Maybe The GOP Would Be More Trustworthy If They Took a Math Course

The Republicans are so incredulous that President Obama would have the temerity to re-institute PAYGO rules that they feel compelled to point out the recent debt accumulation:

"We've amassed more debt over the last five months than this country has amassed in the last 200 years. This Congress rammed through a $3.6 trillion budget. So for us to sit here and listen to the White House say that 'we ought to be responsible, we ought to pay for what we're doing' I think lacks just a little bit of credibility," said House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, Virginia Republican.

Interesting indeed, considering that the US Treasury lists the debt held by the public as having increased by less than a trillion dollars (about $770 bn) in the past 6 months, bringing the total to 11.39 trillion compared to 10.63 trillion on January 19, 2009. And even if all $3.6 trillion of that budget were paid for with debt (which its not), that still wouldn't reach the $4.9 trillion in debt accumulated during the Bush regime.

No doubt, the deficit is and will continue to be a problem under the Obama administration, and I'd agree that simply calling for PAYGO is not enough. At some point, cuts in programs or a re-evaluation of our "tax cuts for everybody except a couple percent" political culture will have to start changing.