Having entered the White House in the midst of the Great Recession, then President Obama spent much of his time in office trying to deal with the weakened economy. Tax cuts and stimulus spending measures contributed to high federal deficits for several years.

Politicians do not want to address the nation’s debt issues because that would require both tax increases and reductions in spending on entitlement programs, said David Cote, former CEO of Honeywell.

“It is just basic math that no one wants to address,” he said on the latest “Facing the Future” program.

“Clinton came into the White House acknowledging that the deficit was a problem and that it was necessary to be a little more disciplined about tax cuts and spending going forward in his administration,” said Diane Lim, a principal at District Economics Group who served as an economist in that administration.

“Most people recognize the fact that we have a major challenge in America today,” says Shai Akabas of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC). “People are living longer and it is getting more and more difficult to save for retirement.”

Diane Lim, a principal at District Economics Group and former chief economist for The Concord Coalition, draws a parallel to personal finances in explaining the federal deficit.

“On a basic level,” she says, “the government borrows for the same reason an individual borrows: When they want to consume, or spend, more than their current income allows. The government deficit is just the difference between annual spending and the government’s annual revenue.”

“People are arguing about spending bills and they do involve a lot of money and they are important, but the stealth spending spree ... often goes overlooked,” says Concord Coalition Executive Director Robert L. Bixby.

The latest “Facing the Future”  introduced a semi-monthly segment entitled “Economist Mom,” with Diane Lim, a principal at District Economics Group and former chief economist for The Concord Coalition.

Lim wrote the Economist Mom blog when she was with Concord. The purpose of this radio and podcast segment is -- as it was with the blog --  to help make fiscal responsibility more tangible for everyday Americans.

Last week, The Concord Coalition was joined in New Hampshire by former Congressmen David Jolly (R-FL) and Patrick Murphy (D-FL).

Their visit included an interview on The Concord Coalition’s radio show and podcast “Facing the Future.”

In the most recent episode of “Facing the Future,” the show returned to its usual format after concluding its New Hampshire candidate interview series.

The Concord Coalition’s “Facing the Future” program is kicking off a series of interviews with Sept. 11 primary candidates in New Hampshire’s First and Second Congressional Districts.

The program originates on WKXL NH Talk Radio in Concord, New Hampshire. Republican and Democratic candidates will answer questions about their policy priorities and plans regarding federal fiscal policy and related issues.

“It is totally irresponsible that nobody is focusing on the debt, because it is our biggest problem,” said former Congressman Chris Shays.

Shays joined me on “Facing the Future” to discuss how being a candidate and a member of Congress have changed since he first took office in 1987. Shays, a Republican, represented Connecticut’s Fourth District until 2009.

The latest episode of Facing the Future is all about you, our listeners. The Concord Coalition’s Executive Director Robert L. Bixby and Policy Director Josh Gordon answered questions submitted via e-mail and social media.

One listener submitted a question through Facebook concerning the different measurements of the national debt.

“The two main measures of the debt, in terms of dollar figures, are the ‘debt held by the public’ and what we call ‘the gross federal debt’,” said Gordon.

“When you are in power... you are hesitant to change the status quo because you don’t know what the consequences may be,” said former U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass.