How Conservative Is President Bush?| This thread has been locked, it will not receive new replies. |
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Locked on 08/06/2002 1:02:17 AM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason:
Flame war. |
Posted on 08/04/2002 8:30:36 PM PDT by Uncle Bill
How Conservative Is President Bush?
The Cato Institute
By Veronique de Rugy
August 3, 2002
Source
Veronique de Rugy is a fiscal policy analyst at the Cato Institute.
President Bush may be repeating the sins of his father. Although elected on a Reaganesque, tax-cutting platform, the White House has veered to the left. President Bush has signed a bill to regulate political speech, issued protectionist taxes on imported steel and lumber, backed big-spending education and farm bills, and endorsed massive new entitlements for mental health care and prescription drugs. When the numbers are added up, in fact, it looks like President Bush is less conservative than President Clinton.
It makes little sense to discourage one's core supporters prior to a mid-term election. Yet that is the result when a Republican president expands government, which Bush is doing. Also, academic research on voting patterns shows that a president is most likely to get re-elected if voters are enjoying an increase in disposable income. Yet making government bigger is not a recipe for economic growth. After all, there is a reason why Hong Kong grows so fast and France is an economic basket case. But you can't tell that to the Bush administration.
Administration officials privately admit that much of the legislation moving through Congress represents bad public policy. Yet they argue either that everything must take a back seat to the war on terror (much as the first Bush administration treated the war against Iraq) or that compromises are necessary to neutralize issues such as education. But motives and rationalizations do not repeal the laws of economics.
In less than two years, President Bush has presided over more government expansion than took place during eight years of Bill Clinton. For instance:
The education bill expands federal involvement in education. The administration originally argued that the new spending was a necessary price to get vouchers and other reforms. Yet the final bill boosted spending and was stripped of almost all reform initiatives. And there is every reason to believe that this new spending will be counter-productive, like most other federal money spent on education in the past 40 years. Children and taxpayers are the big losers.
Those policy decisions make government bigger and more expensive. They also slow the economy and hurt financial markets -- read the headlines lately? For all his flaws, President Clinton's major policy mistake was the 1993 tax increase. Other changes, such as the welfare reform bill, NAFTA, GATT, farm deregulation, telecommunications deregulation, and financial services deregulation, moved policy in a market-oriented direction.
Perhaps most importantly, there was a substantial reduction in federal spending as a share of gross domestic product during the Clinton years. Using the growth of domestic spending as a benchmark, Clinton was the second most conservative president of the post-World War II era, trailing only Ronald Reagan.
To be sure, much of the credit for Clinton's good policy probably belongs to the Republican Congress, but that is not an excuse for bad policy today. And on one positive note, President Bush has "promised" to fight for partial privatization of Social Security. Yet, so far, President Bush has not vetoed a single piece of legislation. Needless to say, this means it will be rather difficult to blame "big-spending" Democrats if the economy continues to sputter.
Compassionate Conservatism Means Big Government
No To 'Compassionate Conservatism'
"Marvin Olasky, the former Marxist journalism professor who coined the term. But he and George W. Bush are barking up the wrong tree if they think "compassionate conservatism" is going to rally popular support necessary to effect the real change needed to turn this country around."
President Highlights Compassionate Conservative Agenda for Inner Cities
If You Want Increasing Huge Government, Vote Bush
BUSH SPENDING BILL LARGEST EVER
U.S. quietly OKs fetal stem cell work - Bush allows funding despite federal limits on embryo use
Bush Signs Largest Family Planning Bill In U.S. History
Un El día En El la vida de Jorge W. La arbusto
CFR - "I Believe In Free Speech"
Bush Urges Congress To Deliver on Prescription Drugs For Medicare
GOP Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Advances in House - Another Trillion Dollars
Bush and House Republicans Push Legislation For Full Drug Subsidies For Low-Income Elderly
Bush Prepares 'Big-Time' Response To African Famine
Government Spending - War Against The Stock Market
Bush signs debt-limit increase
Bush Pushes Minority Homeownership
Bush's Food Stamp Plan Called Ethnic Pandering
Bush Wants Food Stamps For Non-Citizens
Senate Clears Way For Trade Bill - More Spending
BUSH AND THE BIG GOVERNMENT GOP
Security Bill Loaded With Wasteful PORK
Senate Ok's $31.5 Billion Anti-Terror Bill Loaded With Pork
George W. Bush and Gun Control
Bush Pushes Gore Plan For Orwellian Government
Bush Backs Down From Immunity Demand - Caves Again
BUSH, G7 to pay $20 billion to get rid of Russian nuke stockpiles
George W. Bush - The Global Warming Sell-Out
Dubya's New Deal - The New FDR
Bush Won't Label Arafat A Terrorist
George W. Bush's Terrorist Buddy
"When peoplelose faith in their institutions they trust to enforce the law, justice is no longer possible."
