Posted on 01/13/2004 11:43:35 AM PST by AndyObermann
The Final Straw? Accountability for President Bush
By: Andy Obermann
I’ve finally come to a real dilemma. With Election ’04 on the horizon, this dilemma is growing daily. On one hand, we have the President Bush whose strong stance in the face of international terror has kept us safe and inspired a renewed sense of American patriotism. A man I admire greatly for his courage and leadership. But on the other hand, we have the President Bush whose outrageous spending and domestically liberal policies have practically bankrupted the federal government, forcing almost imperial control over state rights.
It all started with the No Child Left Behind Act that the President signed into law on June 8, 2002. The bill, authored by Massachusetts Democrat, Sen. Ted Kennedy, drastically increased, not only spending for education, but federal control over state policies regarding the issue. As an education major, I am witness to the flaws of this legislation. The main problem is educational standards. Let me explain. Each state is federally mandated to administer a standardized test to pupils to evaluate performance. The student performance level on this exam primarily determines federal funding, but may also cause a federal takeover of a school system if performance levels are not satisfactory for a given number of years. The stickler is that states are allowed to determine their own satisfactory performance level. For example, in Missouri, the current level for “proficiency” is 3 (out of 5). In Kansas, our neighbor state, the level for “proficiency” is 2. What does this mean? Quite simply it means, while it may appear that students in Kansas are performing at a satisfactory level, they are actually performing at a level lower than that of Missouri. It may appear that Kansas pupils are competent, but in reality, they are held to lower expectations in hopes of maintaining government funding. Missouri schools will lose funding and be placed on “watch” lists, while Kansas schools will be praised for their “successful” educational programs.
While I’m on the subject of education, what ever happened to the President’s school choice initiative? I, for one, was in full support of the voucher program, as were many of the constituents that got Bush elected in the first place. Maybe he’s waiting for an opportune time to announce a new proposal to Congress, or maybe he just forgot. Who knows? Regardless, the President’s handling of the education system garnered him “Strike 1” in my little book of disagreement.
I thought that this could have been a blunder on the part of the President. After all, all leaders are human and mistakes are going to be made. Then came “Strike 2”.
Last November, the President signed a bill granting tax payer-funded prescription drug coverage to America’s seniors. Congressional Republicans authored the legislation that is supposed to cost $400 billion over the next 10 years, but will be upwards of 2 trillion after subsidies kick in. The subsidies are basically entitlements for corporations—bribes so they won’t drop the current coverage their retirees receive. The program has increased, not only the size of government, which, by the way, Republicans should be against, but the spending rate to boot. It is inevitable that our well-deserved tax cuts will be repealed and raised drastically to pay for this monstrosity. Bush sold the economic welfare of my generation, and undoubtedly many generations to come, to assure a solid voting block of geriatrics come election time. Way to go, Mr. President.
Strike 3” came last March, when the President signed Campaign Finance Reform legislation, better known as McCain-Feingold, into law. While many view the bill as a ban on soft money, they neglect to see the massive encroachment of free speech the legislation entails. Attack ads, funded by Political Action Committees (PACs), are banned 30 days before a primary and 60 days before an election. Regardless of what you think of PACs, the Constitution clearly establishes that “Congress shall make no law abridging…the freedom speech.” If this statement can be used to cover someone burning an American flag, it damn sure covers the right of an organization to run a political ad. I suppose the Supreme Court should be lynched for this one too, since they found it constitutional in review, but had Bush not signed it in the first place, it would be a non-issue.
So I’m fed up, but its not over yet. The President now announces his proposal to basically grant amnesty to illegal aliens, illegally living and working in the United States. Now I know, the President said he was against amnesty and this program in no way grants it, but let’s be real. Amnesty is defined as: A general pardon granted by a government for illegal activities. The President proposal is rewarding those who came to this country illegally, and who work and live in this country illegally, with legal status by granting three-year temporary “work visas”. These visas are renewable—probably until the end of time.
Now I agree, something had to be done to remedy our current border debacle. Getting these people documented was priority one, and I applaud the President for getting this much done. I do realize that it is not feasible to deport these people, as well. But what the President has done is not the answer for which conservatives were looking. Along with getting these people documented, the President should have increased border security, even to the point of putting the National Guard or Army Reserves on the border. Yes, this would take a drastic overhaul of military resources, but it would be a necessary step if one were serious about stifling our now overwhelming illegal immigration situation.
By granting this quasi-amnesty, the President has done nothing but encourage further illegal activity. Yes, the proposal makes clear that it is necessary for these people show proof of employment, but I’m sure ways are being developed to maneuver around that inconvenience as we speak—after all, one isn’t supposed to live and work in this country illegally, in the first place. Ronald Reagan, perhaps the greatest President in American history, when questioned about granting amnesty in 1986, referred to it as the single biggest mistake of his presidency. President Bush should have learned something from this example. Hopefully Congress will.
