President Obama's Bush-like Spending Habits Are Dangerous

By Bonnie Erbe, Thomas Jefferson Street blog.

When President Obama was elected, a lot of my liberal buddies used the phrase "adult" to describe Mr. Obama's approach to public policy. It was a direct reference to what they considered to be the childish policies of the Bush administration.

President Obama's extension of an olive branch to Iran is one example of how his policies do differ from those of his predecessor in an adult manner.

War is outdated, immature, and uncalled for in this day and age. It would be difficult to foresee a situation in which Iran might become a close ally of the United States. But we can at least be talking. I wish him success in this venture.

But his spending habits are turning out to be just as profligate, wasteful, detrimental to the economy, and quite frankly, as childish of those of former President Bush. Even Democrats are starting to notice that if President Obama gets all he wants from Congress, we're headed for economic ruin via inflation or stagflation:

Reporting from Washington -- President Obama's $3.55-trillion budget has stumbled into a series of economic and political pitfalls that threaten to undercut his grandest ambitions.The chairman of the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday projected deficits far higher than the Obama administration had calculated, possibly as much as $1.6 trillion higher over the next 10 years. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is expected to issue a similar assessment today.

It was hard enough for the country to endure Bush's overspending. Two in a row? Forget it! House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says wrapping healthcare and education funding in with the stimulus package will help bring the economy back. I beg to differ. We need to set priorities and spend just enough to get the economy going again, but abstain from increasing the government dole.

On Facebook? You can keep up with Thomas Jefferson Street blog postings through Facebook's Networked Blogs.

-- Read more by Bonnie Erbe.

-- Read more from the Thomas Jefferson Street blog.

-- Read more about the economy.

By Bonnie Erbe