News-Record.com

First, the national debt is approaching 9.5 trillion.
Currently about $9,469,832,770,207.

And I think the term you're looking for is BORROW-and spend juggernaut. You know, it's the first war we've had that's not been accompanied by tax hike and here we have Republicans supporting the war and trying to extend the Bush tax cuts.

Although, you're right. Congress should demand that the President submit balanced budgets.

Some funding is still needed to finance the general public good: a militia, a system of justice to deal with jerks and crazies, etc.

Tax cuts are suppose to be about minimal government (power to the people) and removing a wedge that cuts business profits (encouraging more production, hiring & salaries, and therefore the economy in general).

The rhetoric these days is so shallow and biased most folks have become ignorant - there is no better word at 6am. Ignorant of the need and purpose and ignorant of the results from any given action.

I recently learned that Canada has a maximum federal tax rate of 29%. Sounds good until you realize there is a Providence tax (like a state tax here) that ranges from 10% to over 20%, making the de-facto max tax rate of 39% to 52%. Sounds bad until you learn that Canada has also operated a balanced budget since 1997 - when the oil the export was cheap. The future looks bright.

Ditto Norway - a country often branded as Socialist - until you learn their federal government has a savings account worth about 2/3rds Norway's GDP. Imagine America with $8 Trillion in the bank rather than being in the hole $9 Trillion.

We're $17 trillion dollars behind.

fwiw - the balanced budget thing is a joke - because there is always the "Emergency Appropriation" ... and we just signed another $160,000,000,000 "Emergency Appropriation" for "the war on terrorism". Seven years into it and it's still an "Emergency" ... yea, we can't see it coming! A Joke.

Congress sets example of fiscal irresponsibility . . .

. . . the news in this statement was what?

"Unfortunately, in too many cases our corporate culture follows the same pattern of government excess.
Responsibility and common sense seem in short supply."

Yeah there have been a few Enrons out there but corporations don't confiscate the money of producers with the alternative of being imprisoned and hand it out to non-producers. Furthermore they would go out of business if they followed the govt. model.

You might add that individuals too follow this pattern of irresponsibility. Buy more house than you can afford, the housing market turns south, now you owe more than your house is worth while gas and food prices soar. The solution? Let govt. bail you out!

Speaking of fiscal irresponsibility, it's not only at the federal level. Witness Gov. & Mrs. Easley's $170,000 vacation....er.... business trip to Italy. Mrs. Easley's $109,000 vac.....er....cultural exchange to St. Petersburg (Russia not Florida) and Estonia. Can't say I blame her, we went to both places in 2006 and they are awesome. We paid our way however, not the taxpayers.

Now in today's N&R there is a front page article about Mrs. Easley's $79,700 pay raise at NC State.

Gov. Easley's response is what Democrats do best play the "(fill in the blank) card". In this instance he played the gender card: "If she were a man, it wouldn't be an issue".

Likening corporate "excesses" to government irresponsibility is laughable. Someone mentioned Enron. Enron was forced to declare bankruptcy and is gone, with many of their former executives residing in prison, while the corrupt government simply continues on its way running up massive debt that will never be able to be paid, and continues to extort more money from us in an attempt to stave off bankruptcy.

We'd better hope that the countries financing our debt don't ever decide to call that debt! Why are not these corrupt politicians in the same prisons as the corporate crooks, who are at least not stealing taxpayer dollars?

Likening corporate "excesses" to government irresponsibility is laughable. Someone mentioned Enron. Enron was forced to declare bankruptcy and is gone, with many of their former executives residing in prison, while the corrupt government simply continues on its way running up massive debt that will never be able to be paid, and continues to extort more money from us in an attempt to stave off bankruptcy.

We'd better hope that the countries financing our debt don't ever decide to call that debt! Why are not these corrupt politicians in the same prisons as the corporate crooks, who are at least not stealing taxpayer dollars?

Our citizens are the perpetrators, not the victims. We're the ones electing the spend now, pay later politicians.

Brian, is there another kind of politician that runs for office?