George W. Bush--The First 30 Months

7-1-2003 | Justshe

[foreverfree]

bump

[Dead Corpse]

I just knew you would show up and cut-n-paste something completely unrelated to this thread. a first class disruptor

The article linked to is entirely relavent. I guess you can't rebut it, so you'll just keep casting aspersions on your betters...

[Amelia]

Perhaps I'm wrong, but I think the point of this thread is not "Do we agree with every single thing the administration has done?" or "Has the administration yet done the ONE thing that is most important to me?"

The question is, have more positives than negatives been accomplished? Are we generally moving in the right direction? Have important things been done that would not have been done under a Democratic administration?

We know the country did not get in the shape it's in overnight, and we know that everything will not be corrected overnight.

We also know that many of the "safety net" type programs can't be immediately eliminated, and perhaps they will never be eliminated because at present too many people depend on them. In depth discussion of those is probably best left to threads devoted to those topics, but...

Are we on the right track, or not? Is there more good than bad, or vice versa?

And, if we're on the wrong track, what is a viable alternative?

[moodyskeptic]

Good kob. You'll be amazed at how many Freepers missunderstand your second list, though.

Sarcasm is just too deep for some.

When GWBs accomplishments are listed, they are impressive. And he did all this with a constant soundtrack of outraged protest from Democrats.

[rintense]

You want the ice cream store to put a flavor on the board that they've put on the board before, and nobody bought it.

BWAHAHA! Excellent. My favorite flavor is Blue Moon.

[Dead Corpse]

There has been a lot of good done. More than we could have expected from a Dim.

Still, the growth of government, the PATRIOT Act, caving in to the liberals by co-opting their agenda items... I expected better from a "conservative".

[Dilbert56]

Something is being left out of this discussion. The President cannot enter into treaties without the consent of the Senate and they supported neither Kyoto nor ICC.

My daughter's science textbook prattled on about how GWB killed Kyoto. She stopped the discussion and asked her teacher: "Didn't the Senate vote 95-0 against it?" Well, ummm, yes that's true. "And wouldn't the Kyoto treaty only reduced the projected rise by 10%?" Another umm, yes. Same with the International Criminal Court. The Senate voted against it but Masturbater-in-Chief Clinton signed it anyway. Leaving his successor the dirty duty of confirming our country's opposition. He ludicrous reasoning was that we could better influence it if we signed it. Yeah, give away your chief negotiating point - moron.

As for the ABM treaty with the USSR. The USSR no longer exists but we withdrew under the provisions of the treaty. We didn't abrogate it or violate it as some in the media portray our actions. The treaty had provisions for either side to get out with proper notification and we followed that.

[My2Cents]

Interesting list of accomplishments and "Things Left to Do." Did you include faith-based social programs? What about outstanding judicial nominations?

To me the greatest things Bush has done are to return decency, integrity, and character to the Oval Office; prosecute the War on Terror with steely-eyed determination. And the greatest things he will do are change the environment in the nation's judiciary (appointing people who actually respect the rule of law, rather than make it up as they go); and to consign the Democrat Party to permanent minority status.

[Brian_Baldwin]

Of course, we are going to get such lists, and they are always impressive. No doubt, Bush is victorious in war, and during that time we lived day by day, hour by hour, for our trooops.

But, such a list isn't going to stop folks from asking obvious questions - and we need to continue to do so, and be aggressive about it. Because, one President isn't more important than conservative priciple. His re-election isn't a given.

Since its passage 30 years ago, the law known as Title IX, which bars discrimination against girls and young women in U.S. schools and colleges, has been twisted by America's anti-boy left-wing activists. With the laudable goal of assuring equal opportunities for girls in school, the law has required the elimination of hundreds of boys' athletic programs. Colleges and universities have been forced to cut men's wrestling, golf, swimming, track and other sports in order to comply with Title IX's "proportional representation" regulations. Failure to comply could mean the loss of federal funds. Last week the Bush administration urged a federal court to reject the lawsuit of the National Wrestling Coaches Association against the Department of Education (which originally wrote the offending regulations). The coaches' suit contends that U.S. rules are illegal, encourage gender quotas, and "mandate the very discrimination that Title IX prohibits." The Bush Justice Department raised procedural objections to the suit (statute of limitations, federal government immunity from suit) and didn't reach the substance of the plaintiffs' case. So we saw the beginnings of the Bush approach to this “diversity” issue, and recent Supreme Court rulings, of which Bush applauded in regards to the affirmative action ruling, all clearly demonstrate that re-election is more important to Bush, and some Bushies, than conservative principles. Where’s Bush? Either he says nothing or supports it. Where is Bush on the Davis (D-CA) recall? Where is he on illegal aliens? The latest court rulings have been the greatest calamity to conservative cause in decades – and it happens under a Republican President and he applauds it.

