Unlike President George W. Bush who took over a government that was in top fiscal shape and then left in poor fiscal shape, the job now falls to President Obama to reverse the record deficit spending and debt of the past eight years. It will not be easy but it is a situation that has to be addressed and acted upon.
The most significant sign in the fight to get our fiscal house in order is that Obama said he will make fiscal responsibility a priority after he deals with the economy and gets back on track. The last three Republican Presidents never made a commitment to get our fiscal house in order and in fact never gave the problem any serious thought or effort.
It is more important now that President Obama keep his promise because the situation is now critical. The President said he would veto any health-care plan that adds to the deficit. That is a statement the President needs to back up with his veto pen if necessary. There can be no turning back from this problem and no excuses are allowed. Balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility will allow our nation to solve many of our problems without creating more debt and raising the cost of living for our people unnecessarlly.
The growth of federal expenditures can be controlled, the Clinton administration proved that and it did not damage our country or our people. There has to be a plan and the President needs to make sure the plan is sound, workable and enforced. The most important element now is to put our people back to work on a sustained basis so the consumer will once again get the economy moving. Jobs are the key and should continue to be the focus.
There will be a lot of distractions for the President, especially from those in Congress and the news media who will try to oppose every move he makes. It has already started. The American people will be in a position to judge the President's action when his term comes to a close. It won't be hard to document what progress was made on his watch. He deserves the chance to have enough time to turn things around for the better.
The unprecedented increase in the National Debt of over $6 trillion just in the eight years of the previous administration has put our country in jeopardy fiscally. President Obama needs to be decisive and firm in reversing this horrow story thrust on our country and its people.
