Obama challenges GOP to compromise on debt
July 11, 2011 at 5:38 am in Grand Forks Herald
Confronting a partisan stalemate, President Barack Obama bluntly challenged Republicans Monday to make compromises on raising the nation’s borrowing limit to avert a potentially disastrous economic crisis.
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Where is the leadership here, from both sides?? They are playing with our money. Well, at least we will save $800 million by cutting military aid to Pakistan. By the way, why were we sending Pakistan $800 million in American taxpayer dollars???? No wonder we are in debt!
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The GOP has not got the ability or the intelligence to run our government. They are shirking their responsibility and letting down the American people. We expect that a civil debate will occur and compromise reached so our country can continue to operate. It’s not in the GOP skill set to do so. They hate government and can’t seem to understand what it does. Well, it gives farm subsidies, provides health care to the under privileged, provides unemployment benefits, funds the military, provides disaster relief, subsidizes oil companies, banks, auto companies and our cities and much more. As long as government provides these services it should be allowed to run smoothly. The reckless behavior of the GOP threatens the very basic services of our nation. Get off your asses and start running the government instead of trying to destroy it.
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@John:
The Republicans don’t have the ability or intelligence to run the government? Since taking over BOTH houses of Congress in 2008, the Democrats failed to pass a budget. In either 2009 or 2010. That’s right, total control and they couldn’t do the most basic of tasks in running a government.
But they could pass a 2900 page bill so “we can see what was in it.” Ya know what was in it? Massive increases in government spending and taxation.
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Headline Analyst: Even Dollar Stores Struggling In ‘Obama Depression’.
Tax and spend liberals economic policy also known as Obammaeconomics.
1. Tax and regulate business until they leave.
2. Complain about those mean business when they leave.
1+2 = 3.unemployed dependant society or employed dependent government worker needing a liberal to take care of them. Please explain what Obama will do with more and more tax collections? Spend it??? Waste it???
Perhaps another stimulus plan? 9.2% unemployment. HE DID NOT CAUSE THE RECESSION BUT he MADE IT WORSE! He gets credit for THE OBAMA DEPRESSION JUST BECAUSE HIS PROJECTS WERE NOT SHOVEL READY?
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Liberals, our total national debt January 20, 2009 was $10.7 trillion. As of July 11, 2011, the Total Public Debt Outstanding of the United States of America was $14.39 trillion. In President Obama’s brief tenure, two years five months and 20 days our debt has increased almost 3.8 trillion dollars. Liberals, your support of obama’s spending addiction has yielded nothing for working Americans, only to a few government workers. February 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that 141.7 million people were employed. May 2011 that number has fallen to 139.8 million. Negative job creation of 1.9 million will be President Obama’s record.
ARE THESE THE INVESTMENTS YOU ARE ADVOCATING WITH MORE OBAMMA TAX INCREASES? It is tragic facts do not seem to matter MORE to liberals!
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Yeah, just what the Bush administration planned for a legacy to the next President. That bozo knew darn well he was done, and set the table for anyone who took over for him, didn’t he?
Who was it that had to talk Bush into putting money into bailing out the automakers?
And, just who DID get the first package of bailout funds the Bush admin handed out to the bankers? There never was any accountability on that one, was there?
The Shrub had a great opportunity to leave a legacy that would have made a real name for him in US history, but instead, just tread water until Obama took over.
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For years the left chanted about how stupid Bush was. Now suddenly he is some kind of diablical genius who planned to cause economic turmoil for the next administration. How can one be so stupid and a genius at the same time??
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 LIBERALS, our total national debt January 20, 2009 was $10.7 trillion. As of July 11, 2011, the Total Public Debt Outstanding of the United States of America was $14.49 trillion. In President Obama’s brief tenure, two years five months and 20 days debt has increased almost 3.8 trillion dollars. LIBERALS, your support of obama’s spending addiction has yielded nothing for working Americans, only a few government workers. February 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that 141.7 million people were employed. May 2011 that number has fallen to 139.8 million. Negative job creation of 1.9 million will be President Obama’s record.
