[PBzeer]

It's money that has to be spent. That's why it's called an obligation. Like most fiscal numbers put out by any President, they are full of accounting gimmicks to portray the picture they desire.

The only relevant point about the Bush Tax Cuts at this point in time is that Obama is going to let them expire on the very people who make the investments and take the risks to create wealth, which, in turn, creates jobs. And while he makes a point of saying that no one under $250k will see an increase, that holds true only if he doesn't continue to expand government. Because the top 2% can't pay enough taxes to pay for everything he's promising. Which means, for instance, instead of you deciding if you want to pay for a doctor visit, you'll pay for it anyway in higher taxes that you don't have a choice about, to support "universal healthcare".

Add up the promises, and if he only delivers on half of them, you'll get a nice tax increase before his term is over. Even if he cuts the deficit in half, as he claims he will, it will still be almost $200 billion above Bush. That money has to come from somewhere.

I don't really understand why you want to keep talking about Bush though. Bambi's going to make him look like a deficit hawk by the time he's done.