A 2008 Sen. Obama quote: “The problem is, is that the way Bush has done it over the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children, driving up our national debt from $5 trillion dollars for the first 42 presidents — number 43 added $4 trillion dollars by his lonesome, so that we now have over $9 trillion dollars of debt that we are going to have to pay back — $30,000 for every man, woman and child.”

The debt ceiling debate in Washington raises economic and constitutional questions that are not easily answered.

The debt ceiling debate in Washington raises economic and constitutional questions that are not easily answered.

Washington -- Arizona college students graduated with some of the smallest levels of student debt in the country last year, according to a national report released Thursday.

The debt ceiling debate in Washington raises economic and constitutional questions that are not easily answered.

Prepared text of Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's State of the State speech:

President Barack Obama will reportedly use his State of the Union address to call for a five-year freeze on all discretionary government spending outside of national security.

THE WHITE HOUSE

THE WHITE HOUSE

Got stuff?

WASHINGTON - The United States' jobs crisis is sending officials into a frenzy seeking answers and leading others to conclude that the present employment picture is actually the nation's new reality.

States starting to turn the corner on their Great Recession budget woes are taking the cautious approach, socking away millions of dollars in rainy day funds rather than restoring spending for education, health care and social services.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama had a simple message for Republicans in Congress: Do it my way.

There's some bad news for Obama voters who think their guy swept the table in November and is now entitled to have things his way for the next four years. There were other elections held in states across the nation and most of them didn't go so well for the Big Government tax-and-spend crowd.

Text of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, as provided by the White House:

PHOENIX -- A move by Gov. Jan Brewer to buy back three state buildings in time for the state's birthday will save Arizona taxpayers nothing at all.

Text of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, as provided by the White House:

Text of President Barack Obama's State of the Union address, as provided by the White House:

Arizona and California both were deep in debt. Arizona now has a budget surplus, and California is continuing to go deeper in debt. What’s the difference? California is run by liberals and Arizona by conservatives. Remember that lesson next November!

As a sheriff's deputy dumped the contents of Joy Uhlmeyer's purse into a sealed bag, she begged to know why she had just been arrested while driving home to Richfield, Minn., after an Easter visit with her elderly mother.

Scott Beaulier and Peter Boettke: Rather than incur painful, gradual inflation taxes, we would prefer to see politicians come clean. Debts will be erased once and for all, and the legitimacy of the state will, in one fell swoop, be called into question. 

State lawmakers return to the Capitol on Monday facing something they have not seen in years: More money than they immediately need to balance the budget.

Matt Mackowiak

Jon Beydler