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.
Let me clarify some things.: Another problem with the legislation is the use of sub-groups.
Details in the way the UPPER ADMINISTRATION in the EDUCATION SYSTEM administrates them to cover their asses, keep their jobs, and the frontline teacher gets screwed as bad as the students, are not the fault of President Bush.
Tax cuts will only last if the advisers to the President ,and the Senate, and the Congress recognizes that the country is not as left leaning as they think.
And if they recognize there is a strong conservative movement in this country and start acting like they know that.
And if the Democrats are not handed power because everyone is afraid of the bogey man.
Pandering to illegals , non-taxing paying citizens and teenagers is going to run this country into the ground.
NO PRESIDENT, AND PRESIDENT BUSH IN PARTICULAR, CAN NOT AND WILL NEVER, NO, NOT EVEN A CLINTON, PROSECUTE A PREVIOUS PRESIDENT FOR WHAT HE DID OR DID NOT DO IN OFFICE; IT IS NOT PART OF HIS JOB DESCRIPTION !
Clinton was the ONLY elected president to have been IMPEACHED. No, the Senate refused to throw him out of office. If, he had been and Gore had been president in '00, it is more than just " likely ", that we would now be talking about "PRESIDENT GORE " and in far worse a situation, than we are today.
The blue card stuff is NOT an " amnesty " !
Ample refutation, regarding everything you're complaining about, has been posted to FR in the 100s of 1,000s; but doesn't make a dent, where the UNAPPEASABLES are concerned. So, instead of wasting bandwidth and my time, I'll just ignore your rantings. Instead, I'll simply ask you to look at reality.
Politics is the realm of the possible. There are TWO major parties and from those, and THOSE ALONE, the next president of the USA, SHALL be chosen. Sitting there, pounding away at your keyboard, fulminating about things you either have little comprehension of,or gnashing your teeth over things that are an impossibility of occurring, no matter how much you want them to, doesn't do any good for you, or anyone else.
The tax cuts and the actually doing away with the marriage penalty and the death taxes, lowering of capital gains taxes, and the elimination of partial birth abortion,are but first steps, GOOD ONES, that the whingers ignore/always leave out, but honed right in on their own particular " hot buttons ".
You've listed a number of things ( gun bans and an exaggeration of the blue cards ) which haven't even been sent off to Congress yet. Chimeras!
I agree. The only equality this side of the grave is at the lowest, most base level. You can tear down; but it takes certain qualities that the Left doesn't begin to understand or respect, to build up. And if they are not there, just wasting money does little of value.
See Public Schools--Issues & Reality.
William Flax
Reality is pathetic, isn't it? There are two choices: Bush or one of the Dems. The only Dem I would consider even rational would be Lieberman, and he's going nowhere.
Either hold your nose and vote for Bush, or be prepared for 4, or more, years under a Democrat. That's reality.
It is time to break the monopoly and let parents have the choice.
It is the only fair thing to do.
Then developmentally disabled, gifted, slow learners, average students all get what they need.
Everyone then has a choice. What in the world is strong with that? Then we can stop extorting taxes from people with no children to pay for a bloated top heavy sytem, for which they see no results, and they receive barley any benefits.
I homeschool two children with two computers, a TV and $500.00 year. I could do it for less if I had to.
Sorry it is true.
Why not try controlling the debate with reasoned logic instead of hysteria?
Give that a man a silver dollar for figuring out Andy's ruse.
I do not claim to want to solve the world's problems. There are far too many - So I will control what I can.
My concerns are for protecting the rule of law, the interests of American tax payers , for the freedom of my countrymen, the future of my children's America and for preserving the America my ancestors fought and died for.
There are more creative solutions to be had.
Let us say, for the sake of argument, that you are right. This is where the so-called "Bully Pulpit," of the Presidency has such enormous value. FDR tilted the middle sharply to the Left, by using the Bully Pulpit. So did LBJ. Ronald Reagan used the same platform to bring the middle back sharply to the Right.
President Bush has done nothing to move the center towards the Right. Your suggestion that he would suddenly do so in a second term is belied by his failure in the first. With every lost day, it would be harder, not easier to change direction. And what possible reason would he have for doing so?
Does he even understand the considerations that should go into an American Immigration policy? If he does, he obviously doesn't care about them. (See Immigration & The American Future.) Does he understand the colliding paths of demographics, science and medical services, which are involved in his Medicare proposals? If he does, it has not stopped his push to the Left. (See Panacea Or Death Potion.)
But enough. He has had three years to demonstrate any tendency to push America to the Right. He has not done so, other than in beefing up our Defense, which I applaud. But if he cannot or will not respect the ethnic values of the people he is supposed to defend, that Defense establishment is not reason enough to support him further.
William Flax
Uh because he made a campaign promise for an education bill and had to deal with the people who controlled the Seante at the time, the demos.
Heck even ted kenendy is criticizing his own bill now because of the standards.
Many do not.
BUT I WANT HIM TO KNOW THAT HE NEEDS TO GOVERN AS A CONSERVATIVE TO ENSURE THAT IT HAPPENS!!!
I don't think he or his ownwers care.
Earth to javelina, there are no huge Pubbie majorites in Congress.
BTW, I guess you think Howrad Dean or any of the other nine dwarves would be just grand as Commander in Chief.
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