As we haggle over that grand bargain, let us sort out the truth from lies

Under the premise that a picture is worth a thousand words, I'm going to save my tender fingertips some typing here.
The reality is that under President Obama, we are reducing the deficit at a safe rate; reducing it too quickly can actually HURT our recovery. Unlike Republican administrations and Repulican dominated congresses, there has been a consistent pattern of explosive expansion of our debt and deficit, and a reduction in the growth of our economy.  Under Democrats, ooth in the executive and the legislative branches, we have had more taxation, and sometimes more spending, but that has been offset, consistently, by much stronger /bigger growth in the economy as measured by GDP, AND we have reduced deficits and had balanced budgets.
Most of all, when we have had, under Democrats, taxation of the uppermost levels of income and wealth - the rich - we have consistently had the most growth, and EVERYONE -- INCLUDING THE WEALTHY - have benefited from that economic good health. AND we have had the best track record under Democrats for balanced budgets and declining deficits.

Look at this graphic and hold it in your thoughts as you hear the right whine about cutting social security - which is in trouble because the right took the money out of it and spent it on otherwise unfunded wars, medicare and medicaid, and other social safety net programs, infrastructure, etc.  ALL of that can be addressed by better means that cutting benefits, raising qualifying ages, etc.

What we CAN and SHOULD cut is our military spending -- not on personnel, but on equipment that we don't need, that only gives pork barrel spending to the military industrial complex, who, coincidentally tend to fund more Republicans than Democrats to keep that spending in place.

Some but not all of the graphs below were assembled in one place with superb commentary at Pragmatic Pundit; I need to give at least secondary credit to that author for it, although most if not all of these visual images are ones that are not original to that author, and which I have seen in other places. However, some of the statistical data IS unique, at least in terms of accumulation analysis and verification to that site and author.  Where that is true I give primary credit to Pragmatic Pundit, along with a link to the specific location.

But look also at these other supporting graphs for the above:
Yes, even the wealthy do BETTER under Democrats, despite Boo hoo Blubber-boy Speaker John Boehner's claims about the economy.


And U.S. Budget Deficits went UP under Dubya, but have been going DOWN, NOT UP, under Obama --- for those who claim passionately to care about the debt burden on our children and grandchildren.




But just to clarify further the inaccuracy (to use a charitable term for it) of the right in criticizing the left:

and



and look at this:

AND, if you care about balanced budgets AND a healthy economy, the answer is NOT smaller government - which is conceptually badly flawed, but rather the Democratic model of a strong federal government.
Here is the best argument I've seen so far against Boehner's claims - from the Pragmatic Pundit:

Recessions and Depressions

Republicans held the presidency at the onset of the last NINE (9) economic downturns, including the two greatest economic collapses in our history.

1. The Great Depression: Herbert Hoover (Republican)
2. Recession of 1953: Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)
3. Recession of 1957: Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican)
4. Recession of 1960: Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) *
5. The Oil Crisis: Richard Nixon (Republican)
6. 1980's Recession: Ronald Reagan (Republican)
7. 1990 Recession: George H.W. Bush (Republican)
8. 2002 Recession: George W. Bush (Republican)
9. The Second Great Depression: George W. Bush (Republican)  

and about the President and those false spending claims - again from a SUPERB piece at Pragmatic Pundit:

 

Barack Obama has lowest spending record of any recent president

You will often hear critics say that Bush left office with a $454 billion deficit. That was the deficit at the end of 2008 (12/31/2008). Then what accounts for the period from the end of December until the President is sworn into office in late January? Any calculation that begins when President Obama took office or at the end of 2009 (because the President had been in office for a year), is just flat-out wrong.

Here’s how it works...the fiscal year is from October 1 through September 30th. So a President governs for his first 9 months under the budget of the preceding administration.

At the end of the Bush fiscal year, September 30, 2009, the deficit was $1,417,121.

Obama’s first fiscal year, September 30, 2010, the deficit was $1,294,090. The deficit went down!

Obama’s second fiscal year September 30, 2011, the deficit was $1,298,614.

Obama’s third fiscal year August 31, 2012 (latest available), the deficit was $1,164,373.

and this from the Pragmatic Pundit on  job creation:

Job Creation

When it comes to job creation, the Democrats again do a better job than Republicans.
From the U.S. Department of Labor;  data is listed from the best to the worst:

Unemployment Rates

Clearly Democratic Presidents create more jobs per year than Republican presidents.  Unemployment rates are higher under Republicans....it’s just a fact.

Johnson 1966-1969  average unemployment rate of 3.7%.

Clinton 1994-2001 average unemployment rate of 4.9%.
Kennedy 1962-1965 average unemployment rate of 5.2%.
Nixon 1970-1977 average unemployment rate of 6.3%.
Bush 1990-1993 average unemployment rate of 6.7%.
Carter 1978-1981  average unemployment rate of 6.7%.
Reagan 1982-1989  average unemployment rate of  7.3%.
IF you genuinely care about this country - ignore the Republicans.  Do NOT follow or support their economic policies, because they do not work, they are not fiscally responsible, they are not economically sound, they will not accomplish the end goal you desire for yourself or for the country.