To the Editor:
 
In regard to Celia Murray’s column about the debt ceiling, on this issue I agree with Senator Barack Obama who, on March 16, 2006, said:
“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. . . It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies.”
“This year, the Federal Government will spend . . . more money to pay interest on our national debt than we'll spend on Medicaid and the State Children's Health Insurance Program. That is more money to pay interest on our debt this year than we will spend on education, homeland security, transportation, and veterans benefits combined. .  . “
“[I]t took 42 Presidents 224 years to run up only $1 trillion of foreign-held debt. This administration did more than that in just five years . . .”
“Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.”
“I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt limit.”
To paraphrase Ms. Murray, it does appear that the Democrats have a different set of rules when a Democrat is in the White House. I believe that is called “hypocrisy.”
http://www.mrbatten.com/Pages/HypocrisyinAction.aspx
 
George Batten
Madison
Via e-mail

Printed in the January 31, 2013 edition