George W. Bush--The First 30 Months

7-1-2003 | Justshe

[justshe]

The Summer of Our Discontent with George W. Bush

The amount of discontent being expressed toward President George W. Bush on Free Republic seems to be increasing exponentially. 

For the purpose of discussion, I have attempted to to draw up 2 lists.  The first list is of accomplishments or 'directions' this administration is going.  The second list, is for those items or behaviors many would like to see addressed or changed.  I have made every attempt to list as many items as I could recall....or find by perusing MANY threads.  I am sure I have missed some items.

Obviously, some of you will think some items on each list are not correct,  that they should either NOT be listed, or are listed on the wrong list.   Either way, it IS a start. 

I have gleaned these items from multiple threads and posts going back over two years on Free Republic.  These are NOT listed in any 'time-line' order.

If you have individual ping lists.....please use them to facilitate the widest possible discussion.  

Presidency of George W. Bush    --the first 30 months                                            

Killed the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty.

Killed U.S. involvement in the International Criminal Court.

Killed the U.S. - CCCP ABM Treaty that was preventing the U.S. from deploying our ABM defenses.

Reversed Clinton's move to strike Reagan's anti-abortion Mexico Policy.

Killed Clinton's CO2 rules that were choking off all of the electricity surplus to California.

Killed Clinton's "ergonomic" rules that OSHA was about to implement; rules that would have shut down every home business in America.

Passed 2 tax cuts----1 of which was the largest tax-Dollar value tax cut in history

Pushed through TWO raises for our military.

Increased Defense Dept funding which had deteriorated during the previous 8 years

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.

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, NOT a leftist-imagined "collective" right.

Successfully executed 2 wars:  Afghanistan and Iraq.   50 million people who had lived under tyrannical regimes  now live in freedom.

Changed the tone in the White House, restoring HONOR and DIGNITY to the Presidency

Reorganized bureaucracy...after 9/11, condensed 20+ overlapping agencies and their intelligence sectors into one agency:  the Department of Homeland Security.

Initiated discussion on Social security and individual investment accounts.

Improving govt. efficiency with .8 million jobs put up for bid...weakening unions and cutting undeserved pay raises. Wants merit based promotions/raises only.

Executed a WAR ON TERROR by getting world-wide cooperation to track funds/terrorists (has cut off much of the terrorist's funding and captured or killed many key leaders of the al Qaeda network) 

Stopped foreign aid that would be used to fund abortions.

Ended abortions on military bases

Signed E.O. reversing Clinton policy of not requiring parental consent under the Medical Privacy Act

Told the United Nations we weren't interested in their plans for gun control.

Set to sign Partial Birth Abortion Ban

Orchestrated Republican control of the White House, the House AND the Senate.

Killed the liberal ABA's role in vetting federal judges for Congress.

GWB signed an executive order enforcing the Supreme Court's Beck decision (re: union dues being used for political campaigns against individual's wishes)

Brought back our EP-3 intel plane and crew from China without any bribes or bloodshed

Started withdrawing our troops from Bosnia and has announced withdrawal of our troops from Germany and the Korean DMZ.

Signed the LARGEST nuclear arms reduction in world history with Russia

Initiated comprehensive review of our military, which was completed just prior to 9/11/01, accurately reported that ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE was critical.

Has CONSTRUCTION in process on the first ten ABM silos in Alaska, so that America will have a defense against North Korean nukes

Turning around an inherited economy in recession.

Passed tough new laws to hold corporate criminals to account as a result of corporate scandals.

Reduced taxes on dividends and capital gains

In process of eliminating IRS marriage penalty.

Increased small business incentives to expand and to hire new people

Signed into law the CFR legislation (under dark of night)

Signed into law the No Child Left Behind legislation delivering the most dramatic education reforms in a generation (challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations)

Reorganized the INS in an attempt to safeguard the borders and ports of America and to eliminate bureaucratic redundancies and lack of accountability.

