Everyone has been talking about the government shutdown, and rightly so. What people haven’t been talking about, but probably should be, is the hypocrisy and irresponsibility of our current leader — President Barack Obama.
In March of 2006, just as now, there were debates about raising the debt ceiling in the United States. According to the Senate Congressional Record for March 16, 2006, then-senator Obama said, “The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our government’s reckless fiscal policies.”
Fast forward a few years, and it is clear that Obama no longer feels the same way about raising the debt ceiling. According to a 2011 article from ABC News titled, “Obama 2006 vs. Obama January 2011 vs. Obama April 2011 on the Debt Ceiling,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said that Obama felt that raising the debt ceiling is necessary “so that the full faith and credit of the United States government is maintained around the globe.”
For most Americans, Obama’s lack of consistency would appear confusing to say the least. Pair this with the amount of debt that Obama has accrued during his time as president, and the picture becomes even more puzzling. One thing is clear from all the mess however — our current president is completely hypocritical when it comes to U.S. debt. And if he is so hypocritical in this regard, then what else is he a hypocrite about that might not be as blatantly obvious?
Outside of the hypocrisy of it all, it is just plain irresponsible to keep raising the debt ceiling. Any good businessperson knows that the key to being successful is to bring in more than you spend. The fact that the government cannot seem to figure out this concept is almost infuriating.
Instead of raising the debt ceiling and funding new projects, the government should focus on paying off its current debts. Once it has done that, then they can be free to fund anything that fits within a reasonable budget (one that does not involve borrowing billions of dollars).
While it is true that Obama and the rest of the government are in a tight spot right now, they signed up for the job and should act responsibly. The debt will never lessen if Congress is allowed to raise the debt ceiling every time it wants to. Something has to give, and hopefully it will be the national debt and not the country as a whole.
As the shutdown continues, it is clear that all members of Congress are acting irresponsibly and in the end, it is on the shoulders of Obama. As the commander-in-chief of this great nation, it is his responsibility to act in a way that will strengthen the country on a long-term basis. Just as his quote from 2006 states, raising the debt ceiling is a sign of leadership failure. Sadly for Obama, it’s his failure this time and not someone else’s.