by: es Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Birthplace of Independent Conservatism

It must come as a surprise to the CEO of the nation, President Obama, that the majority of Americans stand in opposition to raising the debt ceiling. Frankly Americans of all political persuasions {except the extreme hard core leftists and statists} are getting fed up with the profligate government spending that began about thirty years ago and has continued unabated.

The national debt ballooned under the watchful eye of GWB {a bit of snark} and has exploded under the sleeping gaze of BHO {more snark}. The people are beginning to wake up and realize such irresponsible spending cannot continue forever. Sooner or later we must get our fiscal house in order. By continuing to take the easy way out we only minimize the discomfort for and put off even more drastic scenarios.

The American people get it.

And they have spoken.

It is time for our leaders to take the actions necessary to right the national ship. This requires huge reductions in spending coupled with simplification of the tax code and the elimination of myriad loopholes.

It is questionable given the track record of Congress and the Executive branch of our government whether they will find the wisdom and will to do so . Particularly, and especially given the performance of the last ten years.


From CBS News Politics:

CBS News Poll analysis by the CBS News Polling Unit: Sarah Dutton, Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus and Anthony Salvanto. Obama administration warnings that failing to do so would devastate the economy, a clear majority of Americans say they oppose raising the debt limit, a new CBS News/New York Times poll shows.

Just 27 percent of Americans support raising the debt limit, while 63 percent oppose raising it.

Eighty-three percent of Republicans oppose raising the limit, along with 64 percent of independents and 48 percent of Democrats. Support for raising the debt limit is just 36 percent among Democrats, and only 14 percent among Republicans.

Seven in ten who oppose raising the debt limit stand by that position even if it means that interest rates will go up.

Poll: Approval ratings for Obama, Congress dip

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has notified Congress that they will need to raise the debt limit from the current $14.3 trillion level in mid-May to early July for the United States to meet its current fiscal obligations.

Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, are demanding spending cuts in exchange for their votes to raise the debt ceiling. They seized on the recent Standard & Poor’s warning that it could eventually lower its rating on U.S. debt “a wake-up call to those in Washington asking Congress to blindly increase the debt limit,” in the words of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.

If the debt limit is not raised, the United States could default on its bonds for the first time in history.* White House Press Secretary Jay Carney has suggested not raising it would be “a catastrophic folly.”

Mr. Obama actually voted against raising the debt limit when he was a senator, a decision the White House says he now regrets. In past years, Congress has regularly voted to increase the debt limit – though voting to do so has usually fallen to the party in power. {Read More}

Republicans are right. First the administration must accept meaningful and deep spending cuts {that means real cuts in defense spending too, conservatives} before Congress should raise the debt ceiling.

Cross posted to Rational Nation USA

Via: Memeorandum