1978carter.txt CONTAINS "national debt" IN THESE PARAGRAPHS:

1981reagan.txt CONTAINS "national debt" IN THESE PARAGRAPHS:

Can we, who man the ship of state, deny it is somewhat out of control? Our national debt is approaching $1 trillion. A few weeks ago I called such a figure, a trillion dollars, incomprehensible, and I've been trying ever since to think of a way to illustrate how big a trillion really is. And the best I could come up with is that if you had a stack of thousand-dollar bills in your hand only 4 inches high, you'd be a millionaire. A trillion dollars would be a stack of thousand-dollar bills 67 miles high. The interest on the public debt this year we know will be over $90 billion, and unless we change the proposed spending for the fiscal year beginning October 1st, we'll add another almost $80 billion to the debt.

1989bush41.txt CONTAINS "national debt" IN THESE PARAGRAPHS:

1993clinton.txt CONTAINS "national debt" IN THESE PARAGRAPHS:

I well remember 12 years ago President Reagan stood at this very podium and told you and the American people that if our national debt were stacked in thousand-dollar bills, the stack would reach 67 miles into space. Well, today that stack would reach 267 miles. I tell you this not to assign blame for this problem. There is plenty of blame to go around in both branches of the Government and both parties. The time has come for the blame to end. I did not seek this office to place blame. I come here tonight to accept responsibility, and I want you to accept responsibility with me. And if we do right by this country, I do not care who gets the credit for it.

2001bush43.txt CONTAINS "national debt" IN THESE PARAGRAPHS:

It is reasonable, and it is responsible.  It meets our obligations, and funds our growing needs.  We increase spending next year for Social Security and Medicare, and other entitlement programs, by $81 billion.  We've increased spending for discretionary programs by a very responsible 4 percent, above the rate of inflation.  My plan pays down an unprecedented amount of our national debt.  And then, when money is still left over, my plan returns it to the people who earned it in the first place.  (Applause.)

Many of you have talked about the need to pay down our national debt.  I listened, and I agree.  (Applause.)  We owe it to our children and grandchildren to act now, and I hope you will join me to pay down $2 trillion in debt during the next 10 years.  (Applause.)  At the end of those 10 years, we will have paid down all the debt that is available to retire.  (Applause.)  That is more debt, repaid more quickly than has ever been repaid by any nation at any time in history.  (Applause.)