The budget surplus myth

On Thursday the White House published the chart below that explains how the nation got from the Clinton-era budget surplus and the projection that it would eventually pay off the U.S. national debt to the $14 trillion debacle we’re facing only a decade later.

(Click on the image for a slightly more legible version.)

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Who is responsible for the debt crisis?

Who is responsible for the debt crisis? || “The Chart That Should Accompany All Discussions of the Debt Ceiling” http://ow.ly/5Nb8T

This chart is not intended to cause vigorous debate about who is to blame for our current predicament here in the United States, nor is it intended to stimulate a dialog about whether or not we should be concerned about having a debt ceiling.  The intention here is to provide a moment of reflection on how we have come to arrive at this place together and the decisions we made about what is important to us as a nation over the past 10 or so years.

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