Spence: ‘PayGo’ Makes Me Crotchety

Being a reporter may have something to do with my feeling obsolete, but this particular spell of crotchety-ness was brought on by President Obama’s announcement Tuesday that he favors a pay-as-you-go or “paygo” spending philosophy. The plan would require Congress to pay for new programs by cutting expenses or by raising new revenue, rather than by adding debt. I surely don’t fault that notion, but I’m confused how someone can talk about paying as we go less than four months after proposing a $3.6 trillion federal budget that includes a $1.3 trillion deficit - second only to this year’s $1.8 trillion shortfall as the largest deficit in U.S. history. How do those two ideas come out of the same mouth? I don’t understand that. I don’t think Obama is a bad or stupid person, but I don’t understand how he can describe his budget as “a new era of responsibility”/William L. Spence, Lewiston Tribune. More here .

Question: What makes you crotchety?