WHAT ARE THE INVESTMENTS YOU ARE ADVOCATING WITH THESE TAX INCREASES? Perhaps another stimulus like cash for clunkers, another expansion of welfare also called Obammacare, stealing another 500 billion from the medicare trust fund to fund his big government programs??? PRESIDENT OBAMA, LIBERALS YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO!!!
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Repeating something does NOT make it true….
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It was accidental so please excuse my similiar double posts. It would be helpful though if you would explain what you and Obama plan to do with extra tax revenue. I believe, if the case could be made for more spending, Republicans would be forced to extend the debt limit and give the President the moon.
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Remember if we default on our national debt, it will be the the choice of the Executive branch. They will decide where the money coming in is spent. It can be spent first to keep our debt current. Who does not get paid will be up to Obama. He can choose not to pay the military, Senor citizens, ect. Of course the first people who should not be paid are the Federal elected officials and all their political appointees.
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Glen
Section 4 of 14th amendment follows
Section 4. The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Secretary Geitner is obligated to pay interest and principal of our debt. Geitner’s corporate buddies and Obama’s special unions should only be paid after debt! I think Obama needs to follow his own advise and suck it in while eating his pea!
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Ya well this administration seems to play fast and loose with our laws and the Constitution. I will believe it when I see it.
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What republican running for President would do anything different than Bush? What’s the definition of insanity again? It’s obvious the republicans value party over country-just who do they carry water for-follow the money.
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Jeffh Americans are finally living through Jimmy Carter’s second term.
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First time applications for unemployment have now topped 400,000 for the last 14 weeks. Do most workers want a job or do they want a handout? The workers I know want a job and job stimulation requires an environment that business feels confortable hiring new employees. Not this antibusiness Obama policy!
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Businesses have created fewer and fewer jobs since they have paid fewer and fewer taxes, so I am not sure I agree with you that Obama and his tax policy is to blame. See link below:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/tax-rates-and-job-creation-in-one-graph/2011/05/19/AGh9Z1oH_blog.html
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US Corporate tax rates are the highest or the second highest in the world. Even President Clinton’s recommendations call for lowering Corporate rates to stimulate job creation. Sources from left leaning blogs sometimes are a bit deceptive. These graphs you source are historical personal income tax rates. Even more distressful for American job creation is the hyperregulated environment created by the Obama administration. For example, is it the function of the DOL to tell Boeing what state they can build a plant? As a stock holder, I wish Boeing had built in Canada as the socialist nanny state here will not survive in the new world of competition.
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High rates do not necessarily mean that they actually PAY more. Please be more specific and cite some examples–here are some that make my point:
http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/01/ge-exxon-walmart-business-washington-corporate-taxes.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/business/economy/03rates.html
Our government has created a tax code which allows companies to profit more by moving jobs overseas, but that doesn’t mean that they should reduce what corporations pay, it means that they should simplify the tax code, allow for fewer loopholes as other counties have done, and end tax cuts for moving profits overseas.
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http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/print/2011/07/how-to-turn-republicans-and-democrats-into-americans/8521/
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The problem is all of the bickering in America. Americans have, in the past, solved problems with reasonable discourse and compromise. Voters clearly thought that was needed or they would have given the majority to one party–they did not–and in most cases there was no mandate as voting was close in many races (I realize not in ND). Let’s get to business and solve problems like grown-ups. No one can expect in real life to get everything they want.
The fact that Bush had a 10 trillion dollar debt before leaving office is really sad considering he came into office with record surpluses, john, so the fact that it has gone up in the worst recession in national history is to be expected. Let’s blame Obama for what is his fault. Congress is at fault for any budgets, since they create them, and they are not in one party. Some nations are collapsing under the weight of their debt right now. Problems that were caused by Americans and others borrowing more than they could afford. Now we must wait for people to catch up and for salaries to catch up with inflation so that the economy to grow.
Congress needs to get this solved so they can figure out how to ensure that even more of our jobs are not sent to Mexico, China, and India. This debt ceiling thing is a waste of time, because in the end, we have to pay our bills.
