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Presidency of George W. Bush -- the first 43 months
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 President Bush signing a federal ban on Partial Birth Abortion
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U.S. Forces In Baghdad
Posted on 08/19/2004 12:49:33 PM PDT by whoozit
I can't recall which thread this was on, and I can't seem to find it with a search, but I am looking for the list of accomplishments of George W. Bush during his term as President. Can someone help me out please? Thanks!
I think you have a great list of W accomplishments - would you mind posting?
hope this helps....
Abortion & Traditional Values
Banned Partial Birth Abortion - by far the most significant roll-back of
abortion on demand since Roe v. Wade.
Reversed Clinton's move to strike Reagan's anti-abortion Mexico Policy.
By Executive Order (EO), reversed Clinton's policy of not requiring
parental consent for abortions under the Medical Privacy Act.
By EO, prohibited federal funds for international family planning groups
that provide abortions and related services.
Upheld the ban on abortions at military hospitals.
Made $33 million available for abstinence education programs in 2004.
Supports the Defense of Marriage Act - and a Constitutional amendment
saying marriage is between one man and one woman.
Requires states to conduct criminal background checks on prospective foster
and adoptive parents.
Requires districts to let students transfer out of dangerous schools.
Requires schools to have a zero-tolerance policy for classroom disruption
(reintroducing discipline into classrooms).
Signed the Teacher Protection Act, which protects teachers from lawsuits
related to student discipline.
Expanded the role of faith-based and community organizations in
after-school programs.
Budget, Taxes & Economy
Signed two income tax cuts, one of which was the largest dollar-value tax
cut in world history.
Supports permanent elimination of the death tax.
Turned around an inherited economy that was in recession, and deeply
shocked as a result of the 9/11 attacks.
Is seeking legislation to amend the Constitution to give the president
line-item veto authority.
In process of permanently eliminating IRS marriage penalty.
Increased small business incentives to expand and to hire new people.
Initiated discussion on privatizing Social Security and individual
investment accounts.
Killed Clinton's "ergonomic" rules that OSHA was about to implement; rules
would have shut down every home business in America.
Passed tough new laws to hold corporate criminals to account as a result of
corporate scandals.
Reduced taxes on dividends and capital gains.
Signed trade promotion authority.
Reduced and is working to ultimately eliminate the estate tax for family
farms and ranches.
Fight Europe's ban on importing biotech crops from the United States.
Exempt food from unilateral trade sanctions and embargoes.
Provided $20 million to states to help people with disabilities work from
home.
Created a fund to encourage technologies that help the disabled.
Increased the annual contribution limit on Education IRA's from $500 to
$2,000 per child.
Make permanent the $5,000 adoption tax credit and provide $1 billion over
five years to increase the credit to $10,000.
Grant a complete tax exemption for prepaid or college tuition savings plans.
Reduced H1B visas from a high of 195,000 per year to 66,000 per year.
Character & Conduct as President
Changed the tone in the White House, restoring HONOR and DIGNITY to the
presidency.
Has reintroduced the mention of God and faith into public discourse.
Handled himself with enormous courage, dignity, grace, determination, and
leadership in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 hijackings and
anthrax attacks. He almost single-handedly held this country together
during those searing days:
Just three days after the attacks, in his address at the National
Cathedral, the President reassured the nation when he said: "War has been
waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful,
but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and
terms of others. It will end in a way, and at an hour, of our choosing."
On Friday, September 14, 2001, President Bush visited Ground Zero. Standing
on a crushed and burned fire engine atop the smoldering pile at Ground
Zero, he put his arm around a retired firefighter who had volunteered to
help, and began speaking to the crowd. Rescue workers shouted that they
could not hear him. Someone handed him a small American flag and bullhorn.
The President spontaneously shouted: "I can hear you. The rest of the world
hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of
us soon." The crowd roared with cheers and chants of "USA! USA! USA!" Then
he raised that American flag and rallied a nation:
Education & Employment Training
Signed the No Child Left Behind Act, delivering the most dramatic education
reforms in a generation (challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations).
The very liberal California Teachers union is currently running radio ads
against the accountability provisions of this Act.
Announced "Jobs for the 21st Century," a comprehensive plan to better
prepare workers for jobs in the new millennium by strengthening
post-secondary education and job training, and by improving high school
education.
Is working to provide vouchers to low-income students in persistently
failing schools to help with costs of attending private schools. (Blocked
in the Senate.)
Requires annual reading and math tests in grades three through eight.
Requires states to participate in the National Assessment of Education
Progress, or an equivalent program, to establish a national benchmark for
academic performance.
Requires school-by-school accountability report cards.
