What's really causing America's budget deficits? (chart)

[SOS]

The thin light blue line represents the recovery measures under President Obama.
The huge orange and tan lines are Bush-initiated wars and tax cuts.

Facts have no place in the right-wing/corporate media talking points, but this CBPP chart lays out the reality.

Source: CBPP analysis based on CBO estimates.

Article:
http://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3036

[maxsolomon]

1. LALALALALALA i'm not listening

for I am the "Independent Voter".

[Curmudgeoness]

2. But since we are not ending the wars, or ending the tax cuts...

...does this mean everyone is to blame for the deficit? Incredibly depressing.

[Octafish]

3. Darn Socialist Security.

Dam welfare cheats.

I'm talking the warmonger class --

Know your BFEE: War and Oil are just two longtime Main Lines of Business

[Oceansaway]

4. off to the greatest !!...nt

[Stinky The Clown]

5. The wars and the tax cuts are still in effect

Yes, Bush started them.

But Bush is goner. Has been for some time. Anybody noticed that? The Democrats own this now.

[SOS]

6. Shrub's tax folly is set to expire in January 2011

It's up to the Dem controlled Congress to let them expire.
If this idiotic tax structure is allowed to remain after 1/1/11, then the Dems really do own it.

[FiveGoodMen]

7. Kind of shocking to see that the tax cuts account for so much more than the two wars!

[fishwax]

8. great graphic

:kick:

[yodermon]

9. Wait. Does this graph assume the Bush Tax Cuts *don't* expire in 2010?

or, they do expire, but the orange part is just the portion of debt-servicing that corresponds to the tax cut?

[SOS]

10. From the article

Technical Note
Baseline projections depict the likely path of the federal budget if current policies remain unchanged.

The CBPP projection is based on current laws and spending.
They calculate (probably correctly) that Congress will not act against the financial interests of it's owners.