McCain Flops Back to Balanced Budget Promise

Thanks to the Worst Presidency Ever, it will take years, perhaps a generation or more, before America is looking at a balanced budget (if that is even a good thing). President Bill Clinton gave us a balanced budget, but he couldn't have done it without the hi-tech boom of the 1990's.

With the Iraq War costing us billions a month, we'd have to be cutting the federal budget by billions a month to come out somewhere near even. That's without an economic recession, which means fewer taxes collected, and an exponential leap in the cost of fuel, which is increasing the cost of everything.

Sen. John McCain, however, is promising to balance the budget by the end of his first term as President.

PHOENIX – Senator John McCain is pledging once again to balance the budget by the end of his first term in 2013, his advisers said Monday, reverting to an earlier pledge he had abandoned in April when he proposed a series of costly tax cuts for corporations and high earners and said it might take two terms to balance the budget.

It is unclear how Mr. McCain plans to balance the budget, given that fiscal analysts who have examined his economic plans say that his calls to extend the Bush tax cuts while cutting corporate and other taxes would likely increase the deficit.

Mr. McCain plans to talk about the economy – which has eclipsed Iraq and terrorism in polls of voter concerns – all week.

I may be wrong, but balanced budgets are for times when people aren't worrying about money. It takes a lot of contentment to care whether the government is paying all of its bills on time when you can't pay your own.

Glad to see the switch in McCain's campaign management is making a difference.

--Mb