Roger, why don't you & your fellow liberals hold President Obama to his promises? Neither the federal nor the state governments can continue to spend beyond their means, nor can you or I in our personal lives. Increasing taxes only on those making more than $250k will never come close to raising enough to pay off the national debt which now exceeds $10 trillion. Interest expense on this debt, even at all time low rates, consumes in excess of 20% of total federal receipts. With the national debt increasing to $14 trillion, maybe more, the % of total receipts required for interest only payments will soon approach 1/3 of total federal receipts, maybe more given that income taxes will surely raise less money in each of the next few years due the amount of losses sustained by everyone in our economy. The grand plan that one's total debt payments cannot exceed 31% of ones income only applies to us, I guess? We are headed toward national bankruptcy & our President & the elected idiots on Capitol Hill haven't got a clue.

Re: Forrest
Like you, I don't like debt. However, you fail to mention that nearly all our national debt was done under the administrations of Reagan and the two Bushes and that our present preicament is due to the free market, deregulated policies of the GOP and the DLC, who are Republicans passing themselves off as Democrats. Class warfare has been going on for 30 years now with the intended goal the dumbing down and eventual elimination of the middle class. We have a government of, by and for the corporations whose iunterests in no way coincide with the vast majority of Americans.

Re: michael nola
Michael, I agree about the accumulation of the debt being greatest during the time you mentioned. Present Obama & the liberals are in control at this time & they are the ones that must try to come to grips with these basic facts of our situation. If we are to be forever looking back & blaming the past policies & politicians we will never solve the problem. Look back a little farther & you will find Carter's CRA. Couple that piece of idealistic legislation with capitalistic greed & we got ourselves a deadly result. Hopefully, it wont tank us.

I'm bothered that even someone supposedly "liberal," or at least sensible in most of his columns, is keeping alive the right-wing taunt about the "high-speed train to Disneyland." According to FactCheck.org at Newsweek:

"A widely repeated claim that $8 billion is set aside for a "levitating train" to Disneyland is untrue. That total is for unspecified high-speed rail projects, and some of it may or may not end up going to a proposed 300-mph "maglev" train connecting Anaheim, Calif., with Las Vegas." This country is grievously behind much of the civilized world in the development and deployment of high-speed, efficient rail systems. We've spent half a century and untold trillions of tax dollare supporting air and auto transporation, while corporate interests have tried to destroy railways altogether.

While there is indeed $8 billion dollars in the bill that will be spent on developing high speed rail, it certainly won't all be going to a train that drops you can ride from an enchanting playground for children to a boozy one for adults. It will go to redress the balance between efficient rail, on the one hand, and on the other, both gas-guzzling automobiles and the heavily subsidized trucking industry and Interstate transportation system and inconvenient, overcrowded, expensive air transporation.

And don't forget: both Anaheim and Las Vegas are important American cities; both have more to offer their residents and businessowners than cartoon characters and poker chips.

Your comment was a cheap shot, Roger, and totally unworthy of someone of integrity.