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Fiscal irresponsibility has caused downturn

February 27, 2008 12:15 am

The current administration has consistently extolled the virtues of our "vibrant" economy. Now our elected officials are issuing "stimulus checks" to keep us out of recession. What went wrong?

How does the most prosperous country get in this shape? Would any financially sound country borrow $150 billion, mainly from the Chinese, to give citizens making up to $150,000 a welfare check?

Would any financially sound person get a cash advance on their credit card? How could any conscionable country borrow $150 billion for this package and vehemently refuse to spend $35 billion a year to cover the health care cost of 4 million uninsured children?

This administration has amassed the greatest debt in the history of the U.S., all the while saying that Democrats are fiscally inept and that we should avoid their "spend and tax" mentality.

They may be right, but I think they are calling the kettle black. This administration has amassed more debt than all prior administrations combined.

We spend more than $430 billion a year in interest payments alone (more than $1 billion per day) on the $9 trillion of debt (approximately 50 percent of this debt having been accumulated under this administration).

Our president never vetoed one spending package during the Republican-controlled Congress. They cut taxes during wartime. This administration has been allowed to run amok fiscally, getting away with murder.

Let's get our heads out of the sand and not let this happen again with any administration. They work for us; we do not work for them. Let's start holding them accountable and stop lying to ourselves about who is fiscally responsible.

Jeff Belcher

Spotsylvania