This and That

A Twitter follower tells WWR: "Obama has placed our nation in financial jeopardy." Fact is, both Democratic and Republican presidents have been running up the debt for decades. Some (sad) numbers: in the 1970s, the public debt increased 151%. It tripled in the '80s, increased 41% in the '90s, and it's undeniable Bush added nearly $5 trillion more.

Another way of looking at debt is as a percentage of GDP. In 1970 it was 28%. 1980: 26%. 1990: 42%. 2000: 35%. 2010: 67% (estimated). So yes, it's true that debt has soared in the Obama presidency - but this is hardly any different from behavior going back decades. So who has put the United States in "financial jeopardy"? WWR says Republicans and Democrats are to blame, Congress and the White House are to blame, and we're to blame too - for asking for programs, entitlements and other things that we're not willing to pay for.