10 who led us to the fiscal cliff

In January 2001, when Bush/Cheney came into office, we had a Federal debt of about $5.6 Trillion.  when they left office in January 2009 it was about $10 Trillion (eight years later). They did increase the debt through funding the War on Terror and increases in social entitlement spending (particularly with the idea everyone deserved their own house (or two/three) whether they could afford it or not).

President Obama and his administration has added another $6.4 Trillion to the debt in the last 4 years. The only thing that has allowed President Obama to get away with it is the fact that the cost of interest has been kept way below historical averages. If it went to historical averages we would be paying almost $1 Trillion in interest payments. When you only bring in $2.4 Trillion a year in revenues and spend $1.85 Trillion on social entitlements we're $400 Billion in the hole before we enen consider defense spending or the other costs of Government (courts, law enforcement, federal prisons, Congress/White house, Senate, EPA, other Admin offices, parks, NASA, etc.) . How are we going to affort that? By the way, additional reveues are only suppose to be $60-80 Billion. We are now way beyond blame and must now get to fixing the problem.

Let's start with debating a clean slate of $2.5 trillion in Revenue. What are our national values of how we spend it? Do we pay our interest payments? Do we defend ourselves from the rest of the world who would take what we have? Do we police or or build up the rest of the world with public money?  Do we provide justice to our citizens? Do we protect private property rights? Do we invest in our power/transportation​ grids? Do we encouage innovation and economic growth? Do we encouage competitive advantage development? Do we honor our commitments to those currently dependent on us? Do we embrace efficiency and effectiveness in how we carry out these values? Do we give special advantages to protected classes?  What is the role of Government?  What is the role of charities and non/not-for-profit organizations?  What is the role of business?  What is the role of banks?  What is the role of the individual with regard to themselves, immediate family, parents, community, Governments, etc.?

You forgot Acorn, with Obama as attorney forced banks to make loans to people who could not pay them back

The Partisan Ideaology and the finger pointing is what helped or led us to this point,

First, we and the Politcians need to act like Americans...I see that as a major stumbling block.

We are Matured as a Country, but as Citizens we are reversing the direction... 

No question---last two years of the Bush administration,congr​ess was democratic. duh!

Barney Frank,Christopher Dodd &Fannie.

Preplanned to destroy our economy====No Doc loans duh! Whydo you think they both left congress.

It is articles like this that destroy a writer's credibility.

When you only site the "facts" that support your argument and deliberately leave out the "facts" that counter it, you are  a fool (bufoon), and probably think the public are stupid.

Congress knows that the way to get reelcted is to give the constituents something for nothing, or at a great bargain price.  It is NOT the "fault" of any one (or ten) people, but the lack of leadership in our elected officials.  Neither party has true (if any) manager/leader.

There are no more Moynihans out there.

There have been some bad articles on MSN  Money, but this is the worst yet.  The author obviously has an agenda and plays loose with the facts.