how (are?) programs that Bush introduced still contributing to the national debt

[the right stuff]

when Obama is in offic? I was listening to Fox News this morning (go figure), and it was mentioned that the deficit was $10 trillion when Bush left office. It was subsequently mentioned that programs which Bush had created continued to play a role in the Obama presidency, and that they contributed significantly to the $12 trillion that had incrued by the end of Obama's first year in office, as well as the $14 trillion that stands currently.

Question: are programs that Bush introduced still in effect currently, and/or how is it that they were/are still continuing to contibute to our national debt when Bush is no longer in office? Keep in mind that we still had a liberal majority throughout Obama's first year in office, although there was an attempt to delay certain votes until after November elections at which point conservatives would likely rule congress. Also Obama had much difficulty making things happen prior to that due to blockage/filabustering by republicans. What is really funny is that now conservatives like Bohener want to blame Obama's spending decisions for the current debt crisis, when it is THEY who put him in the position to have to make those decisions. I just wonder if any of the Bush programs were also responsible for debt incrued during Obama's time in office, for instance we already owed $10 trillion from Bush when Obama came in and therefore it is primarily due to Bush that we now need to raise the debt ceiling. Also if Bush programs are still in effect currently, then that means they also contributed to the Obama debt, which thus far has only been about $4 trillion.

I would venture to ask why Obama and the liberal majority did not attempt during his first year in office to lower the capital gains tax and eliminate other Bush created expenditures, but I believe that question has already been answered via conservatives who had nothing better to do than to play politics throughout Obama's first year, which would likely prevent this from happening. It's rediculous.

 

[oohhbother]

Republicans filibustered the first attempt to let the Bush tax cuts expire - and screamed about making the recession worse.
Democrats dropped it to compromise.

 

[NO MA'AM]

Obama expanded the War in Afghanistan and extended all of the Bush tax cuts. For some reason, he wants to blame Bush for it.

Obama also doesn't think he's responsible for paying out SS, Medicare, Vet benefits, Unemployment, student loans and other discretionary spending during his time.

That's also Bush's fault.

 

[Priestess Shizuka]

Here is the best graphic to explain that.

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2011/07/24/opinion/sunday/24editorial_graph2.html?ref=sunday

 

[Daniel]

First the tax cuts,second two wars, third medicare drug plan none of which were paid for.

 

[Thomas R]

They are still in effect. Bush tax cuts, The Patriot Act, not to mention the continually laughable "War on Drugs" along with the same people who majorly f***ed up the economy still walking around as government consultants. Oh yeah, and we are still kicking around the long overturned oil drums with our ground and air based forces in the Middle East while our Navy continues to decline.

 

[Maxwell]

Because Obama, the Dem run House, and the Dem Supermajority in the Senate chose for over a year to keep every single one of them in place...and then spend even more money on other things.

 

[NO Govt. Motors]

So if it's all President Bush's fault, why not vote him out of office? Maybe we could vote in a no nothing congressman that is so brilliant from giving speeches to collage kids, that he will do great things for the country...oh wait...Bush didn't run...we have Obammy now..he will save the days...God Bless Obammy..the great new super hero for the UN...oops..he's not for the USA is HE....no, he's not even from the USA...pay no attention to that man behind the curtan...just blame Bush...everything mustbe his fault...

 

[Ed Jasie]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infographics/us-national-debt

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/voters-blame-bush-more-obama-economy-143014602.html


http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/index.php/archives/1202-gordon-lubold

 

[Giuseppe]

The GWBush tax cuts reduced revenue way below spending which of course drove up the debt to a double. Now Republicans refuse to take taxes back to when our economy was healthy.

 

[mstrobert]

So we still on the blame bush thing?

He had 2 years of owning the entire government and all he did was blow our money away and we still have over 9% unemployment!

Sorry.. old story. PresBO is a disaster!

 

[Bill You]

Medicare D, it's promised money on the backs of future generations. Just like the policies of FDR and LBJ.

 

[almaciga]

Well the tax cuts is a law and requires an act of congress. They were supposed to be only while there was a budge surplus but that was gone in a month but he made it into law. Then the energy subsidies that are now part of the budget. The subsidies to companies who are still moving overseas. Some of the programs are deals that he made with other countries like China and Kuwait. Also, the wars are still part of our budget. Some of those are private companies contracts, like The Black Water deal. And you are right. Those bills will have to be paid because there is a "promissory note" (so to speak) so the payment will have to be made. The first two years, if you remember they kept Obama running from one issue to another. And they kept him busy with other less pressing issues so he would not look at the others. They always held something hostage, like the unemployment benefits so Obama did not want to hurt the unemployed so he gave in. He probably regrets it now, but he was also under pressure by those who said they were democrats but sided with the Republicans. We need democrats there who are really democrats and are not bribeable.

@ Bill you: NO, NO, NO, Part D is the biggest debt generating in the budget. Because, The Idiot, Bush did not negotiated COSTS. So, we are still paying $2.00 per aspirin tablet when we could have paid $2 for 200 tablets. Bush just wanted to make big pharma richer. Obama is still negotiating to save some money but with what time?

@ no government motors: He is out of office, I would put him in jail for sending our young men an women to fight a war based on a lie.

 

[Billy bob]

The Bush tax cuts reduced spending below a reasonable threshold, that and the 2 wars America began under his presidency are obviously the cause of our current recession.