KEND no appologies are necessary. To answer your question yes debt does "scare" me, but not in the way it scares you.
From many of your past posts it is obvious that you have some sort of self intrest stake in the game...You are an opportunist, and what I consider an acute capitalist sucker (no disrespect). Let me ask you a few direct question, even though you are not a U.S. citizen - at least that is my understanding - What is your opinion regarding how Wall St. and Washington scammed Americans?
Should Americans demand that the "too big to fail" banks be broken up?
And should those in Washington and on Wall St who hedged their bets on both sides knowing what was going to happen be indighted and face maximum prison sentences, as well as be stripped of all their assets here and offshore?
What is your absolute solution to the U.S.'s economic woes?
What do you suggest 40+ million underemployed and unemployed Americans do in an economy that has been tanked for the past 9 years, when the right wants to drastically cut Social and Government Assisted programms that have helped feed and house "families" that without financle aid would be out on the streets?
And lastly can you see - hindsight being 20/20 - that some regulations are necessary in order to keep such economic disasters from continuing to happen???That the past 30 years have proven deregualtion of banks is like playing Russian Roulette...Eventually the bullet goes off.

Let me just remind you that until the early 70's (Nixion era) The U.S. had a strong and prosperous middle class. From the end of WWII right on through the 50's and 60's wealth was better divided, the "Rich" TRUELY paid their fair share and still had fat pockets, and wages were in tune with the cost of living. Then from 1970 to 76 things started to change, and once Reagan took office...Well the shit hit the fan and it has stunk ever since.

So I would say that even though debt scares me...What scares me more is the strangle hold that corporations have on Washington, and the lies they continue to dupe the general public with.
There is ABSOLUTLY NO REASON for any American who works a full time job to be living in poverty. Yet EVERY SINGLE major corporation refuses to respect and appreciate their employees by, on their own, doubleing the minimum wage and offering bennefits like paid healthcare, paid maternity leave, pention plains, etc. Why!?!?Because the fat fucks at the top are selfish greedy money grubbers that feel they deserve high 6 figure salaries and million dollar bonuses for sitting on their asses in board room meetings going over how to make more money for their "bosses" shareholders, and they make sure they get them by cutting employee hours, eliminating over time, eliminating the number of employees who receive bennefits, and the worse one...Sending jobs over seas for cheap labor.

You are one of the reasons I have submitted myself to this injurious, entire blob....for pure comedy, comedic reading at it's best........and people wonder why I cry myself to sleep at night? He he, ha ha, it's off to the crummy, funny farm of Obamametics I GOOOO............ Or, It's off to see the wizard.......gigggitlly giggly.....

Ken Ware Wrote ~ "Your assumption that I did not have an answer and therefore would not reply is typical of the people who see themselves as some type of superior intelligence, like DeAnneMarc and you who think they have all the answers! Ha, are you guys wrong as usual. "

Ken, if you don't want me to put words into your mouth kindly refrain from putting them into mine. I was going to avoid participating in this debate; but, since you've already declared my opinion "wrong as usual" I feel compelled to voice it. (Please let me say something before saying I'm wrong!) HA!

In my most sincere and humble opinion both you and MMmmNachos are correct--that is from your particular perspectives. You both left out one critical fact. The war in Vietnam was STUPID! Allow me to explain.

You do not shove a political ideology down a nations throat by force. This is what cost us the war. Kennedy was wise and correct in how he approached the problem of Communists incursions of South East Asia. He understood that your concerns Ken were valid. Russia and China had a great stake in Vietnam and needed to control the port cities and industrial base. That is why he sent equipment and advisers there. He wanted to even the playing field in a diplomatic way. He was famous for publicly saying the future of Vietnam belonged to the Vietnamese people. It was they who had to win or lose the war.

Kennedy understood that use of our military would seem provocative and threatening to all the people of Vietnam. He realized that alienating the people there would create a quagmire that would turn the majority of the Vietnamese against Democracy and would be a self-defeating action. Unfortunately, our idiot Capitalist and Military Industrial Complex thought other wise. They wanted to inflict Capitalism on the nation and enslave it's people and didn't care who they had to kill to do it. Kennedy was the first of thousands of casualties. Johnson and Nixon were imbeciles themselves. I remember Johnson during a televised interview talking about how comfortably his trousers fit his crotch. What a moron!

