Also, a great part of the increase in government size and budget was for required national security purposes like Homeland Security, the integration of communications and liaison between the many law enforcement agencies, new security equipment, etc. If memory serves correct, Pres. Bush was against federalizing the airport screeners, but Congress and strong national consensus pretty much forced him to sign on.
FEMA too, has been modernized and expanded, mostly due to 9/11 and the very realistic concern of future attacks. The military budget itslef has been greatly increased since 9-11 also, not just for Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans, but for general equipment technology upgrades.
Still, I do think the President is too free with spending and tends to overlook American citizens' needs in favor of helping out foreign nations and illegal immigrants. This was evidenced when he forgave the forty billion dollar debt with Africa and almost simultaneously signed a bill that made it harder for AMERICANS to get out of debt, (the new bankruptcy laws). The money spent on programs and benefits for illegal aliens is another outrage, as is the entire modern immigration policy.
In any case, it's still a gross exaggeration to call the President's extravagance 'socialism'.
The problem with this is that we are not taxing and spending but borrowing and spending. The surplus is gone and now we have an enormous deficit that is being financed by China. China could throw our economy into chaos without firing a shot, all they would have to do is call in the loans issued since Bush took office.
"In any case, it's still a gross exaggeration to call the President's extravagance 'socialism'."
The word "socialism" is one of the most misused and misunderstood terms on these kind of boards. Almost any spending is "socialism."
Also remarkable is for five years Bush has done what he has yet people still mark him as a victim.
Fact is he is a corporate conservative. If the corporation profit from government assistance, he gives it, if they want to profit from decreased regulation, he gives in the name of "free markets."
Bush made his money as a corporate conservative - the Arlington stadium subsidies.
Until "conservatives" call Republicans on a balanced budget and figure out that the hints they might do something about social issues like abortion are insincere we will continue to see these bizarre discussions wherein Bush is a paragon of conservatism and if conservative principles are not evident he's a victim.
To a small degree the deficits are not his fault. To the budgets he proposes Congress adds about another 5% of pork - so he's responsible for about 95%.
In reality Bush has endorsed a program that is one of the most socialistic in US history - his Social Security reform plan (what we know of it.) He wants to take surplus funds from treasury notes and convert them into stock - a massive governement ownership of the "means of production." The verbal trick hiding the socialism is calling the scheme "private accounts."