Bush Caves On Airport Screeners
Bush's Latest Srategic Mistake
BUSH: NINE FORMER PRESIDENTS WRONG; CLINTON RIGHT!
CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS? GEORGE BUSH'S NEVER-ENDING DOMESTIC BUDGET BUILD-UP - Father Like Son
Bush Appoints Four More Homosexuals
Dr. James Dobson Criticizes Bush Appointment to the CDC
Bush Pushes $500 Million HIV/Aids Funding For Africa
Bush to Propose Another $100 Million Over Five Years for Education in Africa
Are You Fat? No Problem, George W. Bush Will Help
House Conservatives Budge on Arts Spending
Bush Cheers Government Support For Art
Bush to Name Justice Dept. BUILDING After Kennedy
GOP Leaders Spurn Right in Key Races
Laura Ingraham's analysis of yet another Bush betrayal
Bush decisions rankle conservatives
BUSH PROPOSES LARGEST EXPANSION OF GOVERNMENT SINCE TRUMAN
Bush's Record Calls into Question His Conservative Label
Conservatives Question Dubya's Direction
Conservatives not satisfied with Bush's record
Bush, Ashcroft Run Roughshod Over Bill Of Rights, Study Says
Republicans: Big Government Addicts
A Few Questions For Die-Hard Bush Supporters
Are Republicans losing their constituency?
Ann Coulter: BUSH PAYS HOMAGE TO THE FETISHISTIC RITUALS OF LIBERALISM
Compassionate conservatism is about socialism, not Americanism
Bush is jettisoning his principles for what?
Bush: stop the runaway federal spending and regulating!
Was Clinton More Conservative Than Bush? - Fox News
Bush: A Democrat in Republican clothing?
GEORGE W. BUSH: CLINTON'S THIRD TERM ©
"Another way to make sure that we foster growth and restore confidence is to hold people accountable for misdeeds in the public sector."
George W. Bush - University of Alabama at Birmingham Alys Stephens Center - July 15, 2002.
NOTE: Do As I Say, Not As I Do.
Bush Administration Lawyers Defending Hillary - Gratis
Bush and Ashcroft Justice Dept. Hamstringing Pardongate Probers.
Bill Clinton broke the law and the Republicans let him off the hook.
What we need is the tough Newt Gingrich back.
"As far back as April 7, 1998, then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich was asked on NBC’s Today if he were going to press for impeachment. His response: "No, we don’t have any evidence."
Source.
Al Gore Broke The Law and the Republicans let him off the hook.
Bush Says He Wants to Let Clinton 'Move On'
"Listen, here's my view: I think it's time to get all of this business behind us. I think it's time ... to allow the president to finish his term, and let him move on and enjoy life and become an active participant in the American system. And I think we've had enough focus on the past. It's time to move forward." - George W. Bush.
Bush Won't Dwell On Clinton Affair, "We're Moving Forward"
"B/S, Mr Bush. Clinton is a criminal and a traitor. We demand a thorough investigation and prosecution. Our Republic is dead and our liberty is at stake if the next administration does not clean up this mess for now and forever more. Corrupt politicians must pay the price for subverting our Constitution and using their offices for personal gain."
4 Posted on 01/20/2000 14:17:56 PST by Jim Robinson
A Republic If We Can Keep It - Bush Trashing The Constitution
It's About The Republic, Not The Republican
How Big Is The Government's Debt? - $33.1 TRILLION
There Must Be Some Way Out Of Here
"Not over my dead body will they raise your taxes,"
George W. Bush - SOURCE.