Established a $2.4 billion fund to help states implement teacher
accountability systems.
Increased funding for the Troops-to-Teachers program, which recruits former
military personnel to to become teachers.
Environment & Energy
Killed the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty.
Submitted a comprehensive Energy Plan (awaits Congressional action). The
plan works to develop cleaner technology, produce more natural gas here at
home, make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy, improve
national grid, etc.
Established a $10 million grant program to promote private conservation
initiatives.
Significantly eased field-testing controls of genetically engineered crops.
Changed parts of the Forestry Management Act to allow necessary cleanup of
the national forests in order to reduce fire danger.
Part of national forests cleanup: Restricted judicial challenges (based on
the Endangered Species Act and other challenges), and removed the need for
an Environmental Impact Statement before removing fuels/logging to reduce
fire danger.
Killed Clinton's CO2 rules that were choking off all of the electricity
surplus to California.
Provided matching grants for state programs that help private landowners
protect rare species.
Defense & Foreign Policy
Successfully executed two wars in the aftermath of 9/11/01: Afghanistan and
Iraq. 50 million people who had lived under tyrannical regimes now live in
freedom.
Saddam Hussein is now in prison. His two murderous sons are dead. All but a
handful of the regime's senior members were killed or captured.
Leader by leader and member by member, al Qaida is being hunted down in
dozens of countries around the world. Of the senior al Qaida leaders,
operational managers, and key facilitators the U.S. Government has been
tracking, nearly two-thirds have been taken into custody or killed. The
detentions or deaths of senior al Qaida leaders, including Khalid Shaykh
Muhammad, the mastermind of 9/11, and Muhammad Atef, Osama bin Laden's
second-in-command until his death in late 2001, have been important in the
War on Terror.
Disarmed Libya of its chemical, nuclear and biological WMD's without bribes
or bloodshed.
Continues to execute the War On Terror, getting worldwide cooperation to
track funds/terrorists. Has cut off much of the terrorists' funding, and
captured or killed many key leaders of the al Qaeda network.
Initiated a comprehensive review of our military, which was completed just
prior to 9/11/01, and which accurately reported that ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE
capabilities were critical in the 21st Century.
Killed the old US/Soviet Union ABM Treaty that was preventing the U.S. from
deploying our ABM defenses.
Has been one of the strongest, if not THE strongest friend Israel has ever
hand in the U.S. presidency.
Part of the coalition for an Israeli/Palestinian "Roadmap to Peace," along
with Great Britain, Russia and the EU.
Pushed through THREE raises for our military. Increased military pay by
more than $1 billion a year.
Signed the LARGEST nuclear arms reduction in world history with Russia.
Started withdrawing our troops from Bosnia, and has announced withdrawal of
our troops from Germany and the Korean DMZ.
Prohibited putting U.S. troops under U.N. command.
Paid back UN dues only in return for reforms and reduction of U.S. share of
the costs.
Earmarked at least 20 percent of the Defense procurement budget for
next-generation weaponry.
Increased defense research and development spending by at least $20 billion
from fiscal 2002 to 2006.
Ordered a comprehensive review of military weapons and strategy.
Ordered a review of overseas deployments.
Ordered renovation of military housing. The military has already upgraded
about 10 percent of its inventory and expects to modernize 76,000
additional homes this year.
Is working to tighten restrictions on military-technology exports.
Brought back our EP-3 intel plane and crew from China without any bribes or
bloodshed.
Globalization & Internationalism
Challenged the United Nations to live up to their responsibilities and not
become another League of Nations (in other words, showed the UN to be
completely irrelevant).
Killed U.S. involvement in the International Criminal Court.
Told the United Nations we weren't interested in their plans for gun
control (i.e., the International Ban on Small Arms Trafficking Treaty).*
The only President since the founding of the UN to essentially tell that
organization it is irrelevant. He said: "The conduct of the Iraqi regime is
a threat to the authority of the United Nations, and a threat to peace.
Iraq has answered a decade of UN demands with a decade of defiance. All the
world now faces a test, and the United Nations a difficult and defining
moment. Are Security Council resolutions to be honored and enforced, or
cast aside without consequence? Will the United Nations serve the purpose
of its founding, or will it be irrelevant?" We all know the outcome and the
answer.
Told the Congress and the world, "America will never seek a permission slip
to defend the security of our country."
Government Reform
Improved government efficiency by putting hundreds of thousands of jobs put
up for bid. This weakens public-sector unions and cuts undeserved pay raises.
Initiated review of all federal agencies with the goal of eliminating
federal jobs (completed September 2003) in an effort to reduce the size of
the federal government while increasing private sector jobs.