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Justine, President Bush did not create 10 trillion dollars of debt. He inherited significant debt from previous administrations, including president Clinton, as seen from chart from debt clock.”09/30/2001 5,807,463,412,200.06
09/30/2000 5,674,178,209,886.86 ” The difference here is it took President Bush 8 years to add 4.4 trillion while your hero ran up almost 4 trillion in less than 3 years!
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Only because the shrub didn’t include the cost of 2 wars against the deficit.
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Wrong again bac. The national debt includes off budget items!
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It does now….
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Justine The national debt is a cumulative number not to be confused our yearly deficit. A 1.6 trillion deficit is irresponsible overspending by this president.
We are one step behind Greece and Spain!
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Yes, but the debt was going down, until it wasn’t under George Bush. I am not anti-Bush, my point is that Obama, just as Bush, is not solely to blame for increased debt. In economic hard times, we are certainly going to increasse debt. Congress, with the aid of the president, should work to ensure that American reemerges from this climate stronger rather than bickering about who is to blame. Asiigning blame to a problem never helps to solve it, but it does ensure that all parties continue to argue.
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Justine, from your posts I believe you are a sincere, honest poster. We disagree on the result of the Obama policies, as I believe his health care plan alone has killed jobs in America. His attempt to circumvent congress rejection of Cap and Trade, and use of his EPA to regulate carbon emmisions is arrogant and wreckless, and has also cost many jobs. Realize just 9months President Obama had control of the house with a filibuster proof majority in the senate until Scott Brown was elected in January 2010. With absolute control he could barely pass Obammacare and could not pass Cap and Trade. February 2009, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that 141.7 million people were employed. May 2011 that number has fallen to 139.8 million. President Obama’s policy has hurt all Americans, especially minorities. I am a pragmatist and will voice my economic support for Herman Cain. He understands building a business and running a business. Someone of his ability and experiences will turn this countries economic problems around!
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OMG, Johnb, the items you list are what’s keeping me awake at night. justine jones mentions getting along, but Obama was a bit of a bully with Obamacare and the end-around he and the EPA are doing with Cap & Trade is shameful. Where are our freakin lawmakers on this (Republican & Democrat). Nobody totally blames Obama for this economy, but his focus on wind energy (4 times more expensive than coal generation) has people thinking he’s creating jobs, but it’s a false economy. I have friends who call him the worst names. As he continues to talk to the media about the likes of me and other conservatives, I’m starting to wonder if he is sincere or just working the cameras and the crowd. It’s painful because I want justine to see a future that I can no longer envision.
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I had so much hope for this president, but could not be more disappointed!
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Ok John,,,You got me baffled…First you jump on the GOP for not having a lick of sense or the ability to lead, and then you switch over to those creatures from days gone past…”The Liberials” and how it’s actually them who are dragging the country down….Do you really have a side? Oh and by the way…If there were actually more than about 5 liberals left in congress do you really think the GOP wlould be able to get away with everything they have when supposedly the Dems had power……..What you are calling Liberals is actually what was considered conservative yesterday….But the GOP has gone to the severe right so much that what used to be considered centrist even with Republicans looks liberal now…..The so called Liberals have basically gone the way of the Wiggs and a few other movements of the past….Into history….Well…Excerpt on fox and right wing radio I guess…The concept of liberral is still alive and well there…but only there….
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If you look again, there are two Johns. A John and a Johnb
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10 years of Bush’s tax cuts did not create any jobs. Add that to his republican buddies shipping millions of jobs overseas. Anybody who can’t figure that out is willfully ignorant. Do we really want our seniors eating dog food so the corporations can get another tax break?
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Jeff, Bush is no longer president, your diversions are boring and not close to the truth. Millions of jobs were created under Bush and most of the eight years unemployement was uner 5%. We get it, you hate Bush.
Obama has no plan and is going to bankrupt the country. You know unemployment in 9.2%, three wars, 14.5 trillion dollar debt, gas is $3.60 a gallon, no raises, bad housing market-please go ahead and continue to blame Bush.
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I think you just did, except for the 3 wars. We’re only in 2.
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I forgot how well Libya is going and that it isn’t a war. How many months or years make it a war? Glad Obama got us out of the other wars and closed Gitmo, too. Oh wait??
