The downgrade of our credit

America had its credit downgraded by Standard and Poors. Watching the media you would think somehow our current president had something to do with this and you would be wrong!

Let me start by saying I am an independent, not a liberal or a conservative. I pay attention with my own two eyes and my own two ears I do not expect some news person to make my mind up for me.

I watched As former President Bush started a policy of borrowing and spending which was necessary to fund his 2 tax cuts put in place in 2001 & 2003 soon after passing these our economy slowed and jobs were being created MUCH slower. Unlike president Reagan who corrected his tax cut policy by raising taxes and borrowing to get caught up. Bush held firm on not raising taxes.

Then came two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that were never included in the Bush budgets, followed by a medicare prescription drug program that gives millions in our tax dollars to big drug companies but gives VERY little extra benefit to medicare recipients. This was also left off of the Bush budgets.

When President Obama took office it was just mere months after a HUGE financial collapse and then he was faced with paying the HUGE bill that Bush had run up. Last December we could have something to get back on track and cut our debt by 4 trillion dollars. All we had to do was let the Bush tax cuts expire. President Obama looked at our great nation hurting for jobs and still reeling from a great recession and he chose to extend the tax cuts.  Obama did not want to extend them to everyone however, His choice was to let them expire for the richest among us. The reason for that is not socialism or any redistribution of wealth but simple economic justice.

During the recession the average family took a big financial hit especially to 401k's and jobs but the top 5% actually made more money during this time period. Corporations were and are posting record breaking profits while laying off workers here in America and shipping jobs overseas to help increase salaries to that same top 5%.

In my humble opinion it would have been better if he would have just let the Republicans have their way and not extend unemployment for those out of work and end the Bush tax cuts. This would have increased job availability and the unemployment rate would have come down faster.

Standard & Poors have made it VERY clear that they downgraded us due to an increasing partisanship in our government and a willingness of those elected to office to let the U.S. default on its obligations, as well as stating on page 4 of their report that they no longer expect the Bush tax cuts to end in a timely manner and they do not believe that we will be able to effectively raise revenue to meet our debts.

It is my view that until we start to balance the future with taxes that are fair to all levels of income and cutting spending where it can be cut without hurting our economy we are a financially divided country and will stay that way!