The recent town hall meetings held on campus have given me a weird sense of déjà vu.

Over the past few weeks, I sat in the Mabee Center as Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich eloquently spoke on the advantages of small government, prompting thousands of conservatives around me to sporadically erupt into a frenzy of excitement.

I can vividly remember, however, packing into the Comcast Center at the University of Maryland four years ago to hear their liberal opponent speak with similar effect. Sen. Barack Obama logically explained the advantages of big government in a way that compelled nearly everyone in attendance to embrace such beliefs.

Since President Obama took office, the United States debt has risen four trillion dollars. Unfortunately, governmental overspending is not a partisan issue. Under George W. Bush’s presidency, the debt rose almost five trillion dollars. According to USDebtClock.org, the U.S. debt is at 15.2 trillion dollars, which amounts to just under $50,000 per U.S. citizen, or about $114,000 per U.S. taxpayer.