THE STUFF MOVIES ARE MADE OF
There are still surpluses as far as the eye can see, but republicans can't really point this out in their defense without also showing how much both political cults are stealing from Social Security and other entitlements.
It's easy to see if you view the following facts from the US Treasury
For instance, does an organization that turned a $98.7 billion pure profit last year look like something that needs to be made "financially stable" as Bush puts it? Do we need to "strengthen Social Security and Medicare here at home" as Gephardt says? Cut the crap guys, all we need is for you to stop stealing the profits.
Notice that there was already a "deficit" in fiscal 2001. It was only in what the pirates call "on budget" receipts and expenditures, but it was a deficit nonetheless.
All of the future deficits that the democrats and Mitch Daniels are talking about come from this "on budget" area or factor. What the table above calls Income Taxes, meant to include corporate taxes that are roughly 20 percent of the total receipts in this category.
The unmentionable area is "off budget" receipts and expenditures. This is all revenue stolen from entitlements of which Social Security is the greatest victim.
You didn't really believe that the government went from a $237 billion surplus to overall deficits in one year did you?
Before the tragedy of September eleventh, republicans were talking about the "second largest surplus in history" and estimating it between $160 and $170 billion. At $127.2 billion, it's still the second largest surplus ever enjoyed by this nation. But the republicans cannot point to it with pride without, at the same time, showing you how much they've stolen from entitlements. That's the catch 22.
In other words, the "on budget" revenue and expenditures from income tax would have been fairly balanced and almost zero if it hadn't been for Bin Laden. The $300 rebate taxpayers received was figured on how much of this revenue could be given back instead of applied against the national debt.
Alas, the attack of 9/11 a little less than three weeks before the close of the government's fiscal year changed all of that. Suddenly, and even quicker than they vote themselves raises, Congress approved $40 billion for the new war effort. It will be interesting to see if the Treasury reports how much of that came out of the fiscal 2001 budget. Then there was a commitment of $17 billion to the injured airline industry and I don't know how much to New York City's and the Pentagon's immediate needs. In less than three weeks we were in the hole.
In fiscal 2001's debt laundering operation, the government put only $66 billion against the "available" Investor (Public Debt) side of the national debt. The Entitlements & Perks side (Intragovernmental Holdings) rose $199.3 billion to give the debt an overall rise of $133.5 billion. This is what politicians call "paying down the debt." (see: Going, going, gone)
I've heard that the war is costing us a billion dollars a month or $12 billion per year, but I don't know how accurate that is. If true, it's obvious that Social Security profit/surpluses alone could support several wars, no sweat.
In fiscal 2001, the Social Security Trust Fund rose $162.7 billion in new debt. Interest of $64 billion against its 2000 balance of $1.007 trillion accounted for a healthy part of this rise. A rise that you and your children are expected to pay again some day.
Once interest is calculated into and added on top of Social Security's yearly surplus the figure usually comes close to the total stolen from all entitlements together. It causes spin doctors and the stupid to try to make you believe that the entire surplus came from Social Security. They usually fail to account for the interest paid by simply handing the trust funds more debt, more bogus bonds, no money involved.
There are so many spoofs, cons, and scare stories going on that I suggest you go back and watch the movie Catch 22, paying particular attention to the character of Milo the Supply Officer. It should give you some amusing insight into your government at work.