Times Picayune staff writer Bruce Alpert in a story dated Feb. 27 reported the following statement by Scalise and I quote: President Obama has reached a new low by using our military, first responders, food inspectors, and school teachers as shields to hide his continued wasteful government spending that has exploded over the last four years.
Little boy Scalise's statement that government spending has EXPLODED is one big hell of a lie and Scalise knows it. It takes a man to tell his constituency the truth and he has failed the test. His unAmerican conservative ideology will not allow the facts to get in the way when it comes to telling the truth.
In the same article Scalise said the President should be working with the republicans on the sequester. That is laughable since it was Scalise's party leaders who said they would not work with the President from day one and like a good ditto head conservative Scalise has jumped when they tell him to do so.
The fact of the matter is that federal spending has not EXPLODED on the President's watch. Obama's fourth fiscal year ends September 30, 2013 and when the numbers come in for the first four fiscal years total federal spending during that period will show an increase of less than 10%. Total federal spending at the end of George W. Bush's first four fiscal years increased 28%. The EXPLOSION the little boy Scalise was talking about happened on the watch of George W. Bush. But the bad news does not stop there. It started with the Reagan administration where total federal spending at the end of Reagan's eight fiscal years increased 75%. It continued with Bush 41 four fiscal years in office when his four fiscal years ended total federal spending increased 28%. Then democratic President Clinton brought sanity to the nation's fiscal health. In Clinton's eight fiscal years total federal spending increased 28% a even 14% for each of his terms. In George W. Bush's second fiscal term of four years total federal spending increased 33% which brought his two term increase in federal spending to 61%.
Is it any wonder why Scalise is so familiar with EXPLOSIVE spending. And the people of Louisiana, which I am one of should remember that Scalise, Jindal and Vitter all served in congress during the Bush 43 administration and were well aware of their EXPLOSION. They all rubber stamped Bush's policies
Its hell when you can not tell the truth that is supported by fact and turn around and outright lie. And to top it off their unAmerican conservative ideology want the Obama administration and the people to pay for the 20 years of record deficit spending and debt created by Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43. Does the stupid party have any one capable of obtaining wisdom and the courage to stand up and tell the truth?
Maybe, and just maybe the next time republicans lie about federal spending staff writer Bruce Alpert will put a note at the bottom of his article and point out the facts.
Note 1: Federal spending for the 20 years under Reagan, Bush 41 and Bush 43 increased 164%. Under Clinton in his eight years it increased 28% and is estimated that under Obama when his first full fiscal term is completed it will be less than 10% (that 10% is based on my calculation of what is known for his first three years.)
Note 2: See my previous commentary titled Federal Spending: Facts vs. Myth dated 10/31/09 which spells out the source of the above numbers.
This commentary written by John Lucia
