The recent debate about raising the debt ceiling highlighted two very different views about the national debt. Those two views can be found in the words of

Barack Obama and have been well documented by Victor Davis Hanson in a recent column. First, let’s hear what Senator Barack Obama said about federal

deficits and the national debt.

In 2006, Senator Barack Obama was very critical of the Bush administration’s deficit spending. That year the annual deficit was $250 billion. That was

enough for the senator to vote against raising the debt ceiling. He explained his opposition by reminding us that: “Washington is shifting the burden of bad

choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.”

He also explained the impact more debt and borrowing would have on future generations. He said: “Every dollar we pay in interest is a dollar that is not

going to investment in America’s priorities. Instead, interest payments are a significant tax on all Americans—a debt tax that Washington doesn’t want to talk

about.”

In 2008, candidate Barack Obama continued to speak out against reckless spending. He called the Bush deficits “irresponsible” and even “unpatriotic.” The

accumulated national debt was around $10 trillion.

Let’s now hear from President Barack Obama. He argued for raising the debt ceiling because increasing the debt ceiling “does not increase our debt; it does

not somehow promote profligacy. All it does is it says you got to pay the bills that you’ve already racked up.” He said this last month after the government had

run five consecutive $1 trillion deficits. The national debt is now $17 trillion.

I think Senator Obama was right and President Obama was wrong. Debt and deficits matter and are being put on the backs of our children and

grandchildren.