If only I knew YOUR real name, perhaps I could post your property assessment or something. Public information and all, you know.
Do you honestly not see what the problem is with doing this? Or are you so consumed with hatred of Bush and his supporters that you think anything goes?
I agree (see my homepage for where I think we are heading). But President Bush did not invent our situation, and even X-42 only exemplified it.
Nah. I'd rather fly.
You're wrong about one clique bringing down a site. It's happening right now.
That said, there is no question that the poster in question had said he was going to post some proof, and the injured party had pretty much said go ahead.
I, being the injured party in this case, NEVER said to post my REAL FULL NAME AND POLLING PLACE.......any attempt to portray my saying "Go ahead" as permission is a flat outdistortion of what happened on that thread, and is being put forth by somebody trying to take the heat off themselves for breaking a rule they KNEW is held high here on FR.
This may have been misconstrued as permission to post what he did.
Only to a person who was hell bent on posting it anyway. If anybody needs further proof that Registered is a stalker, you need only ask yourself two things: why was he looking for my voter's registration anyway, as I have NEVER said anything about my registration, period. And two) once he found it, all he had to do was CLICK ON MY NAME to see that I did, in fact, vote in November 2000, which WAS the last election and/or primary, was it not? Unless the state is having elections and not telling anybody, I'm current.
And another thing: Mr. "I Can't Tell Who is a Real Conservative or Not" was so busy trying to prove ME a liar -- because my election account said INACTIVE -- that he never even took the time to find out WHY......and if he had, he would have found out it is because I have applied to have my registration changed from Guilford County to Wake County and the paperwork hasn't gone through.
But, of course, that wouldn't have given him the chance to take to make ME look like a liar, would it, as he is spending all his suspension time on LP telling people. I ask you, who IS the liar here?
It's high time to stop pretending that people like that are "only trying to root out disruptors." Unless, of course, somebody on this forum wants to say that I am a disruptor.
Whatever I am and whatever I post, I have NEVER posted personal information about people. And not becasue I knew it wasn't allowed on this forum; the reason I don't do it is because it's not a good and honest thing to do. You can draw your own conclusions about people who do.
Have you ever been wrong?
In what way?
Reagan cut the regulations in the Federal Register in half early on. He won tax cuts that promoted investment rather than consumption. He also pushed for investment in high technology that not only helped defeat the Soviet Union, but gave us productivity improvements we still enjoy today. Reagan also used the veto. And as far as Reagan's spending went, he inherited a very expensive, cancerous, and non-productive welfare state. His military buildup was expensive, but we got our money's worth and his pro growth economic policies more than made up for it. But Reagan wasn't perfect. He did select a Bush for vice president.
With Reagan we had a "Shining City on a Hill". With Bush we have a shiny new government office on every street.
Stop it! You're killing me! [hysterical laughter]
I don't agree with you, but at least you make an articulate argument.
LOL! Yeah, you and your fellow whiners are doing just that to that other poor site you spam.
That wasn't a tax cut, it was the biggest tax increase in our history!
The tax simplification act of 1986 destroyed 30 years of tax planning and cut the rug out of what wasn't loopholes but designed subsidies. For one thing it was and is the direct cause of the escelating rents and the reason that no rental properties are being built except for the ultra high rent units. It was also the cause of the realestate crash of 90.
He was also a rotton governor of California, he doubled taxes and trippled the size of the state government. He also gave us state witholding taxes in order to ballance the state budget in his last year by collecting 2 years taxes in one year on a one time basis.
Two words: Homeland Security
Suppose this 'good man' has opened the door for a 'bad man'(or woman) to access? Perhaps only time will tell.
Actually I am an original Keyes supporter, so I am more in agreement with Registered that many others. Based on previous discussion, I doubt that he and I will have this place to ourselves. And while L C Sulla was an Imperator, like most other important Roman Republican leaders, he was never an Emperor, since he lived over 50 years before the Republic ended. He was, however, both Consul and Dictator.
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