By then, Obama would have almost doubled the government debt-to-GDP ratio from an inherited safety zone of 40% to a danger zone of almost 80%, a level not seen since the immediate aftermath of World War II. And, of course, the longer-term deficits, driven by baby-boomer retirements and rising health and pension costs per beneficiary, grow progressively worse thereafter (the commission will also recommend how to get the longer-term deficit under control).