* The $123 billion surplus in 1999 is the largest dollar surplus in history, even after adjusting for inflation;
* The surplus, expected to be about 1.4% of GDP, is the largest surplus as a share of the economy since 1951;
* 1999 is the second year in a row of surplus, marking the first back-to-back surpluses since 1956-57;
* This is the first time in U.S. history that we’ve experienced seven years in a row of fiscal improvement.

The Largest Debt Reduction in History:

* Over the last two years, America has paid down $140 billion in public debt, the largest debt pay-down ever;
* The debt held by the public is $1.7 trillion lower than was projected when President Clinton took office;
* As a result, in 1999 alone, interest payments on the debt were $91 billion lower than projected.

By contrast:

Bush has borrowed more than all previous 42 Presidents. Combined.

Aug. 14, 2007

eteraz.org — According to the Treasury Department, from 1776-2000, the first 224 years of U.S. history, 42 U.S. presidents borrowed a combined $1.01 trillion from foreign governments and financial institutions, but in the past four years alone, the Bush administration borrowed $1.05 trillion.

BTW, there is no reason your shift key won’t work in this blog. That’s like saying your refrigerator stopped working because the batteries died in your TV remote.

God didn’t give us this country. Obama is not a traitor. Please look “traitor” up in a dictionary. There is a difference between fact and opinion, and you don’t seem able or willing to make the distinction. You are entitled to your own opinions but not to your own facts.

I see you discovered the exclamation key. That’s a start.

I’m going to say this once, jason, as politely as I can. You are welcome to come here and express your opinion provided it relates to the topic of the post or someone’s comment on the post. You are expected to take reasonable care to make your comments readable, which so far they are not.

If all you have to share is your religious beliefs, hate talk, lies and propaganda about political candidates you disagree with, just making unsupported accusations and calling names, your comments will no longer be welcome. That’s not because I disagree with your point of view. It’s because that kind of commenting takes up space I’m paying for without adding anything worthwhile to the conversation.

One last thing. You may not post the same comment multiple times, either on one post or on different posts.

This was Brooks guess. What does he know? We’ll find out in a month.

>>>>They need their moderates back and to move back toward the center.

And what? Become more like you? No thanks. We need to have some clearheaded people around to make the kool-aid.

Just about everything flowing from DC is liberal. McCain and Obama are running around promising various forms of more gov’t spending. How much is enough? Must our national dialog be about various spending ramps to failure? Is there anyone out there who believes in self sufficiency enough to forgo a handout from the feds?

Our problems are bigger and worse than any new president has faced since FDR came in in 1931. We can’t afford foot-dragging and partisan gridlock.

What’s more, the GOP, and utlimately the whole country, would benefit from that party being sent a message so painful and clear that they finally put aside their “make our own reality” idiocy and clean up their act. They need their moderates back and to move back toward the center. Losing the White House and being reduced to a bloody stump in Congress might just cause them to rethink their position, moving them from 1880′s-think to at least late 1950′s-think.

While I do think this race is now Obama’s too lose, a nine point margin is probably the absolute peak for him. I read somewhere (I don’t remember so I can’t link it) yesterday that even in the recent blowout elections, the biggest margin was something like 8.5 points. That was for Bush in 88. Our electorate, though it does lean to the Dems right now, remains very divided. It would be hard for either party to every get much beyond 8 points.

Not to mention from when the Berlin wall fell.

>>>>remember that ACORN was just raided for voter fraud.

Probably because they no longer had any legitimate practice to hide behind.

>>>>Several of the polling prognosticators have Obama winning at a 90% certainty or better.

The poll gap is getting beyond the margin of error. It is still a long way from certainty, so don’t start buying your Mao suits just yet.

>>>>which is not only to scorn liberal ideas but to scorn ideas entirely.

This is Brooks flashing his elitism. Palin and her libertarian/populist ideas are a threat to the typical urban elites.

MG, Here’s hoping that very noticeable display of disrespect will help see to it McCain will only get to the White House as an occasional visitor, if at all.