How Washington F@#$%! the budget = Since 2001, lawmakers time and again have cut taxes or increased spending without finding ways to pay for their decisions. Both parties share the blame.

[mEDITate-OR:
see a Trillion here and a Trillion there...
and wonder when it will become real money...
--------
Tis not that often that CNN gets it right anymore
but this time they nailed it...
and YOUR political party to the walls of Congress.
-----------

==============

How Washington F@#$%! the budget

Since 2001, lawmakers time and again have cut taxes

or increased spending without finding ways to pay for their decisions.

Both parties share the blame.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/news/economy/1104/gallery.budget_spending/index.html

------------
Bush tax cuts: 2001, 2003 and 2006
an initial 10-year cost estimate of $1.35 trillion
The cost of the latest two-year extension? $544.3 billion
That's the first 0f W's US$ 2 Trillions
---------------
War funding: 2001 to present

In order to fund wars in Iraq and Afghanistan

Presidents Bush and Obama have spent more than $1 trillion on direct costs alone.

On top of that, annual defense spending has just about doubled since 2001

rising to almost $700 billion in 2010.

Military spending now accounts for more 20% of the entire federal budget
That's another US 1 Trillion

-----------------
Medicare drug benefit: 2003
Originally estimated to cost $395 billion over 10 years
estimated that Medicare Part D will cost about $1 trillion dollars over the next 10 years
That's another of W's US$ 1 Trillions
-------------------
Bush stimulus: 2008
a $168 billion stimulus package
The tax cuts and other incentives -- totaling around 1% of GDP -- weren't paid for.
W's stimulus and TARP below are another US$ 1 Trillion.
----------------
TARP bailouts: 2008
spend up to $700 billion to help stabilize financial markets.
----------------
American Recovery Act: 2009
cost revised to $862 billion.
Not to be out done Obama cost U.S. another Trillion
-------------
The Republican-Obama tax package: 2010
projected to cost $858 billion over ten years.
Your newly elected Republican House demanded this one.
and Obama gave it to them and U.S. = another US$ Trillion
---------------
Debt at the breaking point
Today, the national debt stands at more than $14 trillion
=========