# The Bush administration has borrowed more money than the 42 before him combined. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 10, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327 "2005-11-10T02:24:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lonesome\_loser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@lonesome\_loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lonesome_loser)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/1 "2005-11-10T02:24:11Z")
> [@](#): > > ([CNSNews.com](http://CNSNews.com)) - President Bush and the current administration have borrowed more money from foreign governments and banks than the previous 42 presidents combined, a group of conservative to moderate Democrats said Friday. > > Blue Dog Coalition, which describes itself as a group “focused on fiscal responsibility,” called the administration’s borrowing practices “astounding.” > > According to the Treasury Department, from 1776-2000, the first 224 years of U.S. history, 42 U.S. presidents borrowed a combined $1.01 trillion from foreign governments and financial institutions, but in the past four years alone, the Bush administration borrowed $1.05 trillion. [http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200511/NAT20051104b.html](http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=%5CNation%5Carchive%5C200511/NAT20051104b.html) This is totally outrageous. Are they trying to bankrupt the country? Do they not realize that borrowed money must be paid back? Will they be sad that they pushed for changes in the bankruptcy laws? ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/2 "2005-11-10T02:31:45Z")
While I am also horrified by this government’s profligacy, I am equally unimpressed with this figure. A buck went a lot farther in 1776 than it does today. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/3 "2005-11-10T02:32:38Z")
**lonesome loser** , you have 2 other threads on this forum’s front page criticizing the administration. I realize you have many things to share, but I’m sure you can find a way to combine these threads in future. One thread on the front page at a time to voice your political views in the Pit is more than enough. Three Bush-bashing threads from one user is excessive. Locked. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/4 "2005-11-10T20:19:22Z")
After reconsideration, I’m reopening this thread, but I do encourage **lonesome loser** to use some moderation in the number of OPs in this forum regarding political views. This decision was a bit on the heavy handed side, and was based on my misunderstanding of a previous ruling. My apologies to **lonesome loser** as I think a simple reminder of this would have sufficed, as he clearly did not know about the previous case to which I refer. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/5 "2005-11-10T20:39:07Z")
Gee, weren’t these guys the Party OF Fiscal Responsibility? Weren’t they the financial conservatives who want to shrink national debt, balance budgets and all that razzmatazz? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/6 "2005-11-10T20:45:16Z")
“You can’t trust Republicans with money.” – Howard Dean ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/7 "2005-11-10T21:09:42Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > Gee, weren’t these guys the Party OF Fiscal Responsibility? Weren’t they the financial conservatives who want to shrink national debt, balance budgets and all that razzmatazz? 9/11 changed everything!!! Why do you hate America? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/8 "2005-11-10T21:10:24Z")
> [@SteveG1](#): > > Gee, weren’t these guys the Party OF Fiscal Responsibility? Weren’t they the financial conservatives who want to shrink national debt, balance budgets and all that razzmatazz? I guess he’s trying to [starve the beast](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starve-the-beast) . If we can’t afford social spending ( or anything else ), the government will cut it’s budget. Of course, America will suffer economic and social devastation, but Bush and friends either don’t care or enjoy the thought. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/9 "2005-11-10T21:13:10Z")
The Republican motto When someone proposes spending on welfare Bellow like a Nantucket whaler! When someone proposes spending on warfare Spend like a drunken sailor! ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/10 "2005-11-10T21:16:05Z")
[Many graphs about national debt](http://www.marktaw.com/culture_and_media/TheNationalDebt.html), most adjusted for inflation. Although the OP didn’t account for inflation, it’s still pretty startling what’s happening to our level of debt. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/11 "2005-11-10T21:29:13Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > 9/11 changed everything!!! > Why do you hate America? I hate freedom too. [Igor]It’s what I do.[/Igor] ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/12 "2005-11-10T21:45:29Z")
> [@Jpeg Jones](#): > > [Many graphs about national debt](http://www.marktaw.com/culture_and_media/TheNationalDebt.html), most adjusted for inflation. > > Although the OP didn’t account for inflation, it’s still pretty startling what’s happening to our level of debt. Wow. Those graphs really show how the Reagan and GHW Bush administrations sent the debt way up, the Clinton administration started to bring it down, and GW Bush has sent it skyrocketing. The irony…it burns. OK everybody, it’s Primal Scream Therapy time: I hate Bush I hate Bush I hate Bush I hate Bush!!! There, isn’t that just a little better? Only [1166](http://www.backwardsbush.com/) days to go…hang in there, America! ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/13 "2005-11-10T22:20:57Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > Only [1166](http://www.backwardsbush.com/) days to go…hang in there, America! But what’s going to be left by the time we get there? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/14 "2005-11-10T22:28:37Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > Wow. Those graphs really show how the Reagan and GHW Bush administrations sent the debt way up, the Clinton administration started to bring it down, and GW Bush has sent it skyrocketing. The irony…it burns. > > OK everybody, it’s Primal Scream Therapy time: I hate Bush I hate Bush I hate Bush I hate Bush!!! > There, isn’t that just a little better? > > Only [1166](http://www.backwardsbush.com/) days to go…hang in there, America! And then a Democrat will be elected? Heh - wanna bet? ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/15 "2005-11-10T22:36:58Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And then a Democrat will be elected? > > Heh - wanna bet? For my particular ilk of Bush-hate-hate-haters, the main issue is that a _non_-Bush will (most likely) be elected. Hope, hope. A democrat would be a bonus, though, now that you mention it. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/16 "2005-11-10T22:43:24Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Heh - wanna bet? We all know what happened the last time [**Bricker** bet on a presidential election](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=284650). ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/17 "2005-11-10T22:45:46Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And then a Democrat will be elected? > > Heh - wanna bet? I don’t give a rat’s ass if the next President is a Dem or Repub, so long as s/he can figure out a way to clean up the mindboggling messes this administration is creating. Hell yeh, of course I’d prefer a Democrat. But it’s going to take the best efforts of both sides to undo the damage that’s being done by this administration, and whichever party produces a candidate with the competence to pull together a bipartisan effort to set things right – or at least set us back on course – will get my vote. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/18 "2005-11-10T23:03:41Z")
Who woulda thought that a guy who has failed in every business he had any control over would be so fiscally irresponsible??? I’m shocked, I tells ya’ ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/19 "2005-11-10T23:33:47Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > And then a Democrat will be elected? > > Heh - wanna bet? What does this have to do with the issue of government debt? ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2005, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327/20 "2005-11-10T23:52:15Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > What does this have to do with the issue of government debt? Not a damn thing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bush-administration-has-borrowed-more-money-than-the-42-before-him-combined/330327.md?page=2)