I’m not saying that all Republicans are dishonest, because they aren’t, nor am I saying all Democrats are honest, because they aren’t. There are some fine politicians “on both sides,” to repeat a tired phrase. But when it comes to America’s debt ceiling and budget negotiations, facts, not lies, need to be on the table. In our current self-induced crisis over our country’s debt ceiling, the Republican House Speaker needs to wipe his lies and hostage games off this table and take a long hard look at spending data dating back to the 1980s, when “trickle-down economics” proponent Ronald Reagan began the Republican Party’s irresponsible, out-of-control spending.
I’m neither a Democrat nor Republican; I’m an undeclared progressive conservative with financial common sense. If I buy it, whether I need it or not, and get a bill asking for timely payments, I do the responsible thing: I pay what I owe. Republicans didn’t seem to have any issues with the debt ceiling during the disastrous four years of the Trump administration, so why now? Only one reason: to make President Biden look bad in order to try to win back the White House and the few other crumbs they may clean up after they destroy the world’s economy, including yours and mine.
But let the data speak for itself. Ever since Reagan in the 1980s, the national debt has increased under every Republican president through Donald Trump. And because of Trump’s careless financial mismanagement, the national debt increased more than 30% with his good old boys’ tax breaks. On the other hand, during the same time period when Democratic presidents held office, spending has been less imbalanced and was even balanced under Bill Clinton’s two terms.
There’s no room for lies, sleight of hand, political speak or smoke and mirrors. We have to pay our bills for what we already bought, then sit down and negotiate an honest, goodfaith balanced budget with the American people and world’s economy in mind instead of personal ideologies. Look at the data and discover what’s fact from lies.
We need a two-party system to have an effective democracy. One party has failed the American people since Richard Nixon. Maybe it’s time to replace the Republican Party with one the American people can trust. What used to be the GOP has lost all trust and lost its way.
— Patrick Ozment
Anchorage
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