President Obama has introduced his budget for fiscal 2011 that includes $1.6 trillion in deficit spending. Obama continues to blame George W. Bush for the mess we are in because of the budget deficit he inherited. How do I defend against this argument? — Budget Buster
in Boulder
Dear Buster: It is difficult to defend the Republicans during the Bush administration, as they virtually did nothing to rein in Congress’s addiction to spending over his two terms. Unfortunately, President Bush did in fact leave President Obama a deficit of about $450 billion, but not the $1.3 trillion figure Obama bandies about. Not to make excuses, but Bush’s deficit included two wars and the economic fallout from the 9-11 attacks. Don’t forget the culpability of Democrats, as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid took over Congress in 2006. Simply put, President Obama has inflated his “inheritance” to make his proposed $1.6 trillion deficit seem more palatable to the public. The $1.3 trillion figure Obama cites is full of “fuzzy math.” He includes the $750 billion TARP bailout, but technically he can’t use that number anymore because his administration constantly brags that TARP has been paid back with interest. The $1.3 trillion figure also includes the earmark-laden $410 billion 2009 Omnibus spending package the Democrat-controlled Congress passed and that Obama himself signed into law. How can he blame Bush for that one with a straight face? I can’t begin to calculate where Obama’s $787 billion stimulus package fits into his “inheritance.” Obama was sent to the White House to “change” the spending habits in Washington, not enable them, yet his $3.8 trillion proposed budget is long on tax increases and short on deficit reduction. White House Budget Director Peter Orszag claims the administration made tough choices in their 2011 budget proposal, but the way his budget looks, the toughest choice Obama made this week was his Super Bowl pick. Dear Mark: I am confused about the terms partisan, bipartisan and nonpartisan? Politicians make them all out to sound bad. What is the difference?