Nixon was a well educated fool. I believe he swallowed hook and line the domino theory and earnestly believed his own rhetoric. I on the other hand was infuriated by it. He had no common sense or sense of diplomacy whatsoever. He was the perfect mouth piece for the Capitalist and military interest. I remember listening to one of his State of the Union speeches when I was 7 years old. I wanted to throw my Legos at the TV set in rage. My parents thought it was cute and laughed at me. That only pissed me off even more. I've never been so ;pissed off in my life.

MMmmNachos, it is important to realize what the country was like back then. High paying, good jobs were plentiful. Rent was low. We manufactured everything you could imagine and produced goods superior to any other country. Most households had only one wage earner and did fine. People could afford to live and live well. It was easy to convince the populous that Communism was evil and that anyone would rather live in a Democracy like we do. Intellects like John Kennedy or myself aren't common; and, back then they weren't very popular. (They're not that popular today either.)

MMmmNachos, you should go easy on Ken. He was a patriotic and brave young man who believed he was doing the right thing for his country and the Vietnamese. That is all there is to that. There is nothing wrong with doing what your heart says is right. After all, that is what we are all doing right now. We are all good people. We are all human. No one is perfect. If you want to vent, vent on the irresponsible leaders and their crooked, bumbling benefactors of death who lied and cheated this country into a war that tainted the ideology of Democracy all over the world. They are evil and they are STUPID! Don't blame the victims. Don't blame the people. Whatever you do, don't alienate those people on your own side. There's been enough of that nonsense in our recent history already. Its only a recipe for failure. Divide and conquer. Don't help the enemy.

That's my two cents!

PS Hope you feel better Ken

Oh what a surprise...Look fokes, its that kanook with more pointless dribble. Here's a hanky wipe your chin!

Wow more spending. Lets hope the Chinese do not run out of money to give to Obama. Or let's hope they don't raise the interest rates. Ah, what ever what is a trillion more, besides just 12 zeros behind a number. we can always tax the rich.

I agree about the national News Media. I bit my tongue as I wrote it, knowing how unbalanced it is. (I've driven cross-country many times and know what's on the radio most places). In pockets, we have "progressive news" (two stations in the PacificNW); however most places Rust Limberger and the Wanabes, Religion, Country-music and Sports rule the airwaves (thanks to deregulation).

Even in Washington, DC "Inside The Beltway" -- other than neutral NPR Public Radio, there is almost NO Progressive Radio. And, Teevey is the usual mix of drivel and entertainment masquerading as "news".

So yes it's citizens media, mostly on the Internet, where real ideas are being shared and thrashed-out. Folks are waking up; thanks mostly to extreme excess by the Rabid-Right the news is getting out.

My idea is when the Moderates on the Right, Center and Left finally realize we're ALL gettin-screwed by the Mega-Money at the top . . . Then we'll be getting somewhere. However, as long as we're divided Left and Right (same as Suni-Shia; Hindu-Moslem; Protestant-Catholic, Hitu-Tutsi,Black-White, etc-etc) -- the Power-Elites will be running off with the loot. When somehow we The Critical-Masses-in-the-Middle figure it out; then, look out.

2950-10K #9 writes: "Patty for President someday!"

You got that right. Our long term (1992) senior Senator from Washington State, Patty Murray is good, experienced and ready to do the job. This Budget exposure may be setting the stage for 2016. She deserves very careful consideration. Could happen.

I'd love to see Murray and Ryan repeat 2012.

HalFonts: Where did you get that little guy grabbing the cup? It's great! I'd love to have one where Dick Cheney grabs someones wallet.

I'd sure like to see some really aggressive analysis of the facts of both the "Patty Murray" Senate Plan vs the "Paul Ryan" House Plan, followed by consensus and resolution -------> instead of religious-like testimonials based on nothing but tribal belief and babble.

Any hope that will happen? LOL We'll likely bumble and stumble ever onward, round and round the circus of 2-party gridlock; likely muddling through, wasting more time, while critical global problems need to be addressed.

These ten-year projections make no sense -- it's a farce, projecting savings from future budgets over-which this Congress has no control. Just get the next 2-4 years in order and consider this year's work done.

It's time the News Media and the People got into this. If the Senate Budget Committee Plan does indeed make sense, we should mobilize a massive effort to support it, pass it and get on with other business -- with a take-no-prisoners, overwhelming unified effort. This budgeting fiasco has gone on long enough.

Good for Patty Murray. I think I am in love.

The GOP is not the GOP anymore, and they haven't been a halfway decent party for 40 years. Even before that they weren't the party of the people. I have never voted Republican in my life on any level, and I'm nearly 65.