The following might be of some use in this argument:
BIG GOVERNMENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS UNDER GWB
Last Update 08-22-2002
SOCIALISM & PORK
- Airline bailouts.
- Post Office bailout.
- $205 million Amtrak bailout.
- Federal prescription drug subsidies, $350 billion over 10 years.
- "Homebuyer bill of rights" -- federal regulation of real estate.
- Continued anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft.
- Federal subsidies for the poor to purchase homes.
- Additional funding for Medicare.
- Health care subsidies for laid-off workers and expanded job retraining benefits ($10 billion to $12 billion over 10 years).
- Wage insurance -- federal wage supplement.
- Took $67 million in taxpayers' money to finance presidential campaign via federal matching funds.
- Submitted largest budget ever to Congress, $2.13 trillion.
- Increased debt-limit from $5.95 trillion to $6.4 trillion.
- Scholarships for Cuban students and professionals.
- $9.5 million to hire new Customs Service agents.
- Increased farm subsidies by $180 billion over 10 years.
- Increased Pentagon budget by $48 billion to $379 billion.
- $560 million USA Freedom Corps.
- Over $3-million spent on SuperBowl anti-drug ads.
- Increased funding for IRS and BATF.
- Faith-based subsidies.
- Increased federal spending on education from $39.9-billion to $44.5-billion.
- Signed Congressional payraise of $4,900.
- Patients Bill of Rights.
- Federal Compassion Capital Fund, $700 million over 10 years.
- $100_million to beef up investigative manpower and technology at the SEC.
- $6 million to upgrade a U.S. Geological Survey data center near Sioux Falls, S.D.
- $10 million to help farmers near the Rio Grande River involved in a water dispute with Mexico.
- $7 million for enhancing water supplies in New Mexico.
- A provision pressuring the Agriculture Department to reimburse poultry producers in West Virginia and Virginia for losses from avian influenza.
- $1 billion for Pell grants for low-income students.
- $417 million for veterans' medical care.
- $400 million to help states improve voting systems.
- $100 million for countering western wildfires and floods.
- Taxpayer-funded national memorial, congressional gold medals, and gold coins for victims of 9/11.
- Scholarships and grants to nurses and help hospitals with retention.
- Increase the NEA budget by $10 million, to $126 million.
- $200,000 for a trucker congestion notification system in Tacoma, Washington.
- $500,000 to save the Prebles Meadow Jumping Mouse in Colorado.
- $62 million to promote the Sacajawea dollar coin.
- $100,000 a month to monitor news reports and offer advice on media strategy for the Pentagon.
- $1.5 million for taking care of the Vulcan Statue in Alabama built for the 1904 World's Fair
- $20 million annually for "Strategic Milk Reserve." Was phased out in 1999 by the 1996 Freedom to Farm Act. Congress extended it temporarily, and then made it permanent again in the farm bill that President Bush signed into law in May.
- Federal aid to Texas flood victims.
- Federal recovery assistance to typhoon victims in Guam.
- Steel and lumber tariffs.
- $300 million for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) via the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2001.
- Federal disaster relief for tonado victims in Maryland.
- Federal disaster relief for Minnesota because of storms, flooding, and tornadoes.
- Payoff to families of 9-11 victims.
- School vouchers.
- $450,000 in federal funds for the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention for fiscal year 2003 on top of $750,000 in 2002.
FOREIGN-AID & INTERVENTIONISM
- Thousands of civilians killed, hundreds of thousands displaced by areal bombing in Afghanistan.
- Invaded Afghanistan without Congressional declaration of war.
- Boost in American foreign-aid by 50% to more than $15 billion annually.
- Continued funding of World Bank.
- Engaging in nation-building.
- Meddling in Zimbabwe by threatening to withhold foreign-aid (Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act of 2001).
- Foreign debt relief.
- $474 million to combat HIV/AIDS overseas, including $100 million for a global trust fund, and $200 million for international disaster assistance.
- $676 million for South American anti-drug plan.
- $768 million in assistance to independent states of the former Soviet Union. (2001)
- $2.04 billion in military financing and $720 million in economic assistance for Israel. (2001)
- $1.3 billion in military assistance and $655 million in economic assistance for Egypt. (2001)
- $75 million in military financing and $150 in economic assistance for Jordan. (2001)
- $582 million to United Nations. (2001)
- $2-billion in foreign-aid to Egypt. (2002)
- $1.3-billion in foreign-aid to Columbia to fight Drug War. (2001)
- $120 million in foreign-aid to Uzbekistan. (2002)
- $40 million in foreign-aid to the Taliban government of Afghanistan (May, 2001).
- $500 million in funding to combat AIDS in Africa.
- $30 million in research grants over the next five years to develop new ways of making industrial products from plants and natural waste materials.
- $255 million over two years to expand US media influence in predominantly Muslim countries.
- $1.5 billion bailout of Uruguay.
- $64 million for "Education and Equipment" program to train Georgian military.
- $1.1 billion loan from the U.S. International Monetary Fund to Turkey.
- $4.5 billion spending plan to help african nations reduce disease and famine and cultivate energy, clean water and forests.
LIBERTIES, CONSTITUTION, POWER GRABS
- Campaign Finance Reform.
- Made his intention clear to exclude non-believers from serving on the juduciary in violation of Article 6, USC.
- Creation of new federal bureaucracy, Dept. of Homeland Defense.
- Wall St. ordered to report "suspicious" transactions, or series of transactions exceeding $5000.
- Freezing private assets without due process under the guise of anti-terrorism.
- Detention of suspects for months without due process.
- Domestic surveillance by FBI without evidence of criminal activity.
- Project Safe Neighborhood -- unconstitutional gun-control and federal intrusion.
- U.S. Drug Czar calls for War on Marijuana during visit to Canada.
- Ashcroft's plan to fingerprint Arab and Muslim visitors to the US.
- Refused to allow airline pilots to arm themselves.
- Federalized airport security.
- Continued federal asset forfeiture.
- Enron scandal. Questionable campaign contributions.
- Secret trials. Military tribunals.
- "Magic Latern" FBI spyware.
- DOJ monitoring of cable modems without a warrant.
- Continued crackdown on medical marijuana. Cannabis Clubs raided.
- Transportation Security Administration to place armed law enforcement officers at ticket counters and other public areas at airports.
- Proposed 'federal standards' for state drivers licenses.
Hmm - while GWB sure has Clintoon beat in the morals and personality departments, there seems to be little government philosophy difference of any consequence. Well, except for the fact that 'certain' conservatives and groups would have been screaming for Clintoon's head on a platter LONG before all this got passed.
Have fun dear!
So, just exactly,
which of these actions are spelled out inside the U.S. Constitution ??
Farmer Bailout? - Nope
Bigger Budgets for Gevernment and it's underlings ? - So much for that World inFamous "Smaller Republican Government" eH?
More money for Education ? - Gotta Love that 10th Plank of the Communist Manifesto, don't ya ??
"Continued funding of World Bank" = Continued funding of the United Nations !!
"Creation of new federal bureaucracy, Dept. of Homeland Defense" - uh, I thought that the Powers of the US Government and it's Soul Purpose was the Protection of the American Citizens and her shores ??
"$400 million to help states improve voting systems" - Too Funny for Words !!
If this is King George at his best - I shudder to think about the remainder of his term in office....
...but....that's just my opinion.....