By pushing all of this dangerous nonsense onto America, President Bush has taken steps to emphatically alienate his conservative base. He has taken us for granted in a grand series of political maneuvers. Bush expects that with the ultra-left rhetoric from the Democratic candidates and high likelihood that Howard Dean, the most liberal of them all, will receive the nomination, conservatives have nowhere to go—therefore, he can seek to expand his electorate by pursuing this domestically liberal agenda.
On defense, President Bush has no rival. His leadership in the War on Terror, coupled with the enhanced presence of military strength abroad, has satiated conservatives to the point where they are willing to overlook this reckless spending and domestic policies, but is that enough? I’ve defended the President on many occasions when leftists lambasted him for his failures. From tax cuts to terrorism, I have been on the President’s side. But this string of domestic policy has left me outraged and I find it hard to defend.
In the end, I suppose Bush is right, core conservatives have nowhere else to go. I can’t count on any of these democratic candidates to protect us the way Bush has, but it is enraging to sit back and watch Bush sell us down the river on domestic issues in an attempt to assure a second term. This is my quagmire.
The President will most likely be re-elected, and he will most likely get my vote, but I hope he reconsiders the direction he intends to lead this country. If not, it will take decades to undo the damage he has done.
I'd "like" to think this is not another CFR, but who knows. If it is, President Bush will be shown the door in 2004, if not, and it leads to actual new(America first)immigration reforms as well as enforcement of existing law, he deserves our appreciation and support.
It's either a brilliant move or a complete act of idiocy during a time of security\economic concerns.
Not these days.
Do you really think President Bush would support increased federalization of education? Do you really think President Bush would support a huge expansion of the Medicare program? Do you really think President Bush would support a huge Farm Subsidy bill? Do you really think President Bush would support legalization of illegals?
Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
I want Bush to be the President till 2008. BUT I WANT HIM TO KNOW THAT HE NEEDS TO GOVERN AS A CONSERVATIVE TO ENSURE THAT IT HAPPENS!!!
Consider yourself 'beyond the sheeple'.
BTW, this issue is being addressed by the President, but won't be obvious until later.
Children, who used to be in their own schools (the mentally retarded, for example ) don't belonged mainstreamed into " normal " classrooms !
Many states are NOT handling education well at all. Perhaps a nationwide takeover, of schools, would be better, than what we have now and before you decide I don't know what I'm talking about, know that I have two Ed. degrees and taught.
Paying to keep the elderly on tranquilizers and uppers, will be out of military necessity? Getting the Federal Government deeper into education is out of necessity? Funding drugs for AIDS patients in Africa is out of necessity?
Tell me, please, just what the necessity is to have the American taxpayers, rather than Iraqi oil, pay to rebuild Iraq?
And yet, I might be willing to cut the President slack on all of that, if he had shown any interest at all, in his immigration policy, in preserving traditional America. He is either completely unable to understand that who lives in a country determines the nature of the society, or he simply doesn't care! Personally, I have nothing at all against the Mexican people. They are one nation, we are another. Every nation has a personality, as it were. That is determined by the characteristics of its people. And if Bush understands this, he shows no interest in facing the obvious consequences. His policy is right out of the parlor pink theories of the Academic Left during his school days, and I no longer care whether that is because he was converted to their pursuit of an undistinguished, interchangeable humanity, or was intimidated by it.
What he offers, now, is not what they fought for; not the America won at Yorktown, and sanctified by the blood, sweat, toil and tears, of all the decent Americans in every generation since.
William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site
Here is the fallacy in your argument!
If being "liberal" is what it takes to win a stronger majority, there will NEVER be a reason to move the country to the right of center.
GOVERNING TO THE RIGHT OF CENTER is what it will take to win a "stronger majority."
"No child permitted to get ahead" is a better title.
A total severance, of government intervention, in education, would be far worse, than the disgusting mess we are faced with today! Home schooling is also NOT the answer for most. A national standard, which has been talked about for decades, but almost impossible to pull of ( blame the various teachers unions and other LIBERALS ! ), would help greatly. Keeping the mentally retarded and emotionally disturbed out of the mainstream would also work wonders, as would the dissolvement of social promotion, the ever changing ( upping ) of when a child may start school, and the reintroduction of " skipping " the gifted. And that's just for starters!
Yeah, President Bush has plenty of time on his hands and should have developed the education bill, while letting the politicians who are elected to do this particular part of the job sit around.
The way to prove to the world that someone is an idiot, is to shut your mouth, and let them open theirs.
Had President Bush crafted the entire Education Bill, it would have been torn to pieces and voted down. Instead, a bill was passed, and even though we should blame the writer for it's details, we are still blaming President Bush.
He managed to get a bill passed on an important subject, which is a better start than most previous administrations have made.
Maybe the people who put Kennedy in office and keep him there should question him about the Education Bill. YA THINK?
Nominations are not coming into fruition, Rick Santorum has alot to do with partial birth abortion but I will give you that, and tax cuts I will give you, if they last...
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