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Springg

(42 posts)
Tue Aug 28, 2012, 03:03 PM Aug 2012

Question about the national debt during Obama years?

I have heard and read in various liberal media outlets that one of the reasons that President Obama's national debt has skyrocketed during his administration is that Bush kept the cost of the 2 wars "off the books" and those costs were never factored in the book keeping. However, when Obama came into office, he had the debt from the 2 wars put back "on the books". I tried to tell this to my friend and she said...if this is true...why isn't the President and his people talking about it over and over and putting it into t.v. ads??? She didn't really believe me and asked me to send her sources. I googled and searched the internet...and honestly, I could not find any article(s) that actually supported my statement. Could someone point me to sources (in plain English...not fiscal gobbly gook) that would help me convince my friend that Bush kept the cost of the wars off the books and Obama put them back in?

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Question about the national debt during Obama years? (Original Post) Springg Aug 2012 OP
Much of it was not done using the regular DOD Budget & Appropriations process BumRushDaShow Aug 2012 #1
This is absolutely true, and I'm baffled as to why the Democrats aren't hitting this home!!! Liberal_Stalwart71 Aug 2012 #2
$5.1 Trillion (cost of Bush policies) vs. $983 Billion (cost of Obama policies) klook Aug 2012 #3
thanks Springg Aug 2012 #4
Good - the related article is worth a look, also klook Aug 2012 #5
Obama does say it over and over EC Aug 2012 #6

BumRushDaShow

(127,312 posts)
1. Much of it was not done using the regular DOD Budget & Appropriations process
Tue Aug 28, 2012, 03:14 PM
Aug 2012

it was done by Supplemental funding requests or emergency funding requests (many of which are often done during the summer).

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/14/us/politics/14warcosts.

In fact, if I remember correctly, the Democrats were able to put the last Minimum Wage increases on such a Defense supplemental in 2007.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Troop_Readiness,_Veterans%27_Care,_Katrina_Recovery,_and_Iraq_Accountability_Appropriations_Act,_2007

 

Liberal_Stalwart71

(20,450 posts)
2. This is absolutely true, and I'm baffled as to why the Democrats aren't hitting this home!!!
Tue Aug 28, 2012, 03:16 PM
Aug 2012

...and it wasn't just the two wars off the books, it was also the Medicare Plan Part D and two rounds of tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, respectively.

In fact, spending has gone down under Obama, who has spent far less than ANY president.

Again, why the Democrats aren't hammering these facts home is astonishing to me.

klook

(12,134 posts)
3. $5.1 Trillion (cost of Bush policies) vs. $983 Billion (cost of Obama policies)
Tue Aug 28, 2012, 03:20 PM
Aug 2012

See Adding to the deficit: Bush vs. Obama, Washington Post, 1/31/2012

This even has an easy-to-grasp picture your conservative friend might appreciate. War cost is one piece of the puzzle.

Springg

(42 posts)
4. thanks
Tue Aug 28, 2012, 03:23 PM
Aug 2012

thanks...this is a great link! I will definitely send it to her...she seems open to facts...unlike so many others!

klook

(12,134 posts)
5. Good - the related article is worth a look, also
Tue Aug 28, 2012, 03:45 PM
Aug 2012
Doing the math on Obama's deficits

"...ask yourself: Which of Obama’s policies added $4.7 trillion to the debt? The stimulus? That was just a bit more than $800 billion. TARP? That passed under George W. Bush, and most of it has been repaid.

There is a way to tally the effects Obama has had on the deficit. Look at every piece of legislation he has signed into law. Every time Congress passes a bill, either the Congressional Budget Office or the Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the effect it will have on the budget over the next 10 years. And then they continue to estimate changes to those bills. If you know how to read their numbers, you can come up with an estimate that zeros in on the laws Obama has had a hand in."

EC

(12,287 posts)
6. Obama does say it over and over
Tue Aug 28, 2012, 04:47 PM
Aug 2012

but I don't think people know what that means. It's Enron bookkeeping, putting the expenses off the books and not counting them into the deficit column.

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