America votes to increase its debt ceiling, yet the US taxpayer is still paying the Israeli government $8.2 million EVERY DAY! Unemployment is still rising yet the government is happy to continue the free gift (from failed former president GW Bush) of more than $500 for every Israeli man, woman and child, every 12 months, when the economy in Tel Aviv is apparently booming. Is this for real?

Wake-up America before you turn into a terminal nut case!

I got to the part where, in reference to Speaker Boehner and Rep. Ryan the author writes, "while no one wants the entitlement party to end, someone has to be the adult in the room and recognize it is going to take serious cuts to get the United States back on the right path." I could not bear to read further. The truth of the matter is that these two men, and Speaker Boehner particularly, used this potentially catastrophic event to earn political favor for their funders. This had nothing to do with entitlements, in fact entitlement spending was not even addressed in the current round of budget cuts (which instead focus solely on defense and non-defense discretionary spending).

I strongly suggest the author brush up on her econ. Perhaps also I would suggest reviewing GOP political history, which features Boehner and other Republicans consistently voting to raise the debt limit as a purely administrative procedure.

Its opening sentence is calamitous, with its "How can this Congress be the worst ever, when it is the first in recent times to actually address the United States' looming debt and step in to assert its legitimate authority?"

The House of Representatives has addressed the ceiling annually for more than 30 years. What happened this year was a different way of looking at the issue, and all the deal has achieved is to push the issue a little further back on the shelf. Nothing's changed. Debt will continue to grow. The US government will not be able to pay it off in any degree because it's not allowed (by the Tea Party, seemingly the closest thing to a Higher Power) and other Republican representatives to raise new taxes.

I'm able to contain my bliss about this promise of continuing misfortune.

While I do agree that this Congress finally started to exercise their Constitutional duties, they most certainly didn't accomplish anything worthwhile. Throwing us a number like "$2.4 Trillion over the next ten years" is about as meaningful as just saying "we'll save some money for you next month." Our debt AND our deficit have grown to such enormous levels that championing this toilet tissue of a bill is almost laughable, if it wasn't so serious. They could cut $2.4 Trillion EVERY YEAR for the next ten years and we still wouldn't be on a path to sustainable fiscal policy due to all of the other policies and the general lack of political will on Capitol Hill. Both parties have worked hard for many decades to drive us this far into the ground; there's no way either one will enact any true "sweeping reforms" that have a lasting and positive effect on this nation. Look at the latest attempt for that: ObamaCare. I get warm fuzzies just thinking about how my children and grandchildren will be stuck having to deal with that gem.

If you go back and look, the Democrats had full control of both Houses as well as the crafting of the legislation behind closed doors. The problem faced by Obama, Pelosi, and Reid was not the Republicans, it was members of their own party and the tens of millions of constituents who wanted nothing to do with it once details began leaking out. Can you honestly say that it was a responsible act of Congress (by all parties) to pass such a massive and far-reaching piece of legislation that nobody had even read? Are we really supposed to benefit from all of the BS garbage that was shoved into this thing, much of which has absolutely nothing to do with healthcare, ie. change in tax reporting for gold transactions? And if you really look at the numbers, yes the Republicans receive more contributions from insurance companies, but the Democrats aren't exactly getting chump change, with some years seeing only about a 2% difference between parties.

Ironically, if you look at the campaign financial data of both parties, the Democrats have consistently generated more contributions, spent more, and carried a higher level of DEBT than Republicans, with the only exception being two campaign seasons over the past decade where Republicans gained a slight margin above Democrats.

Although it could have been written more clearly, the author did imply that there was blame upon the Bush Administration when she only mentioned that since 2007, have the Republicans actually been resisting raising the debt ceiling. I would say that times of complete Republican control of government have not exactly put us on the path to fiscal responsibility either, so please don't think that I'm letting them off the hook for this mess.

Yiou really believe that "the tens of millions of constituents who wanted nothing to do with it once details [of the Obama healthcare plan] began leaking out."

