Do you think Obama and the Dem congress will balance the federal budget?

[BritishDemocrat]

One of Clinton's greatest achievements was to turn a $300 billion defecit into a $200 billion surplus.

Do you think it's possible to balance the federal budget after Bush's $482 billion defecit?

[tekisui]

1. Not in his first term.

It is a total wreck.

[sandnsea]

2. The federal budget isn't the national debt

Just saying. I think a lot of people never understood we hadn't dug ourselves out of debt at all. That's why we gave that FICA MONEY away to rich people. So I don't really care if Obama balances the budget if he does it in a way that lets Republicans take my money and gives it to rich people again.

[robcon]

3. It would be a tragedy if he did.

Either raising taxes, or reducing domestic speeding in a recession would be foolhardy - and Obama is no fool.

[mdavies013]

4. You can't keep running up all this red ink...

You need to raise taxes on the rich...they are not contibuting much to the economy.

Lower taxes on 95% of Americans...if they get a couple extra thousand dollars...they are going to spend it and as it was under Clinton the rich will do even better.

You have to cut crap spending...new missle systems, abstenance only education, iraq, etc. We need to increase spending on energy independence projects, roads and bridges, buildings, national park spending. Something that actually creates jobs.

They should also skip giving billions of dollars to banks to pay out in dividends.

[MidwestTransplant]

5. There is going to be MASSIVE spending in the first couple of years. Has to be done.

[Triana]

6. Yep. Balance the budget later. Right now, it's damage control after...

...the BFEE has gutted the economy.

[Zynx]

7. That deficit will be $650 billion at least when revenues collapse.

[Jennicut]

8. Not right now. there is too much damage done.

[tritsofme]

9. Not a chance.

We have inherited a path toward record deficits as far as the eye can see.

[RichardRay]

10. Not in the short term.

The amount of stimulus spending that's going to be required to get the economy out of it's current tailspin isn't going to permit the kind of measures (spending cuts, taxation, etc) that will be required to get to a balanced budget.

Yes, I think he might be able to do it, but it's going to be late in his second term, if then.

[anonymous171]

11. Not in this economic climate.

Obama's going to need to spend a lot in order to get this fucking economy started.