Back to Basics

These deficits are not what Obama promised. Indeed, he promised the opposite.

President Obama on controlling the debt: “Somehow people say, why are you doing that, I’m not sure that’s good politics. I’m doing it because I said I was going to do it and I think it’s the right thing to do. People should learn that lesson about me because next year when I start presenting some very difficult choices to the country, I hope some of these folks who are hollering about deficits and debt step-up because I’m calling their bluff. We’ll see how much of that, how much of the political arguments that they’re making right now are real and how much of it was just politics.”

Take some of the promises that Obama made during the third presidential debate.

OBAMA: And we are now looking at a deficit of well over half a trillion dollars.

So one of the things that I think we have to recognize is pursuing the same kinds of policies that we pursued over the last eight years is not going to bring down the deficit. And, frankly, Senator McCain voted for four out of five of President Bush’s budgets.

We’ve got to take this in a new direction, that’s what I propose as president. . . . .

OBAMA: . . . . But there is no doubt that we’ve been living beyond our means and we’re going to have to make some adjustments.

Now, what I’ve done throughout this campaign is to propose a net spending cut. . . . .

From the second debate.

But I think it’s important just to remember a little bit of history. When George Bush came into office, we had surpluses. And now we have half-a-trillion-dollar deficit annually.

When George Bush came into office, our debt — national debt was around $5 trillion. It’s now over $10 trillion. We’ve almost doubled it.

And so while it’s true that nobody’s completely innocent here, we have had over the last eight years the biggest increases in deficit spending and national debt in our history. And Sen. McCain voted for four out of five of those George Bush budgets. . . . And what I’ve proposed, you’ll hear Sen. McCain say, well, he’s proposing a whole bunch of new spending, but actually I’m cutting more than I’m spending so that it will be a net spending cut.

The key is whether or not we’ve got priorities that are working for you as opposed to those who have been dictating the policy in Washington lately, and that’s mostly lobbyists and special interests. We’ve got to put an end to that.

From the first debate.

OBAMA: I just want to make this point, Jim. John, it’s been your president who you said you agreed with 90 percent of the time who presided over this increase in spending. This orgy of spending and enormous deficits you voted for almost all of his budgets.

John McCain’s Town Hall Meeting – August 26, 2009

John McCain's Town Hall Meeting - Aug 26, 2009

A very passionate crowed attended John McCain’s town hall meeting held at the North Phoenix Baptist Church.  Even while waiting for the doors to open for seating, people became engaged in discussion with others about the bill and other political concerns facing the US today.

The pastor of the church welcomed everyone and said a prayer for all.  Betsy Bayless, CEO of Maricopa Integrated Health System gave a brief speech and introduced Senator John McCain, who received a standing welcome.  After giving his thank you’s and covering the etiquette of town hall meetings, he started his introduction into the health care issue when a woman in the crowd started yelling out comments and Senator McCain politely asked her to be quiet or leave.  She was escorted out while the crowd applauded.  I was sitting only a few seats from her and couldn’t understand a word she said, so other than creating a public display, she did nothing to further her personal cause.

The meeting continued, with no further outbreaks, no riots, not even one picket sign that I could see.  Individuals were allowed to speak, often with the crowds’ applause.  Depending on which side of the fence they spoke on, they might also have faced a mixed response with applause and booing, but all remained civil. One young lady voiced her concerns on government spending and how it will affect her grandchildren, and told Senator McCain to give her 10 minutes of his time and she could tell him how to fix it.  She was about 10 years old and you have to give her a lot of credit for speaking up.  Maybe a political career is in her future!

Senator McCain showed the Senate bill, the equivalent of House bill.  He did not go into many details about the bill, but did state there are earmarks in the bill, one of which covers union pensions.  He said we have the highest quality health care in the world and we need to preserve it and make it affordable.  He stated the spending going on in the government today is generational theft and we cannot continue to expand without the ability to pay for it.

He shared the Congressional Budget Office reports which indicated the president and democrat’s bill expands government, does nothing to decrease medical costs, and will in fact increase costs over time instead of decrease them.  He indicated the Mayo Clinic also spoke out against the bill indicating it misses the opportunity and does the opposite of what was intended.  He also stated the drug companies made a deal with the White House.

Like the House, the Senate has some alternative bills, which resemble a similar philosophy to those by the House.  They include keeping patient choice, providing tax incentives for individuals and families who purchase insurance outside an employer-based plan, would create new risk pools to insure the high risk population (pre-existing conditions or chronic illness), would make health savings accounts more affordable, would support wellness and fitness programs and would allow the sale of insurance policies to cross state lines.