question about the National Debt for all of you economist types....

[rufus dog]

1. Generally it is bad, depending on timing

Govt can't run like a business or a household.

So the theory (and effectively used for years) is basically as follows.

When business and consumer spending in contracting you increase govt spending to stimulate the economy. So if Obama tightened spending in 2008 the shit would have really hit the fan.

That being said the current debt is almost entirely caused by Republican admins. As you stated, Clinton had us on track to eliminate the debt. Problem was W cut taxes on the wealthy, money goes to savings or offshore, thus no stimulus, AND increased spending.

This is nothing new, Arnold pulled the same crap in CA, the repubs do it all the time, as a plan, so they can then ask for shared sacrifice, which in reality is cuts in social programs along with increased local fees so in effect the poor get shafted and the middle/upper middle class takes a bigger portion of funding everything else while corporations and the rich see decreased contributions.