LDB comment: In my lifetime I could never remember any controversy regarding raising the debt ceiling (it dominated the news a few months back). So I decided to do a little research and found that scores of times the debt ceiling was raised without fanfare; in other words the raising of the debt ceiling was a "rubber stamp" issue. Lo and Behold.....with Obama as President it suddenly became a big issue.
Then I found this article below; read it and draw your own conclusions. (End of LDB comment)
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How many times was it the Republicans raised the debt ceiling again
under President Bush?
Five times the ceiling was raised, with nineteen times many of the
current leadership, including Eric Cantor and John Boehner and Mitch
McConnell voted to do so.
That resulted in five times over the 8 years of the Bush
Administration that the debt ceiling was raised, after the Bush
administration started with a SURPLUS from Clinton's administration.
Republicans, particularly Bush, campaigned on paying off the debt in
10 years.
Instead: June 2002 - a $450 Billion increase; May 2003 - a $900
Billion increase; November 2004 - $800 Billion increase; March 2006 -
$781 Billion increase; September 2007 - $850 Billion increase.
NINETEEN TIMES they voted to raise the debt ceiling!!
"But while the four Republicans in Congressional leadership positions
are attempting to hold the increase hostage now, they combined to vote
for a debt limit increase 19 times during the presidency of George W.
Bush. In doing so, they increased the debt limit by nearly $4
trillion."
Hypocrite Republicans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These would be the same Republicans, particularly Eric Cantor (and
John Boehner), who, in the words of Wikipedia:
"In October 2008, Cantor advocated and voted for the TARP program
which aided distressed banks."
Not surprsingly, Cantor was a campaign contribution recipient of
donations from Citigroup, which benefitted from the TARP bailout.
Of course, Cantor who now will only approve aid for the Joplin,
Missouri Tornado Disaster relief under the Obama Administration was a
big supporter for Hurricane Katrina Relief for the gulf.........and
was alleged to have received extensive campaign contributions from
companies where FEMA services were privatized, including Dewberry in
his home state of Virginia.
Perhaps the good people in Joplin, Missouri suffering from the Tornado
Disaster, for whom Cantor and other Republicans won't vote aid,
(unless it is taken from the pockets of other people who are
suffering, but never the wealthy or corporations who are their donors
and who receive generous tax cuts and subsidies) should have realized
that if they didn't bribe the Republicans with campaign donations they
shouldn't expect to benefit from government funds?
The 2010 elections were really more of an auction than anything else,
with the GOP looting government not to make it smaller, but to benefit
their campaign donors at the expense of the citizens of the United
States who are disaster victims.
Follow the money;
it won't be going into the pockets of average Americans harmed by
natural disasters.
But it does tend to go to corporations and a very few very wealthy
people.
Follow the money; it goes to politicians and their campaigns.
Shame on the GOP.
