Shadow Finance Minister Bob Richards said past overspending is crippling Government’s ability to help the less fortunate.Speaking on Friday in the House of Assembly, Mr Richards compared Bermuda to a household, and the Government to a father who has squandered his pay cheque.“Irresponsible handling of the economy on the part of Government has now caused it to slash its cash contributions to most charities, at the time when the Bermuda family needs them most,” he said.“The Sunshine League is just one example of a charity in crisis.”Running with the metaphor, Minister of Environment, Planning and Infrastructure Strategy Walter Roban said that when the PLP became the ‘father of the household,’ the house was in a state of disrepair.“I remember a house that we took over that I have no wish to go back to a house in tatters,” Mr Roban said. “A house that did not meet planning regulations.”He said since the PLP has taken over, Government has worked to make sure new homes and hotels are built, and worked to keep the economy running in a recession.“The house that I live in is not only a good house, but the father is such a good father that he is constantly dealing with the problems of the house.”PLP MP Marc Bean said the Opposition One Bermuda Alliance was playing political games, and that the Government can’t be held responsible for the reductions in corporate donations to charities.“They are trying to put all the blame on the Government,” he said.Patricia Gordon-Pamplin responded that the private sector has had to cut back on donations because of the current economic climate, saying government cut aid just when it was most needed.“There is nothing a child wants more than to know their parents are perfect,” she said. “They want to be able to defend everything their parent does.“Right now, the people of Bermuda cannot defend what is happening to themselves.”Deputy Premier Derrick Burgess stressed that Bermuda is not the only country battling the economic downturn.“What happens in the rest of the world affects Bermuda,” he said. “We are not controlling the economy of the world. When the price of oil goes up, we pay for it like the rest.”And while he acknowledged that there are a number of people unemployed on the Island, he said that some people are being too picky about what jobs they are willing to accept, noting that at the hospitality jobs fair, only five Bermudians applied for 180 waiting jobs.PLP Minister Glenn Blakeney also attributed much of the Island’s economic woes to the world economy, saying: “The fact is that the whole world is in crisis.“This Government knows because it’s its core base who are feeling the pain. People are hurting. Of course we know it. We know it first because while they complain to you, they come to us for solutions.”OBA MP Shawn Crockwell said that the Government had ignored warnings of the recession, and the people of Bermuda are now feeling the consequences.“That’s not someone playing politricks. It’s a fact,” he said. “And it’s a fact that we need to come to grips with it so we can properly address it.”He also criticised comments from government ministers regarding efforts to prevent crime, saying: “We are in a crisis when it comes to violent crime.“To stand up and laud social initiatives that have somehow improved the state of crime is laughable.”While he said that both parties unanimously support the Mirrors programme, he noted that it was one of the social programmes that had its funding reduced in the budget.OBA leader John Barritt said the Opposition is not playing politics, it is citing concerns that members of the public have over the level of debt in Bermuda.“The people of this country will know what is politricks and what is a game, but it’s no game when you mess with people’s ability to earn money and their livelihoods,” he said.“People aren’t so much concerned about the past but about the future. They’re concerned about how we can get this economy moving.”Government backbencher Wayne Furbert continued the metaphor about the Government as a father, saying: “My children know my dad spent some money in building some structures and that’s what accumulated this $1 billion (debt).”He said if the economy has now changed, then as a father and Government: “We will have to adjust.” He added: “We have a bright future here. So bright they (the Opposition) can’t even see it.”Premier Paula Cox defended Government’s record and hit out at the OBA, which was formed after the recent collapse of the United Bermuda Party and contains many of the same politicians.“Cynics might say what we have is old wine put in new bottles,” she said. “It reminds me of the fairytale of the emperor’s new clothes, and the people see that the emperor does not have on new clothes.”She added: “Mea culpa. This Government and I have been clear. We don’t run away from the PLP’s record. I ran as party leader on the record. It’s not something I walk away from.”Ms Cox said she “some lapses did occur and I acknowledge that mistakes were made.” However, she said no Government can be effective if it is always “looking in the rear view mirror”.