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Well, whatever Libya is, we ain’t in it any more than we’re in Pakistan, Somalia, or Syria. Now, I have to wonder…just what was the last ‘declared war’ we were in? Seems like everything since WW2 has been some kind of ‘police action’.
So, tell me…just how many boots on the ground do we have in Libya?
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We have been dropping bombs for a couple months now and spending millions a day in Libya. Obama sold this like it was going to last a week. There are a lot of people dying. Call it what you want, it doesn’t change the facts. We are dropping bombs everyday in Pakistan, Somallia and Syria. Whatever we are doing or fixing in Libya, cannot do fixed without boots on the ground. Do you disagree?
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Job growth was not fabulous during the Bush years and it was mostly in the areas associated with real estate, which was a bubble, and created the collapse of the whole economy. Please see my above post for a link about the reality of the job growth under Bush. Real job growth and expending economy hasn’t happened since Clinton, in my opinion. (And he was the beginning of the economic policies that are sending our jobs overseas. NAFTA.) Let’s face the fact that no one in office seems to be adept at bringing us more jobs-whether they be Republicans or Democrats. Now, i must say that there was a time that Republicans and Democrats did work well together–Republicans keeping spending reasonable and responsible, not stopping it all together and Democrats ensuring that everyone had a voice–not just gay people and pro-choice advocates. America needs a kick start and these people don’t really seem up for the job.
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There are millions that would take anything right now. There were millions of new jobs under Bush, there is 1.9 million less jobs under Obama. People and families are hurting and losing their homes. We need more jobs and more taxpayers.
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Actually, chins, we HAVEN’T been dropping bombs for a couple months now. The most we’ve been doing is flying some drones and lending support to NATO, logistical and intelligence.
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Chins….save your breath. Jeff just blamed Bush for sending millions of jobs overseas. The jobs are leaving this country for a number of reasons. The biggest two reasons are a couple of Jeff’s babies…clean air and green energy. SAVE YOUR BREATH and ignore Jeff. What Jeff and other children don’t understand is that China is killing the earth at about 10 times the pace any
Republican controlled USA could. Jeff and people like Bill Maher actually think China is working on environmental issues. To me, Jeff would be a joke if not for the fact that about 50% of the simplest of our population agree with him. Let’s keep consuming everything that China can produce and completely put the USA out of business. Actually, we are probably past that point. Jeff…you need to buy a horse before Obama’s second term and, of course, blame Bush for
standing in a soup line that has no soup. You are beyond pathetic. Of course, no offense intended.
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That was rude and unfair. Note to self… No more late-Friday night posts.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environment_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China
Alvin, you can see that your point about China is correct as far as right now. However, you can also see that they’re just beginning to come to grips with the pollution problems.
In their case, it seems like they’ve got our type of industrial revolution going, only at a faster pace than we did.
I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to see them bypass the US in ‘green’ in the not too distant future. IF they’re as serious about it as they seem to be.
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Why does seemingly everything have to be the “Deal of the Century…” with Pres Obama? The “deal” will get done. Yes, it is time for some sort of Revenue increase, and closing LOOPHOLES only makes sense. Also making sense is the END of the GIGANTIC Entitlement Programs: some are a part of a functioning society, a trillion or more $’s are just throwing money at (supposed?) problems without finding solutions, or buying votes by keeping people on welfare-type programs. Yes, almost all programs do help some people, but there is too much duplication of services, too much administrative cost & too many people that milk the system: starting in our Government!
I’d sure like to see an end to the Lottery-type amount of perks attached to being a US Senator & US Representative – Health, Travel, Retirement to name 3 – as a part of the “Deal”. Also, time for Term Limits: after 12yrs in the Senate & 12yrs in the House, you should be able to get your agenda completed!
If the Government does shut down, I sincerely hope any member of Congress that cashes any sort of paycheck or expense check gets soundly defeated in his/her next election. And I do not care what their reasoning is nor what party they are from…
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Yup, since there are already credit rating reviews going on, it should be really interesting to see what happens if/when the US rating goes to pot.
Interest rates go up. Borrowing restricted.
Be something if China and a couple other countries call in their markers, wouldn’t it?
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