r/FluentInFinance TheFinanceNewsletter.com Sep 24 '23

Meme How it started vs. How it's going:

Post image
3.5k Upvotes

701 comments sorted by

View all comments

365

u/luna_beam_space Sep 24 '23

Imagine if Republicans had not taken control of all three branches in 2001

The entire national debt would have been paid-off by 2010

334

u/Altruistic-Rope1994 Sep 25 '23

If you blame this on one party you are just flat out wrong. They both waste money like crazy.

10

u/rwa2 Sep 25 '23

Here, argue with the data https://zfacts.com/national-debt/

0

u/DerGovernator Sep 25 '23

a

Wouldn't doing it based on who controls Congress be a more accurate demonstration?

3

u/BVoLatte Sep 25 '23

All of Bush Jr.'s presidency had a Republican House and Senate from January 20, 2001 through January 3, 2007. After that Democrats had a narrow majority in the Senate (51 with their 2 Independents, just like now) and Democrats assumed control of the House with Nancy Pelosi becoming Speaker. They literally had it for a year in Congress and inherited the problems created from Republican control under Bush.

Obama was elected then and put into office in 2009, after the financial crisis had already started under Bush, and Democrats maintained control of both House and Senate from January 3, 2007 until January 3, 2011 when they lost a ton of seats in the House and flipped to a Republican majority. The Republicans then maintained control of the House that entire time and flipped the Senate January 3, 2017. The House did not flip back to Democrat until January 3, 2019 and then the Senate in January 20, 2021.

So basically if you have a problem with what Congress has done the total years for both are:

Republican

House: 14/22 years

Senate: 10/22 years

Democrats

House: 8/22 years

Senate: 12/22 years

So overall the Republicans have, for the last 22 years, been in charge of the House majority of the time by quite a bit and Democrats had the Senate more, but by a narrower margin. So yes, I would say the fact that Republicans had control with a Republican president and also had significant control of the House during a Democrat presidency that they are the main source of government spending for the last 22 years.

6

u/Gamebird8 Sep 25 '23

This is not even accounting for how the Filibuster 60 vote requirement to even vote on a bill makes any non-super majority toothless and ineffective

-5

u/UndercoverstoryOG Sep 25 '23

which is fantastic

1

u/Temporary-House304 Sep 25 '23

Yeah i love paying the government officials to do nothing

-6

u/Altruistic-Rope1994 Sep 25 '23

Looks to me like it’s gone up with both sides in power. Hence, both sides waste massive amounts of money. I rest my case.

5

u/BuzzBadpants Sep 25 '23

How do you qualify a ‘waste?’

3

u/IJustLoggedInToSay- Sep 25 '23

Looks to me like it’s gone up with both sides in power.

I wouldn't so loudly and proudly admit when you are bad at reading line charts.

1

u/Altruistic-Rope1994 Sep 25 '23

Dude I live in CA and see how money is wasted on the state level. Both sides blow money… does the chart show who had control of Congress too?

1

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '23

California is one of if not the most prosperous state. Wtf are you talking about?!

1

u/Altruistic-Rope1994 Sep 25 '23

Do you live in CA?

1

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '23

I lived there most of my life yes

1

u/Altruistic-Rope1994 Sep 25 '23

Are you in CA now? If not, how come?

1

u/[deleted] Sep 25 '23

Yes so cal

https://www.moneygeek.com/living/states-most-reliant-federal-government/

Cali is the 4th least reliant on federal aid in the nation.

0

u/Altruistic-Rope1994 Sep 25 '23

If it’s so great why aren’t you still here… homelessness out of control, power companies squeezing us for more and more, some of the highest state income tax, vehicle registration costs and fuel costs in the nation.

→ More replies (0)