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George W. Bush's first year in office (List of 77 accomplishments)
www.redpepper.org.uk ^ | 3/25/02 | Red Pepper staff

Posted on 03/25/2002 10:14:09 AM PST by LarryLied

In George W. Bush's first year in office he:

1. Significantly eased field-testing controls of genetically engineered crops.
2. Cut federal spending on libraries by $39 million.
3. Cut $35 million in funding for doctors to get advanced pediatric training.
4. Cut funding for research into renewable energy sources by 50%.
5. Revoked rules that reduced the acceptable levels of arsenic in drinking water.

6. Blocked rules that would require federal agencies to offer bilingual assistance to non-English speaking persons. This, from a candidate who would readily fire-up his Spanish-speaking skills in front of would-be Hispanic voters.
7. Proposed to eliminate new marine protections for the Channel Islands and the coral reefs of northwest Hawaii (please see San Francisco Chronicle, April 6, 2001).
8. Cut funding for research into cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks by 28%
9. Suspended rules that would have strengthened the government's ability to deny contracts to companies that violated workplace safety, environmental and other federal laws.
10. Approved the sending of letters by Interior Department appointee Gale Norton to state officials soliciting suggestions for opening up national monuments for oil and gas drilling, coal mining, and foresting.

11. Appointed John Negroponte -- an unindicted high-level Iran Contra figure to the post of United Nations Ambassador.
12. Abandoned a campaign pledge to invest $100 million for rainforest conservation.
13. Reduced by 86% the Community Access Program for public hospitals, clinics and providers of care for people without insurance.
14. Rescinded a proposal to increase public access to information about the potential consequences resulting from chemical plant accidents.
15. Suspended rules that would require hardrock miners to clean up sites on public lands.

16. Cut $60 million from a Boy's and Girl's Clubs of America program for public housing.
17. Proposed to eliminate a federal program, designed and successfully used in Seattle, to help communities prepare for natural disasters.
18. Pulled out of the 1997 Kyoto Treaty global warming agreement. 19. Cut $200 million of work force training for dislocated workers.
20. Eliminated funding for the Wetlands Reserve Program, which encourages farmers to maintain wetlands habitat on their property.

21. Cut program to provide childcare to low-income families as they move from welfare to work.
22. Cut a program that provided prescription contraceptive coverage to federal employees (though it still pays for Viagra).
23. Cut $700 million in capital funds for repairs in public housing.
24. Appointed Otto Reich -- an un-indicted high-level Iran Contra figure -- to Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs.
25. Cut the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency by $500 million.

26. Proposed to curtail the ability of groups to sue in order to get an animal placed on the Endangered Species List.
27. Rescinded the rule that mandated increased energy-saving efficiency regulations for central air conditioners and heat pumps.
28. Repealed workplace ergonomic rules designed to improve worker health and safety.
29. Abandoned campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide, the waste gas that contributes to global warming.
30. Banned federal aid to international family planning programs that offer abortion counseling with other independent funds.

31. Closed the White House Office for Women's Health Initiatives and Outreach.
32. Nominated David Lauriski -- an ex-mining company executive --- to post of Assistant Secretary of Labor for Mine Safety and Health.
33. Approved a controversial plan by Interior Secretary Gale Norton to auction oil and gas development tracts off the coast of eastern Florida.
34. Announced intention to open up Montana's Lewis and Clark National Forest to oil and drilling.
35. Proposes to re-draw boundaries of nation's monuments, which would technically allow oil and gas drilling "outside" of national monuments.

36. Gutted the White House AIDS Office.
37. Renegotiated a free trade agreement with Jordan to eliminate workers's rights and safeguards for the environment.
38. Will no longer seek guidance from The American Bar Association in recommendations for the federal judiciary appointments.
39. Appointed recycling foe Lynn Scarlett as Undersecretary of the Interior.
40. Took steps to abolish the White House Council on Environmental Quality.

41. Cut the Community Oriented Policing Services program.
42. Allowed Interior Secretary Gale Norton to shelve citizen-led grizzly bear re-introduction plan scheduled for Idaho and Montana wilderness.
43. Continues to hold up federal funding for stem cell research projects.
44. Makes sure convicted misdemeanor drug users cannot get financial aid for college, though convicted murderers can.
45. Refused to fund continued cleanup of uranium-slag heap in Utah.

