America has a spending addiction

There has been much talk about spending and taxation as of late related to government deficits and the cumulative national debt. What is unfortunate is it appears the media and politicians wish to avoid the facts.

Federal government spending in 2006 was $2.65 trillion. In 2011, it will be an estimated $3.8 trillion. A nearly 43 percent increase in spending in five short years. Who wants their taxes to go up 43 percent in five short years and who can afford that?

We were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2006, so that does not count for the increase in spending. We have not added that many people to Social Security and Medicare in five years, so that does not account for the increased spending.

If the bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. would simply go back to spending levels of four or five years ago, the deficit is basically gone. When the press and politicians assert the stimulus is no longer in place, they are either extremely ignorant or liars as the spending levels are still at stimulus levels, which kicked in during 2008 and 2009 and never went down.

So tell me the stimulus spending is gone and that we need to spend even more. I don't think so. America has a spending addiction on the part of our politicians and the American people keep falling for it.

Matt Shaffer

Cedar Rapids