| Posted by | Message |
EthanL 
LSU Fan
Harvey LA
Member since Oct 2011
2203 posts
| Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 12:58 pm)
Ronald Reagan
George H.W Bush
George W. Bush
Barrack H. Obama
You can base your answers on fact or opinion. Opinions are usually more entertaining.
I am personally going straight on opinion and gonna say Ronald Reagan.
(I purposely left out Clinton and Carter for obvious reasons.
|
| Back to top | Share on  |
HempHead 
Alabama Fan
Appalachia
Member since Mar 2011
10139 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 1:01 pm to EthanL)
Why are these the only options?
|
| Back to top | |
NC_Tigah
LSU Fan
Member since Sep 2003
40219 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 1:05 pm to EthanL)
quote:
I am personally going straight on opinion and gonna say Ronald Reagan.
You'd be right. Then again the result would not correlate d/t Congress.
|
| Back to top | |
Navytiger74
LSU Fan
Manama, Bahrain
Member since Oct 2009
10511 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 1:06 pm to EthanL)
Where you going with this, brah? 
|
| Back to top | |
Navytiger74
LSU Fan
Manama, Bahrain
Member since Oct 2009
10511 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 1:07 pm to EthanL)
quote:
I am personally going straight on opinion and gonna say Ronald Reagan.
Have I misunderstood the definition of deficit hawk?
|
| Back to top | |
EthanL
LSU Fan
Harvey LA
Member since Oct 2011
2203 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 1:14 pm to Navytiger74)
quote:
Have I misunderstood the definition of deficit hawk?
Well I'm going on opinion right now. The facts haven't started pouring in yet.
My opinion is based on the PT, board, of whom I am grateful I get all my information, and every now and then, with facts
|
| Back to top | |
Navytiger74
LSU Fan
Manama, Bahrain
Member since Oct 2009
10511 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 1:26 pm to EthanL)
DBL
This post was edited on 1/26 at 1:28 pm
|
| Back to top | |
Navytiger74
LSU Fan
Manama, Bahrain
Member since Oct 2009
10511 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 1:26 pm to EthanL)
I'm sure you realize that everyone on that list is closer to being a figure skater than a deficit hawk.
|
| Back to top | |
EthanL
LSU Fan
Harvey LA
Member since Oct 2011
2203 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 1:32 pm to Navytiger74)
quote:
I'm sure you realize that everyone on that list is closer to being a figure skater than a deficit hawk.
But surely one of them has a 'better' record than the others...
|
| Back to top | |
Navytiger74
LSU Fan
Manama, Bahrain
Member since Oct 2009
10511 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 1:41 pm to EthanL)
quote:
But surely one of them has a 'better' record than the others...
That's like lining up a bunch of mass murderers and deciding who among them was the greatest humanitarian by tallying their victims (low man wins).
Perhaps the question should be: which of these men, who've all worked to ensured that we'll never again be a net creditor nation, was the least profligate spender among this group of notorious spendthrifts?
|
| Back to top | |
TupeloTiger
LSU Fan
Tupelo,Ms.[via Bastrop,La.]
Member since Jul 2004
2196 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 1:50 pm to Navytiger74)
Ronald Reagan was the best Deficit Hawk with one exception, he built up the military where the Democrats cut in the previous 4 years in order to break the economy of the Soviets when they tried to match us. The Russians spent like crazy to match us and they collapsed, much like the U.S. is doing now by Obama.
This post was edited on 1/26 at 2:25 pm
|
| Back to top | |
Navytiger74
LSU Fan
Manama, Bahrain
Member since Oct 2009
10511 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 1:54 pm to TupeloTiger)
quote:
Ronald Reagan was the best Deficit Hawk with one exception, he built up the military where the Democrats cut in the previous 4 years in order the break the economy of the Soviets when they tried to match us. The Russians spent like crazy to match us and they collapsed, much like the U.S. is doing now by Obama
You must have missed my point. One can't be the "best" at something that he simply isn't.
|
| Back to top | |
trackfan
LSU Fan
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2010
10902 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 2:04 pm to EthanL)
Bush 41
|
| Back to top | |
90proofprofessional
LSU Fan
Member since Mar 2004
6148 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 2:12 pm to Navytiger74)
quote:
One can't be the "best" at something that he simply isn't.
|
| Back to top | |
EthanL
LSU Fan
Harvey LA
Member since Oct 2011
2203 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 2:16 pm to Navytiger74)
quote:
You must have missed my point. One can't be the "best" at something that he simply isn't.
Well just for kicks, it's between these 5.
Bush 41 is a good choice. Any other opinions, before we look at facts?
|
| Back to top | |
Navytiger74
LSU Fan
Manama, Bahrain
Member since Oct 2009
10511 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 2:24 pm to EthanL)
quote:
Bush 41 is a good choice. Any other opinions, before we look at facts?
Depends upon how you you're defining deficit. I believe the CBO and other official sounding folks rate it as a percentage of GDP. I actually don't think HW did such a great job in that department. The public debt (as a percentage of GDP) increased a good bit in his 4 years. I don't have exact figures on his year-by-year deficits. Because the economy expanded so well under Reagan, he may well be the least of the bad offenders--though he's the only one under which the debt literally more than doubled.
|
| Back to top | |
Bestbank Tiger 
Tulane Fan
Landmass Gulf Coast
Member since Jan 2005
15777 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 2:34 pm to Navytiger74)
Daddy Bush doubled the deficit even after the last guy was a big deficit spender (even if you consider the military buildup money well spent, the Gipper still ran up deficits).
I would have to say Reagan was the least bad of the four on this issue. W inherited a balanced budget (not really balanced but it's valid for comparing apples to apples) so his deficits are worse. Daddy Bush doubled the debt in just four years. Ogump makes the others look like hardcore deficit hawks.
|
| Back to top | |
trackfan
LSU Fan
Baton Rouge
Member since Sep 2010
10902 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 2:39 pm to Navytiger74)
The reason Bush 41 reneged on his "no new taxes" pledge was because belief that fiscal responsibility was more important than political expediency. He knew he was going to pay a price for going back on his word, but he did it anyway because he believed it was in the best interest of the country. Reagan was good at cutting taxes but he didn't give a damn about balancing the budget.
|
| Back to top | |
EthanL
LSU Fan
Harvey LA
Member since Oct 2011
2203 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 3:08 pm to Bestbank Tiger)
Ok I would like to run with this line of reasoning: So back in 1998? I was spending 75 cents on gas.
I am spending 4 times that much now. Does that make me a bigger spender than the guy 30 years prior to me?
Everything is increasing. Wages (albeit slowly), commodities, utilities...no I don't think just a raw 'snap shot' of the deficit will tell us the story.
I need percentages, trends, etc. Which one of these guys ( I give up Navy) spent 'the least', based on these aforementioned 'fair' conditions?
|
| Back to top | |
CITWTT
LSU Fan
baton rouge
Member since Sep 2005
25282 posts
| re: Who was the biggest 'Deficit Hawk?' (Posted on 1/26/13 at 3:08 pm to trackfan)
Bush did(spent) it because the Democrats in Congress lied to him and to the citizens in total truth of the country about making budget cuts. He raised taxes as his part of a bargain and the payback was a one finger salute from Congress.
|
| Back to top | |