Signed trade promotion authority

Committed US funds to purchase medicine for millions of men and women and children now suffering with AIDS in Africa

Urging Medicare Reform

Urging federal liability reform to eliminate frivolous lawsuits

Supports class action reform bill which limits lawyer fees so that more settlement money goes to victims

Submitted comprehensive energy plan--awaits Congressional action. ( works to develop cleaner technology,  produce more natural gas here at home, make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy)

Endorses and promotes The Responsibility Era ("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 are 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. "   -----this quote was too good to leave out)

Started the USA Freedom Corps

Pushing for passage of Prescription Drug Benefit package for Seniors which will have 'means' testing with a goal towards privatization of Medicare and CHOICES based on current Federal Employee Health benefits program.

Initiated review of all federal agencies with a goal to eliminate federal jobs (review to be done by September 2003) in an effort to reduce the size of federal gov while increasing private sector jobs.

Part of coalition (Russia, Israel, Palestine, USA)  for Israeli/Palestinian  "Roadmap to Peace"

Challenged the United Nations to live up to their responsibilities and not become The League of Nations ( in other words, completely irrelevant)

Nominated strong, conservative judges to the judiciary.

Changed parts of the Forestry Management Act to allow necessary clean-up of the national forests in order to reduce fire danger. 

As part of the national forests clean-up,  the President restricted judicial challenges (based on the Endangered Species Act and other challenges)  and removed the need for an EIS (Enivironmental Impact Statement) before removing fuels/logging to reduce fire danger.

Significantly eased field-testing controls of genetically engineered crops.

Cut federal spending on libraries by $39 million.

Cut $35 million in funding for doctors to get advanced pediatric training.

Cut funding for research into renewable energy sources by 50%.

Revoked rules that reduced the acceptable levels of arsenic in drinking water.

Blocked rules that would require federal agencies to offer bilingual assistance to non-English speaking persons

Proposed to eliminate new marine protections for the Channel Islands and the coral reefs of northwest Hawaii

Cut funding for research into cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks by 28%

Suspended rules that would have strengthened the government's ability to deny contracts to companies that violated workplace safety, environmental and other federal laws.

Approved the sending of letters by Interior Department appointee Gale Norton to state officials soliciting suggestions for opening up national monuments for oil and gas drilling, coal mining, and foresting.

Appointed John Negroponte -- an unindicted high-level Iran Contra figure to the post of United Nations Ambassador.

Abandoned a campaign pledge to invest $100 million for rainforest conservation.

Reduced by 86% the Community Access Program for public hospitals, clinics and providers of care for people without insurance.

Rescinded a proposal to increase public access to information about the potential consequences resulting from chemical plant accidents.

Suspended rules that would require hardrock miners to clean up sites on public lands.

 Cut $60 million from a Boy's and Girl's Clubs of America program for public housing.

Proposed to eliminate a federal program, designed and successfully used in Seattle, to help communities prepare for natural disasters

Eliminated funding for the Wetlands Reserve Program, which encourages farmers to maintain wetlands habitat on their property.

Cut program to provide childcare to low-income families as they move from welfare to work.

Cut a program that provided prescription contraceptive coverage to federal employees (though it still pays for Viagra).

Cut $700 million in capital funds for repairs in public housing

Appointed Otto Reich -- an un-indicted high-level Iran Contra figure -- to Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs.

Cut the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency by $500 million.

Proposed to curtail the ability of groups to sue in order to get an animal placed on the Endangered Species List

Rescinded the rule that mandated increased energy-saving efficiency regulations for central air conditioners and heat pumps.

Abandoned campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide, the waste gas that contributes to global warming.

Gutted the White House AIDS Office.

Renegotiated a free trade agreement with Jordan to eliminate workers's rights and safeguards for the environment.

Cut the Community Oriented Policing Services program

Allowed Interior Secretary Gale Norton to shelve citizen-led grizzly bear re-introduction plan scheduled for Idaho and Montana wilderness

Continues to hold up federal funding for stem cell research projects

Makes sure convicted misdemeanor drug users cannot get financial aid for college, though convicted murderers can

Refused to fund continued cleanup of uranium-slag heap in Utah

Refused to fund continued litigation of the government's tobacco company lawsuit.

Signed a bill making it harder for poor and middle-class Americans to file for bankruptcy, even in the case of daunting medical bills

Cut $15.7 million earmarked for states to investigate cases of child abuse and neglect

Helped kill a law designed to make it tougher for teenagers to get credit cards

Canceled 2004 deadline for automakers to develop prototype high mileage cars.

