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HOW CONSERVATIVE IS PRESIDENT BUSH?
The Cato Institute ^ | August 3, 2002 | By Veronique de Rugy

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:

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

OPEN BORDERS

Bush's 'open door' slammed

"I told the Congress that I want to make sure that the Mexican citizen here is well-respected," Bush said. "And one way to do that is to pass 245I."

CFR - "I Believe In Free Speech"

Meanwhile, Back On The Farm

Bush Urges Congress To Deliver on Prescription Drugs For Medicare

GOP Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Advances in House - Another Trillion Dollars

Pig Book - 2002

Orgy At Federal Trough

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

Worse Than Drunken Sailors!

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

How Bad Can Things Get?

George W. Bush and Gun Control

Bush Pushes Gore Plan For Orwellian Government

Bush Backs Down From Immunity Demand - Caves Again

Bush administration has been "as bad, if not worse" than the Clinton administration when it comes to the transfer of sensitive technologies to the People's Republic of China

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 Right In Iowa Fear Purge

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!

Mark Levin Hammers Bushbots

Was Clinton More Conservative Than Bush? - Fox News

Bush: A Democrat in Republican clothing?

Bush continues Clinton Agenda

GEORGE W. BUSH: CLINTON'S THIRD TERM ©


Bush's Court Jester


"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.


A Bush administration insider has privately leaked word that a deal was struck between Democratic congressional leaders and the Bush White House not to prosecute Bill and/or Hillary Clinton

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.

"I don’t care if you have proof that he raped a woman, stood up and shot her dead, you’re still not going to get 67 votes."

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.


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Editorial
KEYWORDS: biggovernment; bush; conservatism; constitution; fraud; socialism; spending; waste
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To: Texasforever
Plus you rated hi enough to get the "We all know it" comment! Woohoo! Kudos! LOL!!
701 posted on 08/05/2002 8:55:16 PM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
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To: Texasforever; Fred Mertz
Fred's toning it down a bit tonight. After that post #666 he's a little nervous and doesn't want to press his luck.

He'll do better tomorrow.
702 posted on 08/05/2002 8:56:05 PM PDT by terilyn
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To: RedBloodedAmerican
Why do you continue to make a fool of yourself? Serious question.
703 posted on 08/05/2002 8:56:35 PM PDT by Fred Mertz
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To: Fred Mertz
smoke and mirrors smoke and mirrors

Ann Coulter thinks what? Bush is a rat....lol I doubt it!

In fact she tells us what to watch for when people start to call Bush neither compassionate nor conservative....

,,,,,

In May 2001, former Clinton strategists James Carville and Paul Begala released a “Battle Plan for the Democrats” on the op-ed page of the New York Times. Their central piece of advice was for Democrats to start calling President George Bush names. “First,” they said, liberals must “call a radical a radical.”

Other proposals included calling Bush dangerous and uncompassionate: “Mr. Bush’s agenda is neither compassionate nor conservative; it’s radical and it’s dangerous and the Democrats should say so.”
ANN COULTER.....

704 posted on 08/05/2002 8:57:55 PM PDT by TLBSHOW
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To: terilyn
I am beyond tears. My self-esteem has been permantly damaged and my inner-child destroyed. It will take years of crystal gazing and chanting to regain the inner-peace so cruelly ripped from my psyche

705 posted on 08/05/2002 8:58:45 PM PDT by Texasforever
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To: Keyes For President
I'm sure you have never done anything as bad as what I did by posting that off color remark.

You know what, KFP.........I've done plenty wrong in my life and I will continue to err daily, as we all do. I can tell you truthfully though, that I have never found the kind of thing you said funny and have never said those kinds of things. It's just not me. As I said.....I have many, many faults but vulgarity isn't one of them.

But that isn't the issue and you know it (or at least you should).

You and all of your cronies have spent countless hours telling others that they aren't conservative enough, not pro-life enough, not Constitution loving enough, etc., etc.

If you can't see that as your identifying yourselves as morally superior, your ability to reason is non-existent.

Thus, seeing you perfectly comfortable splashing some nasty talk around for your "cause", reveals a hypocrisy that all the excuse making and "oops" in the world can't change.

.......and you and your buddies want to point fingers at others. Don't make me laugh!!!!!

706 posted on 08/05/2002 9:00:28 PM PDT by Southflanknorthpawsis
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To: deport
This is standard stuff for any research proposal. The funny thing is that it even mentions under what circumstances the Sect of HHS can deny such funding. There is a large laxity on personal judgements, like in sub-section 2. Moreover, section 498 of the Public Health Service Act is so broad, that any person can cite what is ethically wrong under that section. The truth is Bush does not understand the philosophical issue, and hence he makes moronic judgements that makes him look pro-choice.
707 posted on 08/05/2002 9:02:32 PM PDT by Satadru
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To: Texasforever
I know how you feel. Last night I had to light an aromatic candle and turn out the light and take deep breaths.

