The current discussion or lack their off concerning the deficit and raising the debt ceiling has the country in a bad position with both political parties at odds with one another of what to do about it. It seems that the congressional republicans are only concerned about the deficit when there is a democrat in the Whitehouse, but never worried or concerned when a republican holds it. I.E. during Republican Reagan presidential era, the ceiling was raised 17 times and he took the deficit from $70 billion to $175 billion in his two terms in office, tripling it by $200 billion plus dollars. Then during Republican George H.W. Bush he left office after one term raising the deficit to $300 billion. Democrat Bill Clinton the so-called tax and spend liberal in his two terms in office zero out the deficit and left with a $200 billion plus surplus. In 2000 Republican George W. Bush took office with that $200 billion plus surplus and in his two terms left office leaving the American taxpayers with a $1.2 billion dollar deficit with his then Vice-President Dick Cheney saying, “Deficits don’t matter.” In Democratic President Obama’s two terms, he cut the deficit by $600 billion despite all the obstructing from the republicans in a majority of both houses. Then came the 45th President, Republican Donald J. Trump who inherited a roaring economy and the unemployment at 5.4%, and all he did was added $7.8 trillion dollars to the deficit or 25% of all the deficit incurred in the last 230 years. Today with another democrat holding the presidency, deficit do seem to matter to the republicans and all they want to do is take it out on the working class, the poor, and the elderly, while leaving the huge Trump tax cuts for the rich alone. Now tell me what political party is more conservative and fiscal responsible when you compare the two in the last 45 years? Today, all Democratic President Biden wants to do, is protect the safety net for the veterans, the elderly, and the poor from the republicans who want to cut spending to balance the budget on their backs.

Miguel Serda Jr.

Clearfield

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