Posted on 10/11/2005 7:09:03 PM PDT by Conservative Firster
Though widely viewed as an arch conservative in the major media, Bruce Bartlett increasingly finds himself alienated from the president of his party. Bush's policies, he warns, have been anything but conservative.
Bartlett faults Bush for moving away from free trade, adopting Keynesian economic theories, increasing government regulation and doing an extremely poor job of developing and selling conservative initiatives, such as Social Security reform. As such, George W. Bush, he says, has been a disaster for conservatism. Criticism of Bush from the right has largely been confined to fringe elements outside the mainstream of the conservative movement. Bartlett is the first from within the conservative mainstream to make the case that Bush is not "one of us" and does not deserve conservatives' support. As the next presidential election looms, Bartlett warns, a new standard bearer must be found who will correct the many errors of this administration and get America's fiscal house in order.
After September 11, America declared war on Islamic militancy that required huge new expenditures on defense. In the face of this, it was folly, says Bartlett, to introduce the Medicare drug benefit, a middle class entitlement program that, according to its own actuaries, burdens the American taxpayer with a new $18.2 trillion debt, an amount much larger even than the (once-) dreaded Social Security crisis. To pay for this vast new expansion of the welfare state, Bartlett warns, taxes can only go up—way up. Getting sufficient revenue out of our current tax system will be futile, making something like a European-style value added tax a near-certainty. It is noteworthy that Governor Bush once appointed a Texas tax reform commission that recommended a VAT, which he then supported.
On top of the Medicare drug benefit, Bush has rammed through huge expansions of federal education and agriculture programs. He has done nothing to restrain Congress's pork barrel spending and is the first president since James Garfield not to veto a single bill.
The administration's massive increases in government spending, Bartlett says, makes a sharp increase in taxes inevitable. There are many reasons to believe that a financial crisis may be brewing as a result. The Federal Reserve, for instance, is raising interest rates, which will put pressure on the stock and bond markets, and eventually prick the housing bubble, just as Fed tightening ultimately popped the stock market bubble of the late 1990's. When this happens, Washington policymakers who have been ignoring the budget deficit for years will suddenly see deficit reduction as the only way of restoring confidence. At this point, Bush will have to reverse course on taxes and spending.
I ain't going to get into a p!ssing match with you. You have shown your true colors on this thread.
I will NEVER EVER EVER EVER follow Pat Buchanan or anyone like him
FOTFLOL! I'm cool, calm and collected.
It is you who's having imaginary conversations with Rove.
Next DU talking point?
...unlike Dubya, who treats Federal expenditures and debts like he's Santa Claus.
You forget the tripling of revenues under the tax cuts.
If you tax something you get less of it.
"...You have shown your true colors on this thread."
Red, White and Blue!
In 2000 all I cared about was that he wasn't a Clinton or a Gore, so I didn't pay attention and I voted for him. I was one of the 537 votes. In 2004 I didn't vote for him.
Good conservative policy combines shrinking government with tax cuts. Bush gave us three tax cuts, but when comes to expanding big government and making it an even bigger government, Bush43 is the king of liberal spenders. A quick trip to the OMB.GOV website clearly shows that under Bush43, social welfare and entitlement spending as a percentage of the annual budget, has reached levels never seen before in US history.
Gee and he still managed to get elected ... with a 4 million more majority vote
Absolutely amazing that anyone can still take Patster seriously.
That's exactly what this is about; and they smell blood in the water.
But they don't have the sense to understand there is going to be one hell of a backlash. The frontal assault on Bush from the sleepers in the GOP will turn off the rank and file GOP members.
Normal people want an up or down on Miers, something they wish to deny her.
Bush is the most cowardly President ever. He has refused to veto a single bill because he is a lily-livered weakling who is afraid to fight. Every spending bill and social program that has landed on his desk has been signed into law. As a result, our deficit is gigantic, although Republican Kool-Aid-drinkers are yapping that it's "only" a few hundred billion.
If you tax something you get less of it."
Considering Reagan had to jump-start a corpse of an economy and military (thanks to Carter), things turned out quite fine, hadn't they?
You bet there will be a backlash
Pat and his crowd is attempting to screwed us over
I want to know why they are so damn afraid of this women that they don't want her to speak ??
Absolutely correct, and right now they're gleeful. That won't last. God, what miserable losers.
He's demonstrated the antithesis of fiscal "conservatism" while setting new precedents for America-style socialism.
"FOTFLOL! I'm cool, calm and collected..."
Grinding those steel balls in your hands really helps.
And if not for Ohio, we'd have president Kerry. If not for the terrorist attacks we'd have president Hillary.
I'll have to take your word for that.
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