Anyone else notice the brakes are awfully mushy?
Better not mention it to the mechanic, though. He might think we don't appreciate the last tuneup.
Posted on 07/24/2003 4:00:40 AM PDT by RJCogburn
Edited on 07/24/2003 4:39:12 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
THIS IS THE is the summer of conservatives? discontent. Conservatism has been disoriented by events in the last several weeks. Cumulatively, foreign and domestic developments constitute an identity crisis of conservatism, which is being recast ? and perhaps rendered incoherent.
George W. Bush may be the most conservative person to serve as President since Calvin Coolidge. Yet his Presidency is coinciding with, and is in some instances initiating or ratifying, developments disconcerting to four factions within conservatism. The faction that focuses on foreign policy has four core principles: Preserve U.S. sovereignty and freedom of action by marginalizing the United Nations. Reserve military interventions for reasons of U.S. national security, not altruism. Avoid peacekeeping operations that compromise the military?s war-fighting proficiencies. Beware of the political hubris inherent in the intensely unconservative project of ?nation-building.?
First, Saddam had vast oil income (despite sanctions), absolute power, sophisticated technology, and connections to evil terror masters. This situation could have if it had not already grown into something fatal for us.
Second, there really is no realistic choice for the West to keep its hands off of the Middle East trouble spots. It is just impossible to succeed in the alternate strategy: building up sufficient fortifications in every vulnerable spot.
The strategy instead is to kill the terrorists and to get rid of or sufficiently alter every terror-sponsoring rogue regime.
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Gauzy shots of Sandra Day O'Connor, with a woman's voice saying "She was the first woman on the Supreme Court. She pioneered the way for others, like Ruth Bader Ginsburg."
Gauzy shot of Ginsburg with an American flag.
"But now, their accomplishments are threatened by the man who is currently on Pennsylvania Avenue."
Nasty shot of Bush while his statement critical of the decision is played.
"Supreme Court justices can't serve forever."
Shot of Rehnquist looking especially feeble.
"When the next justice is nominated, Bush won't nominate someone like Sandra Day O'Connor"
Shot of O'Connor with a big "X" over her face.
"Instead, we will get nominees like THIS:"
Shots of rejected Appelate Court judges with newspaper clippings labeling them "extreme" and "right-wing."
"Let's keep the progress we have made. Let's have a president who will nominate better candidates. Vote (insert Rat candidate name here) for President."
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If the democrats can make an issue out of those 16 words in the State of the Union speech, they can make an issue out of a statement attacking O'Connor's decision. This is politics, not the debating society.
You seem to have quite a grudge against Mr. Jones.
I find his show very entertaining and informative.
The neo-cons deserve a good kick.
Huh? He is probably one of the most openly religious presidents in a long time, but let's not confuse that with a broader based "conservatism".
Bush certainly has conservative instincts but is first and foremost a centrist and pragmatist. Many of his "victories"; Kyoto, International Criminal Court, funding of abortion can all be undone by the next administration. The losses such as the prescription will costs us for years to come.
Is he better than Gore? Yes!
Is he as good as promised (he ran as a right-leaning centrist)? Largely.
Is he as good as could be hoped for? No.
Sadly, he is still the best hope for "conservatism". It sometimes seems that the change to a more limited government won't happen even with the Republicans, it also won't happen without them. I am afraid I do not have an answer to that little conundrum.
Anyone else notice the brakes are awfully mushy?
Better not mention it to the mechanic, though. He might think we don't appreciate the last tuneup.
Maybe not, but they are a lot closer to each other than the pubbies are to a true conservative Constitutionalist party.
I have tremendous respect for George Will who is a brilliant man, but there is absolutely no way that President Bush is more conservative than Ronald Reagan. Equally conservative, perhaps (though I don't happen to think so), but more conservative? No way.
Unadulterated hyperbole ... cite for me the MASSIVE expansion in budget dolalrs ...
Perscription Drugs.
Number one - as others have pointed out THIS was a campaign issue AND number two it appears to be dying AS it also appears to have been pushed into a privately funded item ... and number three Tom Delay is putting up resistance against this (the PREZ can't take ALL the heat!)
