George Bush's Big Government Adventure

Free Republic and Various ^ | 01-30-02 | aaabest

[AAABEST]

With Conservative Like This, Who Needs Liberals?

Let me start off by addressing those who have been bashing(and I do mean bash) me and other well intentioned and well known Freepers as being anti-Bush, Libertarians, from the reform party or whatever. 

I voted for GWB, and I can ping several freepers to this thread that met me in real life at several Bush rallies (with megaphone in hand). I was a member of the Broward County Young Republicans before moving to the West coast of Florida and I was active in Jeb Bush's campaign for Governor. 

I've been on this forum for almost 4 years and anyone that knows me is aware of my conservative views and knows that I'm not a member of the reform party, I'm not a Libertarian (large "l") or any of the other things I and others like me have been accused of.

If you have been engaging in inflammatory rhetoric, bashing long-time, well known Freepers or acting like children because not all of us are enthralled with "Georges Big Government Adventure",  please try to control yourselves, at least while posting on this thread. 

It's not my purpose (at least at this point) to get GWB un-elected, I like him, he has a beautiful wife, he's a good Commander in Chief and he seems like an honest politician. However,  if he keeps ignoring conservative principles and promoting a larger more intrusive government, I and others can no longer continue to support him....on principle. 

We're working to roll back decades of governmental largesse, to root out political fraud and corruption, and to champion causes which further conservatism in America.

Above is the Free Republic mission statement.  After his first year, would anyone say that GWB has worked towards this end? I think many conservatives suffer from some kind of Stockholm Syndrome as a result of 8 years of President Clinton, because when I ask many of them what GWB has done for conservatism lately, all I get is that he's not Clinton. 

I know he's not a corrupt, law breaking scoundrel, but is that all that's required? Can our republic survive a cycle where Republicans get into office grow government greatly, interspersed with Democrats who grow government even more greatly with little or no reduction? There are actually people on FR that think all of this growth in government spending is some grandiose 8 year plan by Mr. Bush to fool Democrats so that he can cut government later. What an absurd notion.

If any of the initiatives below originated from the Clinton administration, people on FR would have had a cow. Those "Day in the Life of President Bush" threads garner hundreds of fawning responses, while a thread on how our government is growing out of control will die after 10.

I appeal to anyone reading this to consider the below information without bias. The links will open in a separate window for you convenience.  I will be adding to this information as necessary God bless America, God bless this forum and God bless you.

Click on the Picture of the President (thinking of new ways grow government) for the corresponding article.

	Huge education spending bill (i.e. Federal Local School Board Bribery Act) which liberal Democrats love that doesn't mention a word about choice or local control.
	Food stamps for immigrants.
	Largest spending bill in American History. The first to exceed 2 trillion dollars.
	The Airport Security Bill that completely takes control of over 28,000 screening jobs. Now it seems that they don't even have to be high school graduates either. The big difference, they can't be fired.
	100 million for welfare moms.
	Hugely Expanding Clinton's Amercorps boondoggle that all conservatives railed against.
	Kowtowing to law breaking illegal immigrants by proposing amnesty. Speaking of illegal immigrants who sneak across the border; "And we've got to respect that, seems like to me, and treat those people with respect," he added. "I remind people all across our country: Family values do not stop at the border."
.	38 Billion for a new Homeland Security bureaucracy that allots a 20% increase for border control. Guess what. It goes to our problematic Canadian border, with not a dollar spent on the Mexican border. Read it for yourself
	The  Orwellian "Patriot Act" that gives Federal authorities carte blanche to rifle through all of your digital communications and essentially,  rob your house without notice.
	71.5 billion over 10 years for government health care.
	Not releasing appropriate documents on Clinton and FBI corruption.

 

[DoughtyOne]

Sad but true.

[AAABEST]

Hey, I was just gonna ping you!

[DoughtyOne]

Well bud, our choice in 2004 will once again be, unacceptable, unavoidable and unelectable. Which will you vote for.

[Southack]

"We're working to roll back decades of governmental largesse, to root out political fraud and corruption, and to champion causes which further conservatism in America. Above is the Free Republic mission statement. After his first year, would anyone say that GWB has worked towards this end?"

Yes, I would.

