The below paragraph is just a taste of what Michael Kinsley has written in the LA Times about the FACTS concerning our economy and where each party has taken us when in power.
Memorize some of these facts for the next time a Republican economic "genius" tries to tell you they are the responsible ones with taxpayers' money.....
Kinsley:
Under Republican presidents since 1960, the federal deficit has averaged $131 billion a year. Under Democrats, that figure is $30 billion. In an average Republican year the deficit has grown by $36 billion. In the average Democratic year it has shrunk by $25 billion. The national debt has gone up more than $200 billion a year under Republican presidents and less than $100 billion a year under Democrats. If you start counting in 1981 or attribute responsibility with a year's delay, the numbers change, but the bottom line doesn't: Democrats do Republican economics better than Republicans do.
rest of the article (good stuff):
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-kinsley3apr03,0,6929691.column?coll=la-util-op-ed