office, the Democrats complained loudly about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, wiretapping and other nefarious spying activities plus the less than transparent manner in which the Republican administration ran the White House. You couldn't pick up a newspaper or flip on the TV without one of them screaming to the high heavens.
Yet, a funny thing has happened this year. A Democrat became president and, all of a sudden, these once-important issues no longer seem that important to his party cohorts. These issues also don't seem that important to the new president as he has continued many of the same policies he and his fellow party members criticized the former administration about.
You see, much of politics concerns the art of the charade. Politicians stand up to rail against certain policies and strategies. They act as if they are morally opposed to them when, in fact, they really aren't. No, their indignation rarely has anything to do with the policies themselves; what they truly see red over is the fact that the other party gets to employ them!
When the other team acts a particular way, your team cries foul. When your team behaves in the same manner, you're quick to provide an endless stream of rationalizations, justifications and mitigating factors. In essence, you refuse to walk your talk.
And let's be perfectly honest, this problem doesn't pertain solely to politicians. We're all guilty of it to a certain extent. We're each willing to give ourselves, our friends and our family the benefit of the doubt, but we aren't as willing to extend this same courtesy to others outside of our circle.
If a co-worker tells a little white lie, we know in our heart of hearts that they are behaving in this way to score brownie points or to undermine us in the eyes of our superiors. However, when the shoe is on the other foot and you or I is the one engaged in a little fibbing, that's totally different! We have our reasons!!
In the end though, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones and people who talk the talk should walk the walk. If not, what's the point?
And so, then-President Bill Clinton not only balanced the budget, but his administration produced a huge surplus by beginning the evisceration of this nation's social safety net.
Yet a funny thing happened a few years later. A Republican became president and, all of a sudden, balancing the budget was no longer important to his party cohorts. It wasn't important to the new president either. He ran up a humongous deficit and left office with a federal budget that was severely UN-balanced.
Over the past year, the roles have flip-flopped. While Bush was still in office, the Democrats complained loudly about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, wiretapping and other nefarious spying activities plus the less than transparent manner in which the Republican administration ran the White House. You couldn't pick up a newspaper or flip on the TV without one of them screaming to the high heavens.
Yet, a funny thing has happened this year. A Democrat became president and, all of a sudden, these once-important issues no longer seem that important to his party cohorts. These issues also don't seem that important to the new president as he has continued many of the same policies he and his fellow party members criticized the former administration about.
You see, much of politics concerns the art of the charade. Politicians stand up to rail against certain policies and strategies. They act as if they are morally opposed to them when, in fact, they really aren't. No, their indignation rarely has anything to do with the policies themselves; what they truly see red over is the fact that the other party gets to employ them!
When the other team acts a particular way, your team cries foul. When your team behaves in the same manner, you're quick to provide an endless stream of rationalizations, justifications and mitigating factors. In essence, you refuse to walk your talk.
And let's be perfectly honest, this problem doesn't pertain solely to politicians. We're all guilty of it to a certain extent. We're each willing to give ourselves, our friends and our family the benefit of the doubt, but we aren't as willing to extend this same courtesy to others outside of our circle.
If a co-worker tells a little white lie, we know in our heart of hearts that they are behaving in this way to score brownie points or to undermine us in the eyes of our superiors. However, when the shoe is on the other foot and you or I is the one engaged in a little fibbing, that's totally different! We have our reasons!!
In the end though, people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones and people who talk the talk should walk the walk. If not, what's the point?
I think the reasons for the deficit spending are more important than the spending in itself. Presently we are trying to stimulate the economy and make investments in health care that will save money down the road. Obama is already talking about re instituting "pay as you go", the policy that Clinton adhered to. We are presently investing - wisely. The spending under the Bush administration was not done wisely. That, coupled with zero regulation has left us in the mess we are in now.
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