Posted on 05/05/2005 9:13:01 AM PDT by metalmanx2j
A lot of thoughtful conservatives are having serious second thoughts about George W. Bush. His failure to act upon core values of fiscal conservatism and sovereignty is a growing concern.
Donations to conservative organizations and think tanks are in sharp decline. A lot of conservatives have decided to stop giving financial support because they are losing faith in the ability of these groups to have any effect on administration policies.
Bush has an engaging personality, but he’s not running for office anymore. He is already a very lame duck.
In concert with Republican party leaders in Congress, the White House has been unable to get its judicial appointments approved and the fight over John Bolton’s appointment as UN ambassador suggests the party lacks unity on Capitol Hill. Bolton has been confirmed four times for previous positions. Unless the GOP can unite to overcome the obstructionism of the Democrats, it bodes ill for the party.
If conservatives stay home for the 2006 elections, power can shift to the Democrats.
People are increasingly worried about the huge budget deficit created by a President and a Congress that have been on a spending binge. The national debt has increased by $2.16 billion every day since September 30, 2004. It is now a cliché that Bush has not vetoed a single spending bill while in office. New “entitlements” added to Medicare for prescriptions will add still more to the rising tide of national debt. It is not “if” the economy will reach a tipping point this accumulated debt cannot be paid, but when.
Compounding fears is the appearance of an increasingly shaky economy that includes rising inflation and major corporations like General Motors in trouble. Wall Street is experiencing early tremors that forecast a bear market.
An issue reaching critical mass are the illegal immigrants flowing across our southern border. The assertion that they are necessary to do the work that Americans will not is nonsense. With the exception of the agricultural sector that has always depended on migrant workers, there are many jobs American workers would take if they weren’t already being given to undocumented workers paid in cash. Illegal workers sent $20 billion dollars home to Mexico last year!
History will record that George W. Bush secured the liberation of the Iraqi people from one of the worst tyrants of modern times. Let us give him credit for that and for driving the Taliban out of Afghanistan. What rankles was the way the war was sold as an eminent threat of Weapons of Mass Destruction. I cannot think of a time this nation went to war on such poor intelligence. One gets the feeling, however, that the Bush administration has little faith in the intelligence of the American people.
Yet another distinctly un-conservative aspect of the Bush administration has been its approach to education. The “Leave No Child Behind” program has thrown billions at an already failed educational system. It is so awful that whole states are considering withdrawing from it. And the Bush administration is pushing for programs that would require all students to undergo mental health evaluations, thus opening the door to still more millions of them being required to take mind-altering drugs.
Many conservatives fear that homeland security is an excuse for circumscribing fundamental constitutional protections. Most certainly, the Patriot Act needs revision, but the administration does not support that. There is talk of installing chips in passports that will carry all kinds of personal information about you. More insidious is the effort to require Americans to carry a national ID card. This is more consistent with a police state than with conservative values.
As Americans confront rising gasoline prices, they are wondering if we have an energy policy. There’s scant evidence. It’s nice to know Alaska’s ANWR may be opened up to oil extraction, but this nation hasn’t seen a new refinery built since the 1970’s, down from 321 refineries in 1981 to 146 now. Current refineries are running at 95% capacity and, thanks to the Environmental Protection Agency, they have to produce 45 “regional blends” of gasoline. It will be years before any oil starts to flow from ANWR. Meanwhile, other reserves of oil and coal are ruled off-limits to extraction and use.
Finally, under the Bush administration, the federal government remains hell bent on acquiring more and more of the nation’s landmass. It’s in cahoots with environmental organizations, offering them millions in federal funds, to assist in this travesty. There’s even an “Invasive Species” bill floating around that would put the EPA in control of your front lawn. Why isn’t the Bush administration out front on killing this monstrosity?
Does any of this sound like conservative policy to you? Does it worry you that the threat of terrorism is the sole reason given for almost any policy put forth by the White House since 9-11? If the Democrats ever get their act together, you and I are going to be talking about President Clinton, but referring to Hillary.
I know.
I was just offering my own commentary.
Nice.
**Warranted criticism of President Bush's abundent failings is not allowed?**
No, because that makes you a DU troll, or some wacko Libertarian.
Blah blah blah and further more, blah blah and blah.
"So passionate defense of clearly wrong headed legislation is the sign of admirable leadership?"
Of course it is, a leader leads. If you don't like NCLB lobby your local liberal legislature where you will get a very compassionate reponse, or ask the local teachers union about NCLB--they'll love you.
You don't like something, change it. Thats what W did--and the liberals can't stand him for it.
Hmmmmmmmm, is that our first blonde troll??
Alan Caruba is pretty well known and a long time conservative.
He didn't say anything that wasn't apparently true.
Aren't you the sassy newbie!
FALSE. A LIE. NADA.
Political donations are down everywhere for the simple reason that donors are tapped out now that the election is over.
I made multiple donations to the GOP and to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth last year. I dug deep. I am suffering from donation fatigue. There is no imminent danger from JFnK or Hitlery, though Hitlery is on the horizon.
As soon as The Beast makes her Presidential aspirations official, I will be back in the game.
You are addressing the wrong person, troll. Someone else said that.
I'm sure you posted what you did so you could go scampering back to DU to copy & paste it there for dishonestly gotten entertainment.
Yeah, that's what concerns me. Fiscal management and the ability to protect the integrity of national borders are fundamental to good government. They are to government what blocking and tackling are to a football team.
The budget could be balanced. The immigration mess could be corrected. It really just amazes me to see the choices that are being made.
Ten years down the road, how will all this be judged?
Not anymore... keep reading.
I actually noticed most of the 1998ers have a libertarian streak and usually do not like W's compassionate conservatism
It was pretty obvious sarcasm.
There's a lot of posters who say the same thing and mean it.
LOL. Right. Whew! You are a lib pretending to be a Bush supporter... a common leftist tactic these days. Can't debate the merits of the article with you (there are several good points) because you are not a Bush supporter as you claim to be.
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