Led the most extensive reorganization the Federal bureaucracy in over 50
years: After 9/11, condensed 20+ overlapping agencies and their
intelligence sectors into one agency, the Department of Homeland Security.*
Ordered each agency to draft a five-year plan to restructure itself, with
fewer managers.
Converted federal service contracts to performance-based contracts wherever
possible so that the contractor has measurable performance goals.
Health
Strengthen the National Health Service Corps to put more physicians in the
neediest areas, and make its scholarship funds tax-free.
Double the research budget of the National Institutes of Health.
Signed Medicare Reform, which includes:
A 10-year privatization option.
Prescription drug benefits: Prior to this reform, Medicare paid for
extended hospital stays for ulcer surgery, for example, at a cost of about
$28,000 per patient. Yet Medicare would not pay for the drugs that
eliminate the cause of most ulcers, drugs that cost about $500 a year. Now,
drug coverage under Medicare will allow seniors to replace more expensive
surgeries and hospitalizations with less expensive prescription medicine.
More health care choices: As President Bush stated, ".when seniors have the
ability to make choices, health care plans within Medicare will have to
compete for their business by offering higher quality service [at lower
cost]. For the seniors of America, more choices and more control will mean
better health care. These are the kinds of health care options we give to
the members of Congress and federal employees. What's good for members of
Congress is also good for seniors.
New Health Savings Accounts: Effective January 1, 2004, Americans can set
aside up to $4,500 every year, tax free, to save for medical expenses.
Depending on your tax bracket, that means you'll save between 10 to 35
percent on any costs covered by money in your account. Every year, the
money not spent would stay in the account and gain interest tax-free, just
like an IRA. These accounts will be good for small business owners, and
employees. More businesses can focus on covering workers for major medical
problems, such as hospitalization for an injury or illness. At the same
time, employees and their families will use these accounts to cover doctors
visits, or lab tests, or other smaller costs. Some employers will
contribute to employee health accounts. This will help more American
families get the health care they need at the price they can afford.
Homeland Security, Border Enforcement & Immigration
*See Government Reform above. Under President Bush's leadership, America
has made an unprecedented commitment to homeland security.
Has CONSTRUCTION in process on the first 10 ABM silos in Alaska so that
America will have a defense against North Korean nukes. Has ordered
national and theater ballistic missile defenses to be deployed by 2004.
Announced a 9.7% increase in government-wide homeland security funding in
his FY 2005 budget, nearly tripling the FY 2001 levels (excluding the
Department of Defense and Project BioShield).
Before DHS was created, there were inspectors from three different agencies
of the Federal Government and Border Patrol officers protecting our
borders. Through DHS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) now
consolidates all border activities into a single agency to create "one face
at the border." This not only better secures the borders of the United
States, but it also eliminates many of the inefficiencies that occurred
under the old system. With over 18,000 CBP inspectors and 11,000 Border
Patrol agents, CBP has 29,000 uniformed officers on our borders.
The Border Patrol is continuing installation of monitoring devices along
the borders to detect illegal activity.
Launched Operation Tarmac to investigate businesses and workers in the
secure areas of domestic airports and ensure immigration law compliance.
Since 9/11, DHS has audited 3,640 businesses, examined 259,037 employee
records, arrested 1,030 unauthorized workers, and participated in the
criminal indictment of 774 individuals.
Since September 11, 2001, the Coast Guard has conducted more than 124,000
port security patrols, 13,000 air patrols, boarded more than 92,000
vessels, interdicted over 14,000 individuals attempting to enter the United
States illegally, and created and maintained more than 90 Maritime Security
Zones.
Announced the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), an
internet-based system that is improving America's ability to track and
monitor foreign students and exchange visitors. Over 870,000 students are
registered in SEVIS. Of 285 completed field investigations, 71 aliens were
arrested.
This week, the US-VISIT program began to digitally collect biometric
identifiers to record the entry and exit of aliens who travel into the U.S
on a visa. Together with the standard information, this new program will
confirm compliance with visa and immigration policies.
Eliminated INS bureaucratic redundancies and lack of accountability.
Split the Immigration and Naturalization Service into two agencies: one to
protect the border and interior, the other to deal with naturalization.
Signed the workplace verification bill to prevent hiring of illegal aliens.
Established a six-month deadline for processing immigration applications.
Information regarding nearly 100% of all containerized cargo is carefully
screened by DHS before it arrives in the United States. Higher risk
shipments are physically inspected for terrorist weapons and contraband
prior to being released from the port of entry. Advanced technologies are
being deployed to identify warning signs of chemical, biological, or
radiological attacks. Since September 11, 2001, hundreds of thousands of
first responders across America have been trained to recognize and respond
to the effects of a WMD attack.
