Bush's Fiscal Success

[DanS]

I'm sure what you meant to say is that the increase in the deficit is trending downwards.

I didn't mean to say that. What are you talking about?

[RGBVideo]

I'm sure what you meant to say is that the increase in the deficit is trending downwards.

No, I think what you meant to say was that the increase in debt is trending downwards, or IOW the Official deficit numbers are going down.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by DanS


I didn't mean to say that. What are you talking about?

I mean to say, the budget is not balanced. Every year, we are running a deficit. Although it's not as big as it used to be, it is still there and still large.

Saying "the deficit is trending downwards" sounds like the deficit is getting smaller. It is not. It is getting larger. The best that can be said about it is that it is growing as fast.

[Garth Vader]

Is somebody confused about the difference between deficit and debt?

[Kontiki]

The deficit is getting smaller. Remember the key definitions:

deficit - a situation whereby you spend more than you take in during a given time period (usually a year)

debt - the total accumulation of previous deficits, minus any supluses

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Garth Vader
Is somebody confused about the difference between deficit and debt?

Interesting point....

Checking Websters, a "deficit" is "an excess of liabilities over assets, of losses over profits, or of expenditures over income."

Using the first example, liablities over assets, the deficit in increasing.
Using the third example, expenditures over income, the deficit is shinking.

[chequita guevara]

Re: Bush's Fiscal Success

Originally posted by DanS
According to the July deficit figures released by the Treasury, the federal deficit over the last 12 months has been $255 billion.

That's because they're lying.

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by DanS
As far as I know, the neocons as a group don't have much sway in the administration. They used to have a little, but their influence was always overblown.

Yeah, and that's why Bush stupidly took the leash off Israel with regards to Lebanon and even further was encouraging them to attack Damascus.

[snoopy369]

Just to clarify, when economists (who know what they're talking about to any degree) use the word "federal deficit" or just "Deficit" they are referring to the annual shortfall of the US federal budget; typically in the range of a few hundred billion dollars. For a few years in the 1990s we were running a budget surplus (if you believe the clinton numbers any more than you believe the bush numbers, haha).

The National Debt is the sum total of all debts owed by the US government to private or public entities, including itself (ie, what, like a trillion or so owed to social security?).

Got it?

[snoopy369]

Originally posted by chegitz guevara


Yeah, and that's why Bush stupidly took the leash off Israel with regards to Lebanon and even further was encouraging them to attack Damascus.

I wouldn't say that had anything to do with neocons. Neocons aren't necessarily pro-israel.

There has been a rather silly conflation in the media of "neocon" with "bush-republicans". Bush gained much of his support FROM the neocons, and shares some ideals with them, but he more closely associates with southern and midwestern social conservatives rather than the actual 'neocons' who are largely urban, north midwest or northeast (or California, of course).

[chequita guevara]

Originally posted by snoopy369
I wouldn't say that had anything to do with neocons. Neocons aren't necessarily pro-israel.

Not necessarily, but most of them are, if not because they're Jewish, then because they see Israel as an extention of American power. If Israel thwacks Hibollah and Syria, then the U.S. doesn't have to.

[RGBVideo]

neoconservatives... well, we have our own sample here in OTF...

There has been a rather silly conflation in the media of "neocon" with "bush-republicans". Bush gained much of his support FROM the neocons, and shares some ideals with them, but he more closely associates with southern and midwestern social conservatives rather than the actual 'neocons' who are largely urban, north midwest or northeast (or California, of course).

Well, erm... He's most closely associated with people who were born into millionaire families owning a lot in the stock market, like he did. He doesn't really care what happens to neoconservatives or "midwestern social conservatives" as long as they'll vote for him. Bush has done a lot of 360 degree (example: immigration) and 180 degree (example: terrorism) turns by now in a lot issues, but he has solidly continued to ensure that the good times roll for those who own a lot in the stock market. His greatest asset is that the working people won't have any time or interest to check how the image of the republican party they once absorbed is correlating with reality -- "I voted for Bush because I'm a republican" will probably translate into "I'll vote for my congressman because I'm a republican", no matter how big-government they are or will be.

I'm not really sure neoconservatives only live in "liberal" regions of the US, considering lotm lives in VA and Imran in urban GA...

[chequita guevara]

Bush has always been rather progressive on immigration. It's the only thing on which I can support him consistently.

[Dinner]

So the best DanS can manage is that the massive amounts of debt is only slightly less massive then people thought it would be? Wow, what great leadership. Anyway you look at it our country is worse off as the debt keeps pilling up.

[Kontiki]

Re: neoconservatives... well, we have our own sample here in OTF...

Originally posted by VJ
I'm not really sure neoconservatives only live in "liberal" regions of the US, considering lotm lives in VA and Imran in urban GA...

They both live in the most liberal parts of those states, though. I'm not entirely sure either one would be a neocon, though - especially lotm.