Liberal Forum

Over and over we hear about Obama's out of control spending and how he has increased the deficit.Here are the real numbers.The Arithmetic - Democrats V RepublicansDont Blame Obama for Bushs 2009 DeficitYou will often hear critics say that Bush left office with a $454 billion deficit. That was the deficit at the end of 2008 (12/31/2008). Then what accounts for the period from the end of December until the President is sworn into office in late January? Any calculation that begins when President Obama took office or at the end of 2009 (because the President had been in office for a year), is just flat-out wrong.Heres how it works...the fiscal year is from October 1 through September 30th. So a President governs for his first 9 months under the budget of the preceding administration.At the end of the Bush fiscal year, September 30, 2009, the deficit was $1,417,121.Obamas first fiscal year, September 30, 2010, the deficit was $1,294,090. The deficit went down!Obamas second fiscal year September 30, 2011, the deficit was $1,298,614.Obamas third fiscal year August 31, 2012 (latest available), the deficit was $1,164,373.Barack Obama has lowest spending record of any recent president.