Earmarked $4 million in new federal grant money for HIV and drug abuse prevention programs to go only to religious groups and not secular equivalents

Reduced the Low Income Home Assistance Program by 40%; it aided low-income individuals who need assistance paying energy bills

Told U.N. "NO" re: global tax

Items still to be accomplished and/or addressed

Allow sunsetting of AWB

Fix illegal immigration issues and border control

Limit/eliminate  federal entitlement programs

Cut size of federal budget

Shrink federal government job force

Hate all Dems and do not treat them civilly

Don't appoint any homosexuals to public office

Don't meet with Grover Norquist--or Muslims--or Homosexuals

Kill all terrorists in Israel

Drop the idea of a Palestinian state

"Eliminate"  all Palestinians

Need means testing on Senior Rx legislation

Get the United States out of the United Nations

Banish the United Nations from U.S. soil.

Stop all foreign aid.

Stop all foreign aid to the Palestinians

Eliminate  Steel and Wood tarrifs

Talk non-stop, at every opportunity, about judicial nominees and lack of Senate vote.

Push Frist out.....bring back Trent Lott

Fire Karl Rove

Fire Colin Powell

 

 

 

 

 

[deport]

His record of Growing Government in texas.

---

Can you list a governor or President that not had government grow under their leadership? How about a Mayor, County Judge?

Short list I'd expect...... tick tock

[My2Cents]

Well-said. And, as I said earlier, while Bush is a centrist, the center has shifted significantly more to the right than it was 40 years ago. We're making progress.

[deport]

like TLB, will vote for Bush because they have somehow convinced themselves that "a vote for Bush is a vote for socialism."

---

Yep even a liar's vote helps.....

He's already said he's on board to support the President for Reelection come May 2004.... So his values aren't that deep if he has any at all.... imo.

[justshe]

Yeah i read it, but the tone of it was too much sarcasm. I think to be fair it should have been a pros and cons list."

---

Believe it or not.....I took those 'cons' from DIRECT quotes by posters on Free Republic. I may have amalgamated some, like the "Don't meet with Grover Norquist--or Muslims--or Homosexuals".......but they were EXACT statements.

No sarcasm at all. Just READS that way.

[Texas Federalist]

"Oh yes, I'll always pick the lesser to two evils......Sheesh.....
Or we could all vote for the candidate that YOU like, and absolutely NOTHING would be done, no good accomplished whatsoever.........SHEESH!!!!

Fabulous list, justshe!! FABULOUS!! Shows how off base the bashers really are!"

_________________________________________________

Unless we let our Republican elected representatives know that they cannot take conservative votes for granted, they will continue to move to the left. A couple of defeats like Bush41 was subjected to and they will learn. We will give up some in the short run to gain more in the long run.

[My2Cents]

I don't know whether Abbas has clean hands, but I pray he keeps them clean. If there's a sincere desire in Abbas to end the madness, he deserves support, and anything Bush can do to further isolate Arafat will help.

[Scenic Sounds]

So, as I understand it, these are the facts:

1) TLB will be voting for Bush; and

2) TLB believes that his vote for Bush will be a "vote for socialism."

What inference can I fairly draw from those two facts? ;-)

[Neets]

Viva La Liberal Socialism!!!

[Cyber Liberty]

Push Frist out.....bring back Trent Lott

What, Frist not a big enough p**sy?

[Dilbert56]

I just looked on the EPA web site. Here's the official explanation on why the standard was reviewed: Following the January 22, 2001 Federal Register promulgation of the arsenic rule, a number of concerns were raised to EPA by States, public water systems, and other stakeholders regarding the adequacy of science and the basis for national cost estimates underlying the rule. Because of the importance of the arsenic rule and the national debate surrounding it related to science and costs, EPA's Administrator publicly announced on March 20, 2001, that the Agency would take additional steps to reassess the scientific and cost issues associated with this rule and seek further public input on each of these important issues.

