Are we all really equally responsible for this debt?

One of the complaints about the "out of control" spending is that we're burdening our children.  It's not fair to them.  Ok, I take  that argument.  I agree.  It's not.  As long as we're talking about who it's not fair to, let's talk about those who voted against Bush 2x.  Bush made the current spending completely necessary.  So let's take the US national debt in 2000, $5.6T and subtract it from the national debt in 2008 $10.7T which gives us $5.1T.  And let's saddle only the  Red states with that debt.  Although that's not completely fair.  There were red voters in blues states and vice versa.  But if the children argument (i.e. age the age variable) is really what's most important, let's make an amendment to the tax code.  By age, let's scale the debt responsibility.  It could be done in a way that make's you responsible for your portion of the debt (after confiscating all property from the Bush, Cheney, and most members of Congress's ENTIRE families and subtracting it, probably only a few billion) based on how old you were in the 2 presidential election years.

I didn't want to get real serious about this since I'm proposing this mostly as a joke (although in all honesty I think you'd see a difference in policy and the way people vote if you told them you'd have to pay for how they vote- not necessarily for the better either) so I just found what seemed like reasonable data and used it.  I'm only looking at 18-29 yr olds, 65 and older, and everybody else. 

Every four years, we're given a choice about who to elect for president.  Bush got two terms.  I don't have the data for the national debt in 2004 but I do have it for 2005, $7.9T.   So from 2000-2005 the debt went from $5.6T to $7.9T, a $2.3T increase, and then 3 years later it was $10.7T, and increase of $2.8T.  If we interpolate to 2004 we should get Bush's first term increase of debt = $2.3T(0.8) = $1.84T and Bush's second term increase of debt = $2.8T + (2.3-1.84) = $3.26T.  

There are a variety of ways to do this but I'm running out of time since I have to catch a flight so I'll do it by the good old Republican stand by- tried and true winner take all.  In 2000 and 2004, the 18-29 yr old populace voted against Bush 48-46 and 54-45.  They pay nothing.  The fogies voted for Gore 50-47 but voted for Bush in 2004 52-47. That opens up ANYONE 65 and older to the liability of the $3.26T in debt.  And all the 30-64 yr olds hav eto pick up the remainder. 

What if you say, "I didn't vote.  It's not my fault."  You should have voted.  You should have voted against president numbnuts who caused all this.  

We are responsible for the government we vote in.  DH posted about torture.  We are responsible.  The media is responsible.  We are responsible for ur debt.  Iowans can clamor to repeal corn subsidies.  Oil companies can insist on repealing the tax breaks and loopholes they get.  We can insist the troops be brought home because we can't afford it.  We are responsible.

This exercise brings up a myriad of other options.  What about other variables? Race, black people DID not vote for George W Bush.  What about the red and blue states? What about counties?  What about college education?  

The point is that it's easy to feel frustrated when there is a boob so incompetent in the office of President who is so clearly making wrong decisions.  Decisions that make you want to stand up and say, "give me my money back! I ain't payin' fo' this shit."  This could allow people to put there money where there mouth is.  I'm allowing this to lead into a discussion about paying for government (justice ,liberty, rights etc.)  and that's not the intention.  I'll have to continue the thought in greater detail later.  Until then, think about it.

PPP