Judiciary & Tort Reform
Is urging federal liability reform to eliminate frivolous lawsuits.
Killed the liberal ABA's unconstitutional role in vetting federal judges.
The Senate is supposed to advise and consent, not the ABA.
Is nominating strong, conservative judges to the judiciary.
Supports class action reform bill which limits lawyer fees so that more
settlement money goes to victims.
Politics
His leadership resulted in Republican gains in the House and Senate,
solidifying Republican control of both houses of Congress and the presidency.
Signed an EO enforcing the Supreme Court's Beck decision regarding union
dues being used for political campaigns against individual's wishes.
Second Amendment
Ordered Attorney General Ashcroft to formally notify the Supreme Court that
the OFFICIAL U.S. government position on the 2nd Amendment is that it
supports INDIVIDUAL rights to own firearms, and is NOT a Leftist-imagined
"collective" right.
Signed TWO bills into law that arm our pilots with handguns in the cockpit.
Currently pushing for full immunity from lawsuits for our national gun
manufacturers.
*See Globalization & Internationalism.
Traditional Values, Compassion & Volunteerism
Endorses and promotes "The Responsibility Era." President Bush often speaks
of the necessity of personal responsibility and civic volunteerism. He
said, "In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take
responsibility for the decisions they make in life. My hope is to change
the culture from one that has said, if it feels good, do it; if you've got
a problem, blame somebody else - to one in which every single American
understands that he or she is responsible for the decisions that you make;
you're responsible for loving your children with all your heart and all
your soul; you're responsible for being involved with the quality of the
education of your children; you're responsible for making sure the
community in which you live is safe; you're responsible for loving your
neighbor, just like you would like to be loved yourself."
Started the USA Freedom Corps, the most comprehensive clearinghouse of
volunteer opportunities ever offered. For the first time in history,
Americans can enter geographic information about where they want to get
involved, such as state or zip code, as well as areas of interest ranging
from education to the environment, and they can access volunteer
opportunities offered by more than 50,000 organizations across the country
and around the world.
Established the The White House Office and the Centers for the Faith-Based
and Community Initiative - located in seven Federal agencies. The
faith-based initiative supports the essential work of these important
organizations. The goal is to make sure that grassroots leaders can compete
on an equal footing for federal dollars, receive greater private support,
and face fewer bureaucratic barriers. Work focuses on at-risk youth,
ex-offenders, the homeless and hungry, substance abusers, those with
HIV/AIDS, and welfare-to-work families.
The White House released a guidebook fully describing the Administration's
belief that faith-based groups have a Constitutionally-protected right to
maintain their religious identity through hiring - even when Federal funds
are involved.
Issued an EO implementing the Supreme Court's Olmstead ruling, which
requires moving disabled people from institutions to community-based
facilities when possible.
Increased funding for low-interest loan programs to help people with
disabilities purchase devices to assist them.
Revised the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 8 rent
subsidies to disabled people, permitting them to use up to a year's worth
of vouchers to finance down payments on homes. HUD has started pilot
programs in 11 states.
Committed US funds to purchase medicine for millions of men, women and
children now suffering with AIDS in Africa.
Heeding the words of our own Declaration of Independence, the president
laid out the non-negotiable demands of human dignity for all people
everywhere. On January 29, 2002, he said, "No nation owns these
aspirations, and no nation is exempt from them. We have no intention of
imposing our culture. But America will always stand firm for the
non-negotiable demands of human dignity." As stated by the President, they
are a virtual manifesto of conservative principles:
Equal Justice
Freedom of Speech
Limited Government Power
Private Property Rights
Religious Tolerance
Respect for Women
Rule of Law
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Presidency of George W. Bush -- the first 43 months
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President Bush signing a federal ban on Partial Birth Abortion
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U.S. Forces In Baghdad
I thought of a commercial that the Bush Adm. could do to combat Kerry's constant trumpeting that W has had 4 years to do this or 4 years to do that.
Let's run an ad with the American Flag in the background with text of all of his accomplishments scrolling on the screen much like the credits at the end of a movie.
Got another one.
-Coordinate the diplomatic release of the 24 man U.S. Downed P-3 crew in Hanin China.
-President Bush certified the final terms of entry for the People's Republic of China to the World Trade Organization (WTO)and he hailed the World Trade Organization (WTO) decision to admit China and Taiwan as members, saying that their entry into the WTO will strengthen the global trading system and expand world economic growth.
PING
Thanks for the ping, I saved this one!
May I use this info elsewhere (I won't claim credit for it myself)
Anyone may use it freely, no credit required or desired.
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