46. Refused to fund continued litigation of the government's tobacco company lawsuit.
47. Proposed a $2 trillion tax cut, 43% of which will go to the wealthiest 1% of Americans.
48. Signed a bill making it harder for poor and middle-class Americans to file for bankruptcy, even in the case of daunting medical bills.
49. Appointed a Vice President quoted as saying "If you want to do something about carbon dioxide emissions, then you ought to build nuclear power plants." (Meet the Press.")
50. Appointed Diana Roth to the Council of Economic Advisers. ("There is no gender gap in pay", Boston Globe, March 28, 2001.)

51. Appointed Kay Cole James, an opponent of affirmative action, to direct the Office of Personnel Management.
52. Cut $15.7 million earmarked for states to investigate cases of child abuse and neglect.
53. Helped kill a law designed to make it tougher for teenagers to get credit cards.
54. Proposed elimination of the "Reading is Fundamental" program that gives free books to poor children.
55. Is pushing for development of small nuclear arms to attack deeply buried targets and weapons. This would violate the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.

56. Proposes to nominate Jeffrey Sutton, the attorney responsible for a recent case weakening the Americans with Disabilities Act, to federal appeals court judgeship.
57. Proposes to reverse regulation protecting 60 million acres of national forest from logging and road building.
58. Eliminated funding for the "We the People" education program which taught school children about the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and citizenship.
59. Appointed John Bolton, who opposes nonproliferation treaties and the UN, to Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security.
60. Nominated Linda Fisher, an executive with Monsanto, for the number-two job at the Environmental Protection Agency.

61. Nominated Michael McConnell, leading critic of the separation of church and state, to a federal judgeship.
62. Nominated Terrence Boyle, an ardent opponent of civil rights, to a federal judgeship.
63. Canceled 2004 deadline for automakers to develop prototype high mileage cars.
64. Nominated Harvey Pitts, a lawyer for a teen sex video distributor, to head SEC.
65. Nominated John Walters, a strong opponent of prison drug treatment programs, to be Drug Tsar. (Washington Post, May 16, 2001.)

66. Nominated J. Steven Giles, an oil and coal lobbyist, for Deputy Secretary of the Interior.
67. Nominated Bennett Raley, who advocates repealing the Endangered Species Act, for Assistant Secretary for Water and Science
68. Is seeking the dismissal of class-action lawsuit filed in the US against Japan by Asian women forced to work as sex slaves during WWII.
69. Earmarked $4 million in new federal grant money for HIV and drug abuse prevention programs to go only to religious groups and not secular equivalents.
70. Reduced the Low Income Home Assistance Program by 40%; it aided low-income individuals who need assistance paying energy bills.

71. Nominated Ted Olson, who has repeatedly lied about his involvement with the Scaiffe-funded "Arkansas Project" to bring down Bill Clinton, for Solicitor General.
72. Nominated Terrance Boyle, a foe of civil rights, to a federal judgeship.
73. Proposes to ease permit process, including environmental considerations, for refinery, nuclear and hydroelectric dam construction. (Washington Post, May 18, 2001.)
74. Proposes to give government the authority to take private property through eminent domain for power lines.
75. Proposes that $1.2 billion in funding for alternative renewable energy come from selling oil and gas lease tracts in the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve.
76. Plans on serving genetically engineered foods at all official government functions.
77. Forced out Forest Service chief Mike Dombeck and appointed a timber industry lobbyist.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bush
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To: Sci Fi Guy
That is where Clinton did a lot of damage too. Thousands of little pinko rats in every nook and cranny of government. If Bush can get most of them out or negate their power, he has done America a great service.
61 posted on 03/25/2002 8:16:25 PM PST by LarryLied
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To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
Thanks for the ping...........
62 posted on 03/25/2002 9:11:11 PM PST by Southflanknorthpawsis
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To: Southflanknorthpawsis; Amelia
You're welcome - anytime! Didn't want you to miss Amelia's interesting post.


63 posted on 03/25/2002 9:56:09 PM PST by DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
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To: weikel
"Too bad hes slided so far to the left recently..."