Education Bil
THis was,I think, just plain dumb ... a 'make nice' move that failed ...
if I wanted to see an continuation of policies that were closer to Clinton/ Gore, I would have voted for Algore
I still think you have the wrong site, Alice (in Wonderland NOT living in the real world WHERE things are FAR fropm perfect in ALL respect) - the site I think you're looking for is: www.democraticunderground.com ...
33 posted on 07/24/2003 6:27 AM PDT by Consort
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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.
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.
Submitted largest budget ever to Congress, $2.13 trillion.
Increased debt-limit from $5.95 trillion to $6.4 trillion.
Increased farm subsidies by $180 billion over 10 years.
$560 million USA Freedom Corps.
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.
A provision pressuring the Agriculture Department to reimburse poultry producers in West Virginia and Virginia for losses from avian influenza.
$400 million to help states improve voting systems.
Scholarships and grants to nurses and help hospitals with retention.
Increase the NEA budget by $10 million, to $126 million.
$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.
$300 million for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) via the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2001.
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.
National Institute of Health to spend $24 million on a retirement facility for chimpanzees.
$750,000 for grasshopper research in Alaska.
$2 million to house a worm collection at the Smithsonian museum in Washington, DC.
$400,000 to study manure management at the National Swine Research Center in Iowa.
$4.2 million for a shrimp aquiculture research project in six states.
$400,000 for the Montana Sheep Institute.
$1.7 million to purchase 6,100 acres of land along the American River.
$3 million for the acquisition of land for rare plant preserves in El Dorado County, CA.
Reauthorized Import-Export bank. Increased loan limit to $25 billion. Taxpayers must guarantee loans.
$165 billion deficit for fiscal 2002.
Creation of new federal bureaucracy, Office of Rare Diseases.
Campaign Finance Reform.
15 billion for AIDS in Africa.
Refuses to address the flood of illegals, and ignores our porous borders.
Ignored the Clinton crime gang. 
Okay. So I should believe you over my lying eyes? Ha. Compassionate Conservatism is nothing more than Socialism lite.
That is why the rats can't get any traction. No one really wants to change, except for the die hard liberal haters and the extreme libertarians.
But they are the least among several evils, as you said should be supported.
But it would have to be insulting right? He couldn't have said, 'Personally I disagree with this opinion. As a conservative and President, I can not agree with this opinion.'
Note: New rule for conservatives, apparently you can't speak out on court decisions you disagree with. It makes you 'mean and insulting'
Tell me Miss Marple, what does Bush stand for?
I think that in the long run, the merger of those 20+ agencies will save money as duplicative functions and some high level positions are are phased out. The new department gives less power to the unions. If it works out, other agencies can be merged, as well. The Dems strongly opposed the consolidation.
This Administration worked with Ted Kennedy to rewrite an education bill eating up more tax dollars.
What do you you think the education bill would have looked like if Teddy worked on it with only Democrats and no Republicans. It would have likely outlawed vouchers and homeschooling.
This Administration is in favor of surrending yet more billions and billions in tax dollars to create a new federal entitlement- drugs for seniors.
The seniors are a large, growing, and powewrful voting bloc. If the GOP don't listen to them, the Dems will be more than happy to take over, and they will.
This Administration has presided over the largest federal budgets in American history.
A lot has happened over the past two years that few, if any, anticipated. The federal governmet is big and powerful and I still prefer that it be controlled by the GOP with some conservative members rather then the Democrats with a lot of socialist members.
No it wasn't. It was the equivalent of the Trojan Horse. I just sat at dinner with a liberal big school spender in a big city that just had some training on this issue. They see the writing on the wall because the No Child Left Behind law is going to "end public education as we know it".. according to him. The liberals are just becoming aware of that the horse contained a small army that will open the gates.
Yeah right hold his feet to the fire(where have I heard that makcontent mantra before) while you let a demo waltz in, where you will get a Janet Reno clone, more nuclear proliferation by rougue states, higher taxes, etc.etc.
Do me a favor hoi, when you reach that destination called "the perfect world" send me a postcard, I have a notion that I will waiting by the mailbox for a long time.
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