President Bush completed the first top-to-bottom review of our military just prior to 9/11. This review pointed out waste, wrong directions for future expenditures, and that our most pressing security threats were asymmetric attacks from nations and trans-national groups.

President Bush put together the first Energy Plan that our nation has had in place in decades. Part of getting rid of waste in government is managing with a comprehensive plan in the first place, rather than shooting from the hip in some sort of Clintonian, hyper-reactionary style.

President Bush enforced the Supreme Court's Beck decision that had been illegally unemplemented by the Clinton Administration. That decision permits workers to reclaim all funds used by their unions for political purposes for which they disagree. If you want to get rid of waste and corruption in society, one of the things that you have to do is give workers more control over their money rather than letting fat-cat union bosses have those funds.

President Bush repealed Clinton's OSHA ergonomic rules that were about to destroy 90% of American home-based businesses. That rolled back government - no matter how you want to view it.

President Bush cancelled Clinton's CO2 regulations that were driving up electricty prices and causing shortages in several states. Again, that reduced the influence of government.

As for reducing government, President Bush signed into law the largest dollar-value tax cut in world history. Frankly, I rest a little easier at night knowing that refund checks went to citizens rather than into Tommy Dashcle's pockets.

Also, the federal budget is set to automatically increase funding for most major programs each year. Until conservatives can dig up so much popular support that those automatic spending increases are stopped, every President is going to preside over a budget that is the largest in history and obviously bigger than the last year's budget and bigger than the last President's budgets. It is disingenuous to somehow imply that the current President is automatically responsible for those automatic budget increases, and it will be an ENORMOUS achievement to finally get them out of our budget one day.

[DoughtyOne]

And I might add, they know damn well which one. This is the biggest dog and pony show this side of Neptune.

[First_Salute]

You did OK; the list is something for serious consideration; and thank you.

Bush seems to have little interest in how the Constitution limits government, as well as little experience with how there are alternatives ... something which was the nature of Ronald Reagan to make note of (such as in the debates v. Carter during the 1980 campaign).

Other than the spending, what I do not like in the above, he encourages violating the border of our country, aliens inserting themselves (and he presumes, family) in some advance position of the line of people wishing to live in the U.S., and thus violating a number of federal laws ... is "family values" not stopping at the border; while of course, should such people who are in violation of the laws decide to squat on Bush's property or Ted Kennedy's property, well, then there'd be some legislation introduced to put and end to it; because when it personally affects such "higher-ups," they suddenly see more of the reasons why we have such laws about our borders.

The President is NOT respecting all the people who are adhering to the law ... so for aliens, why should they at all?

The land and peoples property and welfare in these United States, are not Bush's to give away.

[incindiary]

This one is scary and yes, Orwellian.

[DoughtyOne]

Consider me pinged! And that smarts...

[TLBSHOW]

Protest Bush as he is pushing this big time my friend if you feel so strong about it.

[smolensk]

Yeah, but nooobody wanted to vote for Pat Buchanan did they? But you are correct. However, it is my opinion that we much roll back liberalism one generation at a time (one spoonful at a time) in the same way that liberalism was ushered in. But GW could give us a double dose to get started, I agree.

[Dane]

Huge education spending bill (i.e. Federal Local School Board Bribery Act) which liberal Democrats love that doesn't mention a word about choice or local control

Which includes standards for schools. Also for the first time Pubbies are at parity with demo's in the polls when it comes to education. Education is not a demo issue anymore and the public is willing to listen to pubbies when it comes to education, not dispel them outright.

Food stamps for immigrants

Food stamps for "legal" immigrants. Anyway the five year limit for welfare still stands.

Largest spending bill in American History. The first to exceed 2 trillion dollars

With most of the increase going to defense.

The Airport Security Bill that completely takes control of over 28,000 screening jobs. Now it seems that they don't even have to be high school graduates either. The big difference, they can't be fired.

Too bad, most Americans wanted the airport screeners to be "federalized"(although I didn't). Bush unlike you doesn't have a politcal death wish.

100 million for welfare moms.

Yeah so, also this program, I beleive, also wants to encourage marriage.

Hugely Expanding Clinton's Amercorps boondoggle that all conservatives railed against

Uh Clinton's Americorps was feel good gobbledygook, IMHO. This is more like the civil defense program of the 50's.

