Democrats only partly to blame

If you listen to conservative talk radio, some of the latest talking points revolve around the "do-nothing Democrat Congress". If we are going to be "intellectually honest" we need to extend the analysis a bit further. Conservative talkers suggest that the problems our country faces, namely high gas prices, large deficits, the situation in Iraq, the housing crisis, inflation, etc., are a direct result of the 2006 elections whereby the Democrats took control of Congress. The assumption conservative Kool-aid drinkers want us to believe is that the"new" Democrat Congress passed certain bills, which President Bush signed into law, which created all of the aforementioned problems. The fact of the matter is that President Bush, his administration, and the Republican Congress leading up to 2006 abandoned the basic conservative principle of fiscal responsibility. The government's excessive spending, mostly under Republican leadership, at home and abroad in Iraq, coupled with poor monetary policy which has greatly reduced the value of the dollar, have placed us in this economic predicament. For example, borrowing money from China to give most Americans some form of rebate, which we can then turn around to purchase Chinese goods, is a failed strategy and will not stimulate the economy. Until the government gets its economic house in order with sound fiscal and monetary policy that balances the budget, the US economy will continue to suffer no matter which party is in charge. You can take that to the bank!