Leaking out? What turned off many of those ten s of millions and probable most of them was a campaign of deliberate lies by political opponents who felt lying was the best way to stall or cripple the legislation. Remember those fictional death panels? And I have to say, the evidence in that mess suggests that yes, the best way to get tens of millions of Americans to take your side in any dispute is to tell them frightening lies.

How weird they are ("Barack Obama is not an American citizen") doesn't matter. Frightening lies: it's the way to go.

Well, Stanley, who got us into this fine mess?

Here's an interesting chart on wikipedia, showing "National debt by U.S. presidential terms" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_by_U.S._presidential_terms

From Harry Truman through Jimmy Carter, every single president after World War Two managed to leave office with a lower debt than when they entered.

When Carter left office the debt was just 32% of GDP.

Reagan and the first Bush between them almost doubled the debt left behind by Carter. The two Bushes alone have increased the size of the debt, compared to the country’s annual production, by almost half.

So, obviously the current crisis is Barack Obama’s fault.

While the Tea Party and uneducated sympathizers sit around trying to cool down under their ceiling fans, foregoing their federal wages for the good of the country they are so committed to, or donating their silver jewelry.

No, they leave their global mess behind and go off on their publicly funded /holiday/!!

Yes, the US knows nothing about foreign policy. That is why they are the most successful nation in the history of the planet. Wow, maybe some of you 3rd world nations should get together and 'splain things to us. That would really help us out. RIO Thanks.

The bailouts were incredibly unpopular, so the Congress plowed ahead with them, forcing them down our throats. Health Care legislation that forces everyone to deal with a government controlled system whether they want to or not and unconstitutionally requires them to purchase something even if they don’t want to was wildly unpopular jenna jameson , so the Congress shoved it down our collective throats as well. Cap and Trade legislation was pushed, and is now being pushed again, which will drive up costs of everything moved by road, rail or rotor, and your money was taken from you so that it could buy out GM and Chrysler, and a few Wall Street firms who just happened to be former employers of both the current and former Secretaries of the Treasury. All of this was completely out of touch with the American people, and when protests began to spontaneously erupt around the country, the protesters were denounced as racists and extremists, even though they reflected by far the majority view of the nation. I begin to wonder if maybe we all called Congress and told them we really loved a particular bill and needed it, that might be the way to stop passage of one of these monstrous things. I go into details of Congressmen proudly proclaiming that they “hadn’t read the bill”, or showing total disdain for their constituents (like having a cell phone conversation while a constituent was trying to make a point), or not paying taxes on Bahama vacation properties while they sit on the tax authority of the nation -the Ways and Means committee, or any of a dozen other despicable examples. I think everybody knows pretty well that this Congress seems to have taken all the disdain for the common man demonstrated by the 110th, and increased it ten fold. This Congress knows what is good (or bad) for all of us and we peasants had better shut up and take it.

The People wouldn't put up with taxation and the several States provided very little money and stuff to the Revolutionary Army.

This had nothing to do with entitlements, in fact entitlement spending was not even addressed in the seslisiteler current round of budget cuts (which instead focus solely on defense and non-defense discretionary spending).

Our debt & our deficit have become to such enormous levels that championing this mouthwash of the bill is nearly laughable, whether it wasn't so serious.

Both sides been employed by hard for a lot of decades they are driving us this far in to the ground; there is no way each one will enact any true "sweeping reforms" which have an enduring and positive impact on this nation. Consider the latest work for balance that: ObamaCare incometimesten I recieve warm fuzzies just considering how the kids and grandchildren is going to be stuck suffering that gem.

When Nixon was president a long time ago he might not have predicted that which was happening within the great country of America at this time. Using the economy in tatters, the government reserve taking matters to their own hands, along with inadequate solar water heaters Nixon wouldn't be proud to determine what's happening at this time within the great country of America.

The worry at this time is China thinks the U.S. will collapse. However in wherein isn't good because China owns many of the U.S. and will also affect them for the short term, and in the grander scale of things. Despite the fact that China realizes it presently has top of the hand, if they're to consider within the superpower role from the American empire, it won't happen for quite some time. You can't simply take a superpower role instantly, it requires some time and it's not an easy process.