The 10ppb rule still goes into effect on its orginal schedule. Everyone has to be fully compliant by January, 2006. Even though there was plenty of time to conduct the review without jeopardizing implementation, we were treated to hysteria by the media and the Democrat commercials (I'm not sure those are actualy two different things.) There had been an exception on the books for Idaho since 1997. Then there was this pile of confusion:

On March 26, 2001, EPA proposed to withdraw Vermont, the District of Columbia, Kansas and New Jersey from the National Toxics Rule (NTR) for certain human health and aquatic life criteria where the State adopted criteria that fully meet the requirements of the CWA. The proposed rule provided for a 60-day public comment period.

In the rest of the text it looks like they comply at a state level so they're exempt from the national one(?) Confusing.

[Bluntpoint]

"What, Frist not a big enough p**sy?"

No. Not a big enough Dixiecrat.

[justshe]

Ahem....no comment.

I simply compiled the lists. :-)

[deport]

Well we'll have to let the 'showboy' speak for himself as to what the facts are. However he's posted on the forum that come MAY 2004 he'll be supporting President Bush for reelection. I guess he'll still do it even though his contention is that President Bush is many things other than a right wing conservative.... such as the following:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/937554/posts?page=21#21
Bush is a liberal wolf in sheep's clothing and for the bulk of Americans, the disguise is working perfectly.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/754882/posts?page=652#652
---Voting 3rd party is a vote for the commie demorats!

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/938309/posts?page=16#16
Vote republicans is a vote for Socialism.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/938039/posts?page=21#21
A vote for Bush is a vote for socialism.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/899493/posts?page=79#79
basically, since Bush supports the gay agenda! Ya know the liberal agenda!

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/899493/posts?page=68#68
If Bush was a conservative we would not even of needed this show.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/899493/posts?page=49#49
Its scarry what Bush really is and that is he is a liberal supporter.


Bush is a U.N. Man
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/861516/posts?page=14#14

Bush is a liberal: Rush has a 80 million audience
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/824939/posts?page=13#13

Its scarry what Bush really is and that is he is a liberal supporter.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/899493/posts?page=49#49

Bush is a fake president and like Clinton:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/824910/posts?page=15#15

Bush is liberal Republican advancing a commie rat agenda:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/810176/posts?page=162#162

Bush is an anti-Constitution; anti-family, gun grabber:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/899493/posts?page=48#48

Now I will never be a blinded follower of Bush or the republican party EVER.........any party that brings in the patriot Act and bans guns and thinks a socialist CLINTON LOVER(BLAIR) and a commie (PUTIN) is good is never to be trusted in my book.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/899839/posts?page=313#313

[deport]

LOL

[NittanyLion]

Good list. However, you may want to add some "cons" for balance. Farm Bill, Patriot Act, Education Bill, CFR and pending prescription drug plan are the most obvious ones, to my mind.

On the whole, it's been far more good than bad. Foreign policy has been Bush's strong suit. Still some room for improvement as far as domestic spending goes...

[Cyber Liberty]

Well, OK. I can see that. But who in the heck wanted Neville Lott back in? He was the worst Maj/Min leader we've had in decades.

The only reason I ever saw enunciated to keep Lott was to not allow 'Rats to intimidate our people out of power. A blind-loyalty thing. Never mattered to that crowd that Neville Lott did more to destroy our accomplishments than did Clinton.

[Cyber Liberty]

I'd say your list is too short. You must have limited your search to the past 24 hours or something....

[Neets]

But who in the heck wanted Neville Lott back in?

Who indeed toots???? (*snicker)

[newgeezer]

There will even be a confused few who, like TLB, will vote for Bush because they have somehow convinced themselves that "a vote for Bush is a vote for socialism."

"Confused"? No rational being can deny that a vote for Bush in 2000 was a vote for socialism. He did not run on a platform of shrinking government programs. He didn't even run on the status quo. He came out on favor of expanding Medicare.

We are mired in socialism, and getting deeper with each passing administration. Neither of the two parties is going to nominate anyone who'll dare change that direction. The reality is, a vote for anyone other than Bush was at least in effect a vote for even more socialism under President Gore.

If anyone's "confused," it's those who have somehow convinced themselves that Bush or any major party candidate has the intestinal fortitude to reverse our socialist course.