State of Irritation

Jenny and I have been discussing the State of the Union address this last week. In case you're looking at the title of my post and thinking that I'm about to bash on the address, you're wrong. Let me preface this by saying I'm not an Obama lover or apologist. However, I like to think of myself as somebody that doesn't blindly follow the first thing I hear. One of the things I've been hearing people knock on Obama for is the idea that he's not fiscally conservative. Here's some numbers for you. When Bush took office, the national debt was approximately $5 1/2 trillion. When he left office it was over $10 trillion. Don't talk to me about the current administration's spending. Bush doesn't even know what a budget is. One of the most basic principles of economics is that when the economy is in a recession, it's usually because there is a lack of cash in the market. One of the big ways to put cash into the market is through government spending! This is a principle that I have heard out of Republicans mouths again and again, but when a Democrat says it, Republicans are suddenly against it!
The Republicans talk about government staying out of business and then in the very next sentence they complain about government bailouts. Guess what? It is government staying out of business that allowed for companies to get so big that the economy couldn't afford to let them fail. This type of thinking is the equivalent of almost eating yourself to death and then complaining that you have to exercise and eat right to lose weight.
I am absolutely sick of how during the address the Republicans sat in their seats and pouted like little kids who can't get their way so they don't want to play anymore. You can sit and whine, or you can be part of the solution. It sounded to me like Mr. President already had a plan for all of the things he mentioned on Wednesday. What plans do the Republicans have? I haven't heard one yet.