For example, Bill Clinton was in office for 2,921 days and during that time the debt increased by $1,539,684,631,121 or $527,108,741 per day. Clinton had the benefits of the dot com bubble which increased tax revenues to the government.

For example, George W Bush was also in office for 2,921 days and during that time the debt increased by $4,899,100,310,608 or $1,677,199,695 per day.

In just 278 days, the debt has increased under Barack Obama by $1,270,709,344,744 or an amazing $4,570,896,924 per day. Almost 3x as much as under George W. Bush.

During Ronald Reagan’s first year in office, 1981, the national debt reached $1 trillion.

By the time Reagan and George H.W. Bush (Bush the First ) left office, the debt was about $4 trillion.

When Bill Clinton left office on January 20, 2001, the debt was about $5 trillion.

During Clinton’s last four years in office, the U.S. ran four consecutive budget surpluses. And the dollar was strong.

Clinton is the only president to have balanced a budget in the last 40 years. (Perhaps some credit should be given to Alan Greenspan and Newt Gingrich.)

When George W. Bush (Bush the Second) left office, the debt was about $10 trillion.

Today, the debt is close to $12 trillion.

There was no debt when Andrew Jackson left office (in 1837). From Jackson Jimmy Carter, the debt went from zero to $1 trillion, From Reagan to today, the debt went from $1 trillion to $12 trillion.

Let’s change the name of the United States to Argentina North.

Richard S. Colman
Orinda, CA
Oct. 5, 2009