Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Yosemite, Congress & Sequestering

Salty, understanding the historical reasons for our dramatic rise in national debt since 1980 is essential to understanding what to do about it. Those who don't understand history are doomed to repeat it.

Now that the crisis seems to have peaked, whatever we do should be gradual, and sequester is a knee jerk. The TARP bailouts that Bush Jr started were necessary, and the program did it's job. Obama's loans to GM kept the auto industry from imploding and are being repaid. Extended unemployment payouts are declining, and the stimulus spending is phasing out. Those emergency measures were necessary to avoid a repeat of the Great Depression. That's why there are times when deficit spending is necessary. In my opinion, Reagan was justified for some of his deficit spending to get us out of the post-Vietnam stagflation of the 70's from the oil crises. Bush Jr was justified for priming the pump following 911. These measures should only go on for a couple of years, more or less, and then when the private sector recovers, the debt should be paid down to get ready for the next crisis. But no, they ran up debt like a drunken sailor on leave. Now we're at a tipping point with very little room for emergency measures.

Our economy just suffered a heart attack in 2007, the triple bypass surgery was successful, but we're not quite ready for the Boston marathon just yet. Let's address the debt in a gradual and balanced manner without tying one hand behind our back. This was all debated in the last election. The party that lost should not be obstructing progress because they control one half of one half of the government. Do they have to be completely removed from power to get things done? That's what happened in California state government. I think they are afraid Obama will be successful if he's allow to follow what has obviously worked in the past.

Our system depends on two healthy parties with competing ideas to arrive at the best solutions to our problems. The minority leader and other Republicans have openly declared that opposing Obama is their highest priority. That attitude has no place in our system and those people need to be removed from power or the entire party needs to grow up.