Kowtowing to law breaking illegal immigrants by proposing amnesty. Speaking of illegal immigrants who sneak across the border; "And we've got to respect that, seems like to me, and treat those people with respect," he added. "I remind people all across our country: Family values do not stop at the border.

Uh please show me an official proposal where "blanket amnesty" has been proposed?

38 Billion for a new Homeland Security bureaucracy that allots a 20% increase for border control. Guess what. It goes to our problematic Canadian border, with not a dollar spent on the Mexican border. Read it for yourself

Fine you defend the homeland all by yourself. I guess 9/11 will never ever happen again.

The Orwellian "Patriot Act" that gives Federal authorities carte blanche to rifle through all of your digital communications and essentially, rob your house without notice.

Like i said before I guess 9/11 will never ever happen again.

71.5 billion over 10 years for government health care

And proposing market reforms in Medicare.

Not releasing appropriate documents on Clinton and FBI corruption.

Not releasing documents to a grand standing committee(the FBI documents), and getting hit by 60 minutes for not doing so, while court cases are still going on, is a good idea in my book.

AAABEST, you have gotten all your pet peeves out. Do you feel better. Would you feel better if Gore was President?

[AAABEST]

Well bud, our choice in 2004 will once again be, unacceptable, unavoidable and unelectable. Which will you vote for.

I haven't been forced into that position yet (that doesn't sound right!)

I'm like to think (in my dreams) we can fix this guy up.

[Polonius]

Good post — hopefully it will attract some much-needed attention.

[DLfromthedesert]

Not to mention the arsenic standards.

[FastCoyote]

This is why I consider myself a Constitutional Republican, or (l)ibertarian, but not a Conservative nor Republican. Democrats love to impose their views through more laws, Republicans do the same. Together they are ratcheting up the state to unsupportable levels.

[weikel]

The actual fact is that nothing matters up to a point as long as he lowers taxes lower taxes lead to more revenue and health care is already screwed up.

[LiberteeBell]

bttt

[ThJ1800]

All of this is quite interesting, and it is slightly amusing, eventhough it is even more disturbing, to watch the apologetics which come from Freepers on a daily basis.

Luckily, I have a clear conscience and don't have to lie to myself about Bush's "conservatism". I didn't vote for him.

[DoughtyOne]

Good comments. It always pleases me to see people who are thinking. Ask the questions and make the observations. It'll all shake out in the end. Bush is no conservative. And we need to realize that for the good of this nation.

Is he as bad as Clinton? Few men are. Bush is a good man. But his vision is way too far left for me. I cannot reconcile his agenda and my own concept of what this nation should be.

[UberVernunft]

He's a globalist -- and I don't mean part of a secret cabal. He just happens to abide by the principles of globalism. I have no idea how or why someone becomes a globalist, but it seems to be the thread of commonality among most (or all) of our presidents now. (JMHO)

George Bush also seems somewhat of a moderate, which I think most people were aware of prior to his election.

I actually think there is a place for some of these proposals. My evaluation is given below:

(-) Huge education spending bill (i.e. Federal Local School Board Bribery Act) which liberal Democrats love that doesn't mention a word about choice or local control.

(+) Food stamps for immigrants.

(-) Largest spending bill in American History. The first to exceed 2 trillion dollars.

(-) The Airport Security Bill that completely takes control of over 28,000 screening jobs. Now it seems that they don't even have to be high school graduates either. The big difference, they can't be fired.

(+) 100 million for welfare moms.

(?) Hugely Expanding Clinton's Amercorps boondoggle that all conservatives railed against.

(-) Kowtowing to law breaking illegal immigrants by proposing amnesty. Speaking of illegal immigrants who sneak across the border; "And we've got to respect that, seems like to me, and treat those people with respect," he added. "I remind people all across our country: Family values do not stop at the border."

(-) . 38 Billion for a new Homeland Security bureaucracy that allots a 20% increase for border control. Guess what. It goes to our problematic Canadian border, with not a dollar spent on the Mexican border. Read it for yourself

(-) The Orwellian "Patriot Act" that gives Federal authorities carte blanche to rifle through all of your digital communications and essentially, rob your house without notice.

(-) 71.5 billion over 10 years for government health care.

(-) Not releasing appropriate documents on Clinton and FBI corruption.