Who will dare to ask tonight's debating Republican presidential candidates in Cleveland, "Will you make fixing the national debt a priority in year one of your presidency, if elected?"
The national debt affects job growth; it affects wage levels. It affects economic recovery.
The bipartisan City Club of Cleveland, the nation's longest continuously operating free speech forum, hosted a discussion panel on fixing the debt this morning with Eaton Chairman and CEO Alexander Cutler and Maya MacGuineas, President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, moderated by Inside Business Managing Editor Jennifer Keirn.
According to promotional materials for this event on the City Club of Cleveland's website, the national debt has grown from 35% of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2007 to 74% today. If the US continues at this pace, it's projected to exceed the entire economy in the 2030's. Mind-numbing!
The budget defines everything else a president does. It's a long term problem that cannot be fixed in one year. But it needs to be put on top of the agenda and dealt with in year one of a new presidency, the panelists maintained.
Ladies and Gentlemen, who would be president, start your engines....
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