"Every serious political activist should own a
copy of The National Debt from FDR (1941) to Clinton (1996) by
CLT member Robert E. Kelly, with a forward by Jeff Jacoby, now available in bookstores. A
fascinating read, with everything you really need to know about the federal government in
one compact place."
Barbara Anderson
Executive Director
Citizens for Limited Taxation
(Click for larger image)
The National Debt
From FDR (1941) to Clinton (1996)
Robert E. Kelly
Foreword by Jeff Jacoby
ISBN: 0-7864-0622-4
287pp. tables, bibliography, $39.95
America’s debt -- $5.2 trillion in
1996 -- is serious business. Although contemporary press coverage hovers over the story of
annual budgets and the associated deficits (and rare surpluses), not much attention is
given to the overall national debt and even less to the interest spent serving it.
"It’s like worrying about the five dollars you borrowed last week and ignoring
the mortgage you can’t afford," says the author. And federal politicians are
generally as impotent to control the debt as they are uninformed about its nature. After
tracing the fluctuations in the finances of the country from its beginning until 1940, the
administrations of the next 11 presidents -- Roosevelt through Clinton -- and the annual
budget deficits and the interest expenses that fed the national debt are examined in
detail. The startup debt of each administration is shown in detail, then restated in 1983
and 1995 dollars. The change in debt through the end of the administration is then
analyzed as to what areas of government incurred overspending and how much was overspent.
Also discussed are major events or situations, foreign and domestic, that affected fiscal
policies and fueled the urge to overspend.
Retired CPA Robert E. Kelly, a CLT member, is a writer living in Peabody, Massachusetts.
$39.95
Published by MacFarland
& Company, Inc.
Also available through Amazon.com
Editorial
Review