Freeking politics man !

64 posted on 03/25/2002 10:01:00 PM PST by america-rules
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To: america-rules
I think I can explain the Presidents actions and here is my take in one word:

CLINTON !

What, what does Clinton have to do with it?

Think this through and stick with me for a minute.

Clinton won with his 48%, or whatever, the first time and look at what happened.

The first two years he tried to implement a radical liberal aganda. Remember his first Supreme Court Liberal Nominee that got axed before the Senate even voted, the gays in the military, hillary health care, tax increases, military funding cuts while we were bombing Iraq, gun control, Ruby Ridge etc.. Remember the dems got pounded two years later and lost the house and senate to the GOP. Why?

The American public doesn't like a radical agenda from either side. It's just a fact and there's no getting around this. Remember the moderate dems going off the deep end at Hillary care! Remember the GOP contract with America? Newt will say they got control of the House and Senate because of the GOP contract with America but that's not what the exit polls showed at the time. It was a part of it but not what got the 30% of the moderates to vote for the GOP. They wanted to stop the radical left wing agenda Clinton was putting on them. Now, what did Clinton do after he lost the congress to the GOP? He ended up embracing and signing 8 out of 8 items on the GOP contract with America as well as several other non liberal issues that made it to his desk. Not one of the items was a Liberal or Democratic issue and you can say they were pretty much 100% conservative issues.

Now during this time did we here the liberals crying and going off the deep end because Clinton sold them out or became a "Conservative". Heck no ! They didn't cry because they know the art of politics. They knew a radical agenda cost them the congress and they had to give away some conservative issues to get their 20-30 liberal issues approved for each conservative one they had to swallow sideways. They almost got back the House and Senate and probably will do so this year.

Now look at the big picture...There is no way in hell that anyone conservate can say Clinton wasn't a flaming ass liberal. For every conservative issue he didn't veto he approved probably 20 that were liberal that the so called RINOS crossed over to the dark side and gave them their majority to send them to his desk. He even had 65% of the country approving his performance as President at one time so the conservative/moderate mask he put on fooled about 30% of the non hard core liberals/moderates while at the same time keeping the hard left liberals in his camp and even defending him to the end.

Now take the above about Clinton and flip it around and put in Bush and you see basically the same game plan being played out right before our eyes in realtime.

What Rush, Hannity and some conservatives don't realize is the art of politics and Carl Rove and Bush are doing exactly what Dick Morris planned for Clinton. They adopted it during the campaign and they continue to use the same playbook. Why, you say scratching your head? Because Clinton paid a big price losing both the House and Senate and never got them back. Bush has not only learned from his fathers fatal mistake of ignoring the domestic agenda but learned from Clintons mistake by taking the 30% of the middle center for granted. Rove has said many times that the party base can't be taken for granted and I bet he hasn't forgotten this but he also knows the Clinton game plan cannot for forgotten as well.

Will Bush II suffer the same fate as his father and be a one term president? Not if he sticks to his game plan !

65 posted on 03/25/2002 10:08:11 PM PST by america-rules
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To: LarryLied
More proof !
66 posted on 03/25/2002 10:14:29 PM PST by america-rules
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To: MassExodus
Somehow I doubt any great suffering on your part over this signing. I too, am a member of the NRA and darned glad to have GW as our President. Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.
67 posted on 03/25/2002 10:22:07 PM PST by wingnuts'nbolts
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To: massadvj
Sad grim world you live in. The Democrats have been in charge of the congress for 25 years. Wonder why all that liberal stuff happened? Bush has been in office less than a year and has dem obstructionists to make his life difficult. The Constitution as been in trouble for years and now it's GW's fault.
68 posted on 03/25/2002 10:30:13 PM PST by wingnuts'nbolts
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To: LarryLied
Little bit of tounge in cheek from the UK? Really had to dig for this list. Just think how lucky the Brits are to have Tony!
69 posted on 03/25/2002 10:35:42 PM PST by wingnuts'nbolts
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To: Texasforever
I am glad you brought the EO up. Tell me do the unions now post the Beck decision requirements as required by the courts?

