Essay by:
Claudia Terrell
Emporia State University

Let’s all just blame it on George W. Bush. Well not exactly. There is much speculation on how the last president put the United Stated into debt. He brought us into a war that is and has been unnecessary and added to an already lacking budget. However, he is not the only one to blame for the national debt and the federal budget deficit. The democrats and their need to add more unnecessary spending, or pork, to the stimulus package has become a problem. The greed in Wall Street has also shown to be one of the major culprits in causing a domino effect in what is now a recession. Also, the need for more competent people that are able to cut things out of the budget.

The democrats, who are now under the supervision of Barrack Obama, have added much “pork” to the bills that they sent to the senate. When I say the “pork” I mean $650 million for coupons for digital conversions, and $7 billion for modernizing federal buildings. Is this really necessary? I doubt that modernizing all these federal buildings is so important in a time when people are losing their homes to foreclosure. Also, when unemployment is the highest it’s been in decades, that isn’t exactly where much of the government money should be going to. Isn’t the whole point of the stimulus package to help with the federal budget deficit and not bring more debt to an already hurting economy?

In these past months, we have come to realize that much of the problems that we are facing with the economy are because of the greed in Wall Street. C.E.O.’s more interested in their own gain and not caring about the consequences of their actions. They risked the citizens’ investments and lost it all then had the indecency to ask the government for more money. When they did receive the bailout money they turned around and used our tax money to bathe themselves in unnecessary luxuries. Are those really the type of people we need running the big companies that keep the government afloat? These incompetent people have added too much of the national debt and have caused much of the federal budget deficit to satisfy their giant egos.

Another problem that has just gone out of control is the need to have competent people that are able to cut the unnecessary things out of the government’s budget. What does it help to have people that are going to tell the president what he wants to hear instead of what he needs to hear and know? The government is in a financial crisis because the financial advisors that were there for the past president were more worried about keeping their jobs and not addressing the problems at hand head on. The war, for example, took a toll on the government’s budget adding to the deficit already accumulated. It takes billions of dollars a year to support the wars going on in Iraq and Afghanistan which comes out of our pockets whether we’re for or against it. It turned out that there was never a solid reason for going to war in the first place. Shouldn’t we look for a way out of a war that is not only costing us lives and money? Someone could have stopped all this if they would have had a backbone and gave Bush a reality check.

The United Stated citizens need to become more involved with what is going on in our government. It should be made know to us where our tax money is going and we should have a say on what is necessary to make our government stronger. Also, those things that are unnecessary should be taken out of the government’s budget and we should work to bring the national debt to a better state than it is now. There are many things that are wrong with our government’s spending that has now turned into us taking the fall for the national debt and the federal budget deficit. We the citizens are the only ones that in the end suffer for the bad decisions of those who we have control of our money. Such things such as; Democrats adding more expenditure to the stimulus package, the greed in Wall Street causing there to be a domino effect that led to a recession, and the need for more competent people to manage the government’s money. We can turn all this around and stop spending what we as a government don’t have.




Re: More Than Just A Blame Game

Very good essay! I agree to many people are just happy to blame the governement for all the problems. Citizens need to take responsibility.
- Taylor Raleigh


Re: More Than Just A Blame Game

You have made some great points, that people in our nation are so accustomed to pointing fingers at other people and our government, and this is how our economy stays in debt. If each person would do their part to educate themselves in our nation's problems and help out, then our government would be much more financially restricted when spending money. Also, thank you for stating that it's not all Bush's fault! Yes, he did put our country into some terrible financial situations, but this debt has accumulated from many past generations and it's up to us now to save future generations. Great job!

Toni Herman


Re: More Than Just A Blame Game

I agree that we can't lay all the blame on one person or administration. I also agree that we may not have the most competent people budgeting our money. I wonder, why don't we have actual economist do it instead of politicians?


Re: More Than Just A Blame Game

I agree the president should surround himself with advisors who have a back-bone and will say what needs to be said even if the president won't want to hear it. Accountability seems to be lacking in big government and in corporate America. Why are we bailing out banks, car manufacturers, etc.? Someone in those companies had to know what was coming as a result of bad management. I enjoyed reading your essay!


Re: More Than Just A Blame Game

Great essay! You have a gift for getting the point accross. You are so right that now is not the time for the government to be upgrading their big screen t.v.'s. It makes me sick that we are supposed to be cutting back to the basic necessities of life for the sake of our future while the government continues to spend money like a fat kid at a pie eating contest. Wonderful job. -DeZ


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