The Paradox of Vision

Crossposted at The Wild, Wild Left

For a long time NBC has had a segment wherein they uncover frivolous spending on the part of the federal government, usually a pork project or some kind of useless military contract. Well, today from CNN, a report on the Mother of all Fleecings:

President Bush's budget chief blamed the faltering economy and the bipartisan stimulus package for the record $482 billion deficit the White House predicted for the 2009 budget year.

Wow. Maybe those stimulus checks were a mistake. Looks like that little stunt plunged us into a national financial nightmare. Good thing the Republicans lived up to their fiscally conservative hype for the first seven years, because otherwise we might really be in trouble. Oh. Wait.

President Bush inherited a budget surplus of $128 billion when he took office in 2001 but has since posted a budget deficit every year.

Wait, what? Republicans are supposed to be the party of financial responsibility! Those tax and spend Democrats are the ones who always get this country in trouble! Aren't they?

The Bush administration has spent heavily on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and faces a large budget shortfall in tax revenue because of Bush's tax cuts and a souring economy.

Well, my world view just got blown out of the water. All I can say is, this must be the work of the Devil. Somebody call Hagee.