In fact, Reagan increased debt, government spending and---taxes. Clinton drove down the debt until Bush repeated the old pattern. Canada had the same experience with the conservative Mulroney government which turned the country into a world-scale financial basket case. A liberal government fixed it with aggressive program cuts in the 90s, sitting pretty for The Great Recession.
Even socialist France is tackling economic issues that two decades of mainly conservative governments were unable or afraid to touch, this month added a 400-article bill to deregulate many sectors, allow competition, cut public spending, part of redesign of the entire economy. Bring in the lefties to cut public debt.
King,
We were both there, so to speak, so I am going to remind you of a few facts you conveniently forgot, above. Reagan never got a single spending cut he asked for, and he asked for and presented many. The stated goal, after the fact, was that liberals in both houses were anxious to sabotage that administration in any way possible, and spending was all they had. The economy had come roaring back to life from what it was under Jimmy Carter with so much vigor, that they were terrified.
Had spending in the Clinton years been up to the most cheated on woman in America's husband during the Clinton years, we no doubt would still be digging out from that fiasco. But, Clinton had to come to terms with a bulldog by the name of Newt Gingrich, and the republicans in both houses.
Clinton had far less to do with any spending than Newt did, plain and simple. Clinton did sign NAFTA, an act that labor in this country called, at the time, a "knife to the heart of the working man", but, just as Clinton had told labor it would do, labor got down on it's knees, pulled down his fly, and re-elected Clinton, proving for the rest of time that, when it comes to labor in this country, it isn't about the working man, his wages or benefits, it is about liberalism.
The republican candidate, Bob Dole had said he wouldn't sign it. Labor, proving what labor is really all about, pulled the lever for Clinton, just like he told them to do.
The national debt under Obama, coupled with the collapse of the economy, has been devastating, and, unprecedented in this country. To attempt to illustrate it in any other fashion is dilusional.
Reminder over.
Best,
Ted
