The former administration was concerned with hiding the costs of the war and disguising our deficits. First, they removed the war costs from the federal budget reports, and second, they banned photos of our soldiers who were killed in action. The result was a nation who didn't see and feel the cost of the Bush mistakes. I'm glad to know that president Obama is ending those tactics. Finally, there's no more cooking the books at the White House! By recognizing the real costs and owning up to the responsibility to pay our bills (i.e. tax increases), we may be on the road toward removing the red ink from Washington.

The 2010 budget accounts for all the war costs and makes the reduction of our huge deficit a priority. Here's a few highlights from the new president's budget discussions:

"We have already identified $2 trillion in deficit reductions that will help us cut our deficit in half by the end of my first term."

"We've targeted almost $50 billion in savings by cracking down on over payments of benefits and tax loopholes."

"[We've] inherited a trillion-dollar deficit that will take a long time for us to close"

"While we must add to our deficits in the short term to provide immediate relief to families and get our economy moving, it is only by restoring fiscal discipline over the long run that we can produce sustained growth and shared prosperity."

"In the end, a budget is more than simply numbers on a page. It is a measure of how well we are living up to our obligations to ourselves and one another. It is a test for our commitment to making America what it was always meant to be -- a place where all things are possible for all people."- President Obama