Shared responsibility:

Wednesday-April 20, 2011

Shared responsibility:

The President begins a series of town hall meetings this week. This is in response to the lowering of America’s credit rating.

It was only a question of time that this warning became a reality. We have the worst deficit situation, next to Japan, of all the industrialized countries in the world. We have a worst deficit record than Great Britain, France, Canada and Australia. Our spending on entitlements has been the main cause of this, because it is now viewed as being out of control.

The Standard and Poors action of lowering the credit rating from stable to negative is a significant downgrade. The debt situation is now being viewed as only getting worse. As the Standard and Poors looks into the future they are saying that we are now a risk.

A few statistics, The U.S. debt ceiling is 44% more than China’s total economic output. The debt ceiling has been raised three times during the Obama administration. The raising of this ceiling has also occurred at unprecedented rates during past administrations. However, the climb recently under Obama has been a sharp rise in comparison. The Federal deficit as a percent of the GDP is estimated to be almost 11% in 2011 a full percent higher than 2010. The public debt has increased by an average of $4.4 billion per day since President Obama took office. The CBO estimates the public debt under the Presidents budget will reach 75% of GDP by 2013.

All of this comes at a time when the economy is on an upward swing. With the lowering of the credit rating to that of a negative will result in higher interest rates on the money that we must borrow. A good deal for our creditor’s, but a bad deal for America.

The president will say that his plan will cure the deficit. He says that we must reduce the spending in Washington D.C. But what the common American forgets when they hear the rhetoric is that this President is responsible for all of this. He speaks of compassion and sacrifice. Why should this make us feel any better? It only angers me, because I see through the rhetoric and I know what these buzz words are meant to invoke by his constituency. When President Bush used the term “Compassionate Conservatism” the press railed on him and the democrats scoffed at the notion. The word compassion was used against them. The President now uses the word compassion for political gain. They will use the word as a precursor to raising taxes. The compassion the president speaks of then is put upon working Americans.

Nancy Pelosi is on her speaking tour saying that the Republicans plan will reduce and/or end Medicare all together. The truth is, is that the Republican plan will continue to currently cover all seniors while changing the way the cost is covered on new enrollees in future years. Pelosi also said, in front of the same group of minority seniors, that the Republican plan gives billions to big oil, while seniors suffer. These comments are another reason why the country does not look like a good risk any longer. These comments are designed to invoke anger and keep this class of minority seniors fearful. This is not politics it is demagoguery. This is not being truthful with a constituency. It is lying to the constituency who don’t any better.

The President filed his tax returns, as many Americans did on Monday. But what these groups that his message is now aimed at, don’t know, is that the President made $1.73 million last year. He made this amount primarily off his book sales. I should be so lucky. I do not fault him for making the money. The President had to borrow money to go to the Democratic National Convention, when he fist became a senator. He is living the American dream, but he is not paying the price for his bad decisions. He says we must all sacrifice that we must all pay just a little more to help our fellow man. What the groups don’t know when they are being assaulted by his lies is that he saved $100,000 in taxes due to the Bush Tax cuts. He also got a $12,000 refund!

Do the minority seniors who live on Social Security know about the money that he saved in taxes while complaining that the wealthiest Americans don’t pay enough? It is this kind of hypocrisy that prevents any politician form doing what is right. It is this kind of hypocrisy that has gotten us into the debt crisis that we are now in. It is this kind of hypocrisy and lack of understanding on the part of Americans that gives us a 14 trillion dollar deficit. It is this kind of hypocrisy that can only come from the constituents of the Democratic Party and a president like Barack Obama.

Until we rid our selves of politicians on both sides that seem to practice hypocrisy without any compassion and any shared sacrifice we will never get out of the debt crisis.

Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives

A footnote: If it were as simple as sharing the responsibility I would be all for it. I refuse to share in the responsibility when I am told to do as I say, not as I do.