So, when Bill Clinton left office, the United States was running a pretty substantial surplus. Bush cut taxes, and we immediatly went back into deficit even before 9-11. Two unfunded war later, the housing bubble collapse, and various Wall Street shenanigans put us deeper in the hole. "But the stimulus!" cry conservatives. A relativly small part of the deficit, as we can see.
So why is the right so gung-ho on keeping the ruinous tax cuts for the wealthy in place, when our financial problems are in large part due to their errors? Why must cherished and effective social programs be on the chopping block when those programs didn't create the problem?