The Numbers Don’t Lie—But Somebody Did

Rethinking Fiscal Responsibility and Political Truth

By LONNIE KING

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I was raised in a conservative Republican household where one lesson echoed louder than most: Democrats spend, Republicans save. That was gospel—no need to question it. If the national debt ballooned, it was the Democrats’ fault. If a budget was balanced, it was despite them.

People I loved and trusted thought that way and were bold in expressing their opinions about the subject around me, and others. 

So, from an early age, I didn’t just believe it. I internalized it. It became part of how I saw the world, how I voted, and who I trusted.

Even as I entered adulthood, I rarely challenged the narratives I was handed. After all, complying with their thinking made me feel like a part of a community. It was something to have in common and feel included. And besides, why would the people I loved and respected steer me wrong?

A Recent Timely Reminder

But belief isn’t the same thing as truth. And eventually, belief meets reality.

For some of us, it takes longer to get to that understanding.  Some of us never get there.  We go out of our way to avoid dealing with the truth, just because it subverts our beliefs.

I’ve tried—especially later in my lifetime—to not fall into that trap.  So, I’m dedicated to trying to pursue truth, even if it challenges my long-held beliefs. 

No matter what those beliefs may be about.

Recently, I came across a Washington Post article breaking down the history of U.S. debt and budget deficits by presidential administration. No commentary, no spin—just charts. And the story they told was painfully clear, and further confirmed some things I’d already changed my mindset about.

The only real budget surplus in my lifetime happened during the Clinton administration—a Democrat I was taught to distrust, dismiss, and demonize. Meanwhile, the steepest climbs in national debt?

Almost all under Republican presidents.

The Clinton Surplus: A Quick History Lesson

So what happened during Clinton’s presidency that led to budget surpluses? A few key things:

• Bipartisanship that actually worked: Clinton and a Republican-controlled Congress struck deals on spending restraint.
• Economic boom: The tech sector exploded, boosting tax revenue without raising rates.
• Tax policies: Clinton raised the top marginal tax rate in 1993. Critics screamed it would tank the economy. It didn’t. The economy soared.
• Spending control: Military spending was lower after the Cold War, and domestic spending increases were moderate.

In short: fiscal responsibility did happen under a Democrat. It wasn’t magic. It was math, pragmatism, and compromise—three things we rarely see in D.C. today.

Patterns in the Data

Prior to that period, and since then, the pattern has been hard to miss:

• Reagan: Massive tax cuts, huge defense buildup = soaring debt.
• George H. W. Bush: Continued debt increases.
• George W. Bush: More tax cuts, two wars, Medicare expansion = deeper deficits.
• Trump: Corporate tax cuts, no major spending cuts = record debt increases.

Yes, COVID spending under Trump and Biden blew up the deficit—but it didn’t start with COVID. The balloon was already in the sky.

Why This Matters to Me Now

The longer I live, the more I realize that some of the things I once called “truth” were actually just well-rehearsed talking points. They were ideas shaped more by loyalty than by fact, and more by fear of being wrong than a desire to see clearly.

I don’t write this as someone trying to stay neutral. I’ve changed. I’ve flipped parties from where I started. And I wouldn’t vote for my best friend if he ran as a Republican. That may sound harsh, but it’s the result of what I’ve seen, what I’ve learned, and what I can’t unsee anymore.

And yes, I’ve found new political heroes—people like AOC, Bernie Sanders, Beto O’Rourke, Jasmine Crockett—leaders who challenge the status quo, speak plainly, and seem more interested in people than power.

For me, those national debt charts weren’t just numbers. They were another moment of reckoning. Another reminder that so much of what I was taught doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.

And let me be clear: I’m not angry at the people who handed me those beliefs. I’m not bitter toward my parents, church leaders, or friends who helped shape my worldview. I don’t know why they believed what they did—maybe it was fear, maybe tradition, maybe a reaction to cultural shifts they didn’t understand or didn’t feel safe embracing. Maybe they were just passing along what was handed to them.

I don’t fault them for that. I still love many of those same people. But I don’t want to keep the cycle going. I don’t want to be someone who passes down generational fears or party loyalty disguised as truth. My goal isn’t to win arguments—it’s to live more honestly, and to help those who come after me do the same.

From Blind Allegiance to Informed Conviction

I’m not interested in pretending I’m above the fray or clinging to a false sense of “balance.” I’m interested in standing where the facts lead—even if that means breaking from my past.

If you were raised like I was, maybe you feel some of the same tension. You were told who to trust. You were told who the villains were.

And I know when I share this post, some of my longtime friends—people who know my background, my family, and my ‘faith’—may push back hard. I expect that. I get it: it’s not easy to watch someone you’ve known for years take a different path, especially if you’ve dug into your own.

But here’s the thing: You may not like where I’ve landed. You may even disagree with how I got here. But you can’t argue with the numbers. The facts are what they are.  And, in every aspect of my life, I’ve stopped letting fear and emotion dictate what I believe, and I won’t ignore the evidence just to make other people more comfortable.

Because truth doesn’t care about your upbringing. And facts don’t ask for party loyalty.

They just sit there—quiet, patient, waiting to be seen.

Grace and grit to you!  — LK