Just saw news about no federal budget being given. Discuss Seems pretty shocking for this to happen especially before an election.
I don't think the budget has anything to do with how much they spend anyway. The Treasury releases the debt regardless of the budget. the Budget is just a fantasy number that the government pretends to hold within. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. The fact that they don't want to have a budget this year is even worse than publishing one. If the Dems think this is a smart move, then they're a lot dumber than I thought.
I believe your correct about the budget being just a estimate but seems very surprising to not give any estimate at all about spending. Also since this move comes right before a potentially terrible democratic election seems very bad. If i was American this would significantly shape my vote decision.
Its a charade, but when there not even willing to put on the charade anymore you really got to wonder.
Most of us Americans who pay attention, have already had our vote "shaped". However, there is a large contingent of voters (evidenced by Obama's still 42-46% favorable rating) who will vote for him simply because of race or the party line. The Democrat Party Congress people are expecting a SLAUGHTER at the polls... so might as well go out in a glorious inferno of deficit spending.. won't get THAT chance again soon.
The "Dems" have the better record with regard to responsible spending in recent decades. I have to go with the odds and they favor the "Dems" as being the more fiscally responsible. At least that's what more recent history has revealed. Neither side has acted responsibly, but the "Dems" have proven to be the least irresponsible. The lesser of two evils, if you will. We have a slightly better chance of bringing out of control military and medical spending down under Democratic leadership than we do under Republican leadership it seems. It has been the Republicans who have started needless and very costly wars and the Democrats who, once they wised up to the absurdity of these adventures, sought to avoid wars or end them. It was the "Dems" who tried to push through "the Public Option" which would have been a first step, and an effective one, toward emasculating the medical Cartel. It was the "Reps" that killed it. It is also the "Reps" who pushed through the "Patriot Act" -- and trampled over the U.S. Constitution. That was an extremely serious transgression as far as i'm concerned. And it was the "Reps" who made us less safe from terrorists. And it was under "Rep" leadership that Wall Street was allowed to bring the World's financial markets to their collective knees. Not a very good record i'm afraid. Sadly, the "Dems" haven't done a whole lot better.
Regardless of what November brings, Obama will have to answer for the next couple of years spending. He is still POTUS in 2011, when the checks start rolling out and the deficit rolls up hugely.