ROFL! You need to ask? At my former school, I posted the copy of the president's Executive Order supporting the Beck decision (which supported pre-existing law), and the union reps took it down once... until I had them read it. They were totally unaware of it. I'd be willing to bet it isn't there now. (I'm at a new, rural, conservative school)

It's amazing that the Lefty unions can totally disregard the Legislative Branch (the original law), the Judicial Branch (SCOTUS' Beck decision), and the Executive Branch (Bush's EO), without much of a problem. Those teachers who want their illegally-used funds returned must ask for it in writing (and you know the unions will LOVE knowing who wants to take 'union' money away). There is NO penalty for their illegal action, and if there ever were, it would probably be a large fine to be paid by, you guessed it, MORE of our union dues.

70 posted on 03/26/2002 4:32:30 AM PST by Teacher317
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To: america-rules
Unfortunately no he does not this leftward slide to get reelected I think he just wants everyone to love him( puke).
71 posted on 03/26/2002 4:50:38 AM PST by weikel
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To: LarryLied
Looks like a pretty good list to me.
72 posted on 03/26/2002 5:29:12 AM PST by cake_crumb
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To: MassExodus
" 'I've always thought that people who pump money into the political system, we ought to know who they are,' he said.

"Bush said that nonetheless the 'bill is a better bill than the current system,' but that some parts of it might not stand up to a court challenge."

Read the above two paragraphs carefully. Look, I'm not thrilled about it either, but he is specifying his reasons for signing the bill and letting SCOTUS shred the bad stuff.

As I said earlier, President Bush is d@mned if he signs the bill, because people will say he's a traitor to his base. He's d@mned if he VETOS the bill, because of the VERY neat ENRON setup, carefully engineered by the Democrats, and bought by many Libertarians, which was created to PASS THIS BILL.

For now, I'm willing to give President Bush the benifit of the doubt. Even before I voted for him, I had EXTREME faith in him, and that faith is only SLIGHTLY shaken right now. At this time, I can honestly say that I STILL intend to vote for him in 2004.

I will pray that President Bush's strategy to fight the forces of Dasshole and McTraitor are successful. I do NOT want Dasshole to get into the Oval Office the same way Clinton did it, and I do NOT want John McInsane as the first Mad Dictator in Chief of the United States. A Libertarian has no chance whatsoever of winning in 2004.

73 posted on 03/26/2002 6:43:26 AM PST by cake_crumb
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To: cake_crumb
I forgot to add...and I can STILL honestly say, THANK GOD FOR PRESIDENT BUSH!
74 posted on 03/26/2002 6:53:35 AM PST by cake_crumb
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To: humbletheFiend
Lincoln was a tyrannt. He, as much or more than any other president, threw away the Constitution. Secession is an unalienable right. Lincoln used a war to take that away along with many other rights under the Ninth and Tenth Amendments. Lincoln was an eloquent speech writer and probably a decent human being. But he was responsible for hundreds of thousands of American deaths and a curse on the Constitution.
75 posted on 03/26/2002 6:55:07 AM PST by B. A. Conservative
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To: cake_crumb
We cannot let Democrats ever rule the House again. Once in power, they will fix the rules so they never leave. They did it before and thought they were safe. This time they won't take any chances. And it will be far worse than in the past. The moderates Dems are gone. The lunatics who have been in for 25 years, the hard core left from the inner cities, will run the committees.
76 posted on 03/26/2002 7:16:46 AM PST by LarryLied
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To: wingnuts'nbolts
I too, am a member of the NRA and darned glad to have GW as our President

When Charlton Hestons message is disallowed in the months leading up to a critical election, how will you feel then ?

When "FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS" remains a fond MEMORY in the minds of NRA members but NOT shown on T.V.

Will you be "damned glad" that you voiced nothing but unwavering support for "OUR GUY" back when it mattered?

I envy your level of Faith and Courage.

77 posted on 03/26/2002 8:03:31 AM PST by MassExodus
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To: LarryLied
Ping !
78 posted on 03/26/2002 9:24:48 AM PST by america-rules
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To: LarryLied
Ping !
79 posted on 03/26/2002 9:24:51 AM PST by america-rules
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To: LarryLied
Ping !
80 posted on 03/26/2002 9:24:54 AM PST by america-rules
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