The experiences here can be so shattering.
708 posted on 08/05/2002 9:04:01 PM PDT by terilyn
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To: Satadru
What did you think about the Live birth bill he signed this morning?
709 posted on 08/05/2002 9:04:17 PM PDT by Texasforever
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To: Uncle Bill
On a scale of 1 to 10 I give Bush a 2.

The first thing on his agenda was meeeting with Gay leaders , therefore giving what NO President had given before, Presidential recognition of the Gay lifestyle as just another Lifestyle Choice. BS on that. It isn't true and no President should have ever done it.

CATO

710 posted on 08/05/2002 9:06:40 PM PDT by Cato
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To: Republican Wildcat
NIH is not an independent agency. It is an agency under HHS. The only independent agencies under the federal govt are the CIA and the US Postal Service.
711 posted on 08/05/2002 9:06:43 PM PDT by Satadru
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To: Satadru
Are you sure about that?
712 posted on 08/05/2002 9:10:37 PM PDT by terilyn
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To: Amelia
I don't have to apologize for anything. Read my post #707. Bush could have stopped funding fetal stem-cell research from aborted fetuses in a heartbeat given the laxity in this law and under Public Health Service Act. Bush chose not to fight because he does not understand the philosophy behind the pro-life cause. He is pro-life for political purposes as he, and his family, has shown repeatedly.
713 posted on 08/05/2002 9:11:06 PM PDT by Satadru
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To: DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet
No shortage of total morons either.
714 posted on 08/05/2002 9:11:54 PM PDT by Satadru
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To: Texasforever
After reading some of the posts by sleeveless on a forum swwearch........I think he could help you out with some cristals and stuff.
715 posted on 08/05/2002 9:16:25 PM PDT by justshe
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To: Cato
Well this guy wanted to be President and he is a Hero to libertarians and the Cato institute

Ban on Gays is Senseless Attempt to Stall the Inevitable

By Barry M. Goldwater

The following is a transcript of Barry Goldwater's commentary on the military gay ban that appeared this week in the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times.

After more than 50 years in the military and politics, I am still amazed to see how upset people can get over nothing. Lifting the ban on gays in the military isn't exactly nothing, but it's pretty damned close

Everyone knows that gays have served honorably in the military since at least the time of Julius Caesar. They'll still be serving long after we're all dead and buried. That should not surprise anyone.

But most Americans should be shocked to know that while the country's economy is going down the tubes, the military has wasted half a billion dollars over the past decade chasing down gays and running them out of the armed services. Here

716 posted on 08/05/2002 9:18:49 PM PDT by Texasforever
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To: sleavelessinseattle
Right on, man! Too many people are graduating from kindergarten, and computers are way too cheap. Maybe Bush's socialist rule will make computers much more expensive in the future so not everyone with a kindergarten background can afford it.
717 posted on 08/05/2002 9:19:39 PM PDT by Satadru
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To: Satadru
Well, you're half right. NIH is under HHS. On the other hand, as far as the CIA & USPS being the only independent agencies under the federal government...

INDEPENDENT AGENCIES




Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP)
American Battle Monuments Commission
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Corporation for National Service
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Farm Credit Administration (FCA)
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Federal Election Commission (FEC)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA)
Federal Maritime Commission
Federal Reserve System:
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Federal Reserve Banks (via Minneapolis)
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB)
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
General Services Administration (GSA)
Federal Consumer Information Center (Pueblo, CO)
Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB)
International Joint Commission, Canada and the United States.
Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC)
National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS)
National Council on Disability
National Credit Union Administration (NCUA)
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)
National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC)
National Mediation Board (NMB)
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK)
National Science Foundation (NSF)
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
US Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board (NWTRB)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO)
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Office of Special Counsel (OSC)
Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)
Peace Corps
Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Postal Rate Commission
Railroad Retirement Board (RRB)
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Selective Service System (SSS)
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Social Security Administration (SSA)
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
United States Arms Control and Disarmament Agency (ACDA)
United States International Trade Commission (USITC)
Dataweb (Import/export data)
United States Office of Government Ethics (OGE).
United States Postal Service (USPS)
United States Trade and Development Agency
Voice of America (VOA)

http://www.loc.gov/global/executive/fed.html

Don't feel too bad. At least this time you were half right.
718 posted on 08/05/2002 9:20:11 PM PDT by terilyn
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To: justshe
swwearch? I was wost.....but now I'm fwound?
719 posted on 08/05/2002 9:20:42 PM PDT by justshe
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To: Fred Mertz
Why do you continue to make a fool of yourself?

Because that is the only thing you learn in kindergarten.

720 posted on 08/05/2002 9:21:11 PM PDT by Satadru
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