I didn't take Econ, but I comprehend the reasons for the deficit. People still seem to think that freedom's free.

People bitch and moan about the economy because they don't want to have to work for anything.

Deficits are always there. I used to think it was important back when Reagan was prez but now I don't. I think what really matters is what percentage overall the government is taking out of the economy - borrowing + spending. Not that I know anything about economics.

Every election year people are screeching about deficits. Every new election year they're doing it again. Same with social security and medicare scare talk. If you listen to these people the sky is always falling. After 45 years of watching though...the country isn't bankrupt, social security and medicare are still there...the sky is still up there.

Its all a distraction and a sales job. The real issue is the war. You know...there actually could be a decent debate about which party's approach to the war is the better one, and what strategy we should be taking. Want to bet whether we're going to get that?

LOL - Calliope - you about took the words out of my mouth *grin*. I remember back in Reagan's time - the Dems were screaming bloody murder about the deficit. If you're too young to remember, it makes today's deficit moaners look like they are whispering. The press got behind it - we were going to be paying for Reagan's deficit when our grandchildren's grandchildren were paying the bills... Yeah right.

By the middle of Clinton's term - everyone was talking about how we were just about to pay off the national debt, life was wonderful, we had no deficit to bring us to ruin - I wanted to stand up and say "Hey Dudes! I don't have grandchildren yet!!!!" So what happened to the crippling burden that was going to be with us for the next thousand years???

Now, there has been a huge increase in some other aspects of government spending - that I certainly don't like. These spending sprees have nothing at all to do with the war. I also don't see how they are going to help anyone in the long run, except the people who get government jobs out of it. Well, we'll have to see where it goes, but so far I don't think the sky is falling yet.

In the meantime, the war is more important than just about anything else. If we don't win it and turn things around with the terrorists, then we will see an economic collapse. And it will be devastating.