Anyone who asks questions, is attacked.

Tom Tancredo (R) would secure our nation and put an end to "Open Borders." This is the single most important public policy that will lessen the threat from aliens, who are hostile and willing to do harm to our citizens. Under Bush, guarding our borders means scrutiny for those who want to leave, while smiling at those who rush to enter. Tancredo embodies the common sense pro American viewpoint that only a politician of courage would dare demonstrate. He was then attacked by the Bush Administration, ostracized, for doing so. He was only one of so many that were ostracized.

How’s our borders? Safe? Where’s Bush on the illegal alien invasion?

Do we need to make “lists”? No, nor do we need to be silenced for asking questions (BECAUSE A LOT OF FOLKS ARE DOING EXACTLY THAT, and will CONTINUE TO DO SO), nor stop asking such questions. You will hear the questions asked on many of the communication channels of the conservative voice, including talk radio. And, the fanatical wing of some Bush groupies aren’t going to stop that, no way.

Yes, Bush has given us some tax cuts. The victory in Afghanistan and Iraq, historical.

But no one is going to stop asking questions because of a list of achievements.

Hey! “It’s the economy, stupid”, right? Do you know what’s happening across America, right now? The BOLD new WORLD? It’s GLOBAL, and it’s called offshore outsourcing. And where’s Bush on this?

Bush has a bold job plan for India. The GOP Hires 75 Telephone Marketers in New Delhi Suburb to Raise Funds for the Republicans.

What will they be doing. Raising money for the Republican coffers, of course. In the January 31, 2003, article in a New Delhi business publication called the "Business Standard," HCL eServe, the business process outsourcing arm of the India based HCL Technologies, is utilized, "HCL eServe has put in place a team of 75 people to work on the project out of its call centres in Noida and Gurgaon . . . These operators are required to call up people in the US seeking their support for President George W Bush and a donation for the Republican cause."

Working out of a software technology park in Noida, not far from New Delhi, these 75 telemarketers may be joined by additional workers if they raise lots of cash for the Bush campaign.

What will these telemarketers ask their callers? Indian telemarketers will be raising money for Bush and the GOP, and to inform Americans about all the Republicans are doing to increase jobs in America and improve the economy.

Of course, what better way to get the job done, than to use offshore outsourcing to get it done.

How Clintonesque.

[MJY1288]

Considering I don't follow any of his links and the title spoke of Congress, I just concluded it was his usual cut-n-paste ramblings.

[My2Cents]

How many millions is Bush going to give in direct aid to the Palestinian Authority?

Whatever it takes in order to keep it in the game, giving time for cooler heads to take over there.

[Sir Gawain]

Here ya go.

Do Republicans really support smaller government? Here are some interesting facts:

• Republicans controlled both Houses of Congress from 1995 through 2001 during which time the federal budget grew from $1.4 trillion to $2.1 trillion (about $100 billion annually). [source]
• Since Republicans took control of the House in 1995, federal discretionary spending has grown by a rate of about 7% annually. The number of earmarks lawmakers have put in the spending bills to steer federal funds to their districts has also grown. By one estimate, between fiscal years 2001 and 2002, they increased from about 6,300 to 8,300, or 32%. [source]
• Social welfare programs under George W. Bush have grown by $96 billion in just two years, versus $51 billion under six years of Clinton, according to economist Stephen Moore of the Club for Growth. [source]
• When Ronald Reagan became president in 1981 the federal budget was $680 billion. When he left office in 1989 the federal budget was $1.14 trillion -- an increase of 67%. [source]
• The last Republican presidents to preside over a decrease in federal spending were Warren G. Harding (who served from 1921 until his death in 1923) and Calvin Coolidge (who served from 1923 until 1929). During that time federal spending decreased 44% from $5 billion to $2.85 billion. However, spending began increasing again in 1928 before Calvin Coolidge left office. [source]

WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS & POLITICAL BOONDOGGLES

• [source] $5 billion bailout and $10 billion loan for airlines via the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act.
• [source] $521 million Amtrak budget for fiscal 2002.
• [source] $205 million bailout plus $100 million loan to Amtrak.
• [source] Dept. of Transportation budget increased by 6% over fiscal 2001 to $59.5 billion. (riddled with pork)
• [source] $145 million for the New Freedom Initiative to ensure transportation alternatives for people with disabilities.
• [source] "Homebuyer bill of rights" to Reform Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act -- federal regulation of real estate.
• [source] Continued anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft.
• [source] $1 billion over 5 years for the poor to purchase homes via the "American Dream Down Payment Fund."
• [source] Proposed $3.7 billion in new Medicare funding over the next three years (2003-2005) .
• [source] Health care subsidies for laid-off workers and expanded job retraining benefits ($10 billion to $12 billion over 10 years).
• [source] Wage insurance -- federal wage supplement.
• [source] $67 million in taxpayers' money to finance presidential campaign via federal matching funds.
• [source] Issued executive order creating the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives.
• [source] Submitted largest budget ever to Congress, $2.13 trillion.
• [source] Increased debt-limit from $5.95 trillion to $6.4 trillion.
• [source] Scholarships for Cuban students and professionals via the Initiative for a New Cuba.
• [source] Increased budget for National Health Service Corps by $44 million to $191.5 million.
• [source] $150 million for the Coast Guard and the Customs Service to hire new personnel.
• [source] Increased farm subsidies by $180 billion over 10 years via the Farm Security Act.
• [source] Increased Pentagon budget by 12% over fiscal 2001 from $316 billion to $355 billion.
• [source] $560 million for the USA Freedom Corps which includes $230 million for AmeriCorps.
• [source] Double the number of Peace Corps volunteers at a cost of $200 million over five years.
• [source] $3.5 million for SuperBowl anti-drug ads.
• [source] Faith-based subsidies.
• [source] Increased federal spending on education from $39.9 billion to $44.5 billion via the "No Child Left Behind Act."
• [source] Signed Congressional payraise of $4,900.
• [source] Patients Bill of Rights.
• [source] Federal Compassion Capital Fund, $700 million over 10 years.
• [source] $100 million to beef up investigative manpower and technology at the SEC.
• [source] $6 million to upgrade a U.S. Geological Survey data center near Sioux Falls, S.D.
• [source] $10 million to help farmers near the Rio Grande River involved in a water dispute with Mexico.
• [source] $7 million for enhancing water supplies in New Mexico.
• [source] A provision pressuring the Agriculture Department to reimburse poultry producers in West Virginia and Virginia for losses from avian influenza.
• [source] $1 billion for Pell grants for low-income students.
• [source] $417 million for veterans' medical care.
• [source] $400 million to help states improve voting systems.
• [source] $100 million for countering western wildfires and floods.
• [source] Taxpayer-funded national memorial, congressional gold medals, and gold coins for victims of 9/11.
• [source] Scholarships and grants to nurses and help hospitals with retention.
• [source] Increased the NEA budget by $10 million, to $126 million.
• [source] $200,000 for a trucker congestion notification system in Tacoma, Washington.
• [source] $500,000 to save the Prebles Meadow Jumping Mouse in Colorado.
• [source] $62 million to promote the Sacajawea dollar coin.
• [source] $100,000 a month to monitor news reports and offer advice on media strategy for the Pentagon.
• [source] $1.5 million for maintenance of the Vulcan Statue in Alabama built for the 1904 World's Fair.
• [source] $20 million annually for "Strategic Milk Reserve." Was phased out in 1999 by the 1996 Freedom to Farm Act. Congress extended it temporarily, and then made it permanent again in the farm bill that President Bush signed into law in May.
• [source] $877 million in disaster relief for victims of Tropical Storm Allison.
• [source] $2 million in federal recovery assistance to typhoon victims in Guam.
• [source] Steel and lumber tariffs.
• [source] $1.7 billion plus $300 million in emergency funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) via the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2001.
• [source] $230 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program.
• [source] Federal disaster relief for tonado victims in Maryland.
• [source] Payoff to families of 9/11 victims with taxpayer money via the "Victim Compensation Fund."
• [source] Bush pushes for school vouchers.
• [source] $450,000 in federal funds for the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention for fiscal year 2003 on top of $750,000 in 2002.
• [source] $752 million in drought aid to livestock farmers.
• [source] $30 million in research grants over the next five years to develop new ways of making industrial products from plants and natural waste materials.
• [source] $10 billion military reserve fund for the Pentagon.
• [source] National Institute of Health to spend $24 million on a retirement facility for chimpanzees.
• [source] $750,000 for grasshopper research in Alaska.
• [source] $2 million to house a worm collection at the Smithsonian museum in Washington, DC.
• [source] $400,000 to study manure management at the National Swine Research Center in Iowa.
• [source] $4.2 million for a shrimp aquiculture research project in six states.
• [source] $400,000 for the Montana Sheep Institute.
• [source] $23.1 billion for the National Institute of Health for fiscal 2002, a 13.5% increase over fiscal 2001.
• [source] $10 million upgrade for Amber Alerts.
• [source] $1 million to upgrade a law enforcement communication system in Placer County, CA.
• [source] $850,000 for a wastewater treatment facility in Placer County, CA
• [source] $1.7 million to purchase 6,100 acres of land along the American River.
• [source] $14 million for restoration projects in the Lake Tahoe basin.
• [source] $3 million for the acquisition of land for rare plant preserves in El Dorado County, CA.
• [source] $600,000 for the West Blount sewer system. (Alabama)
• [source] $1 million for the Duck River Dam. (Alabama)
• [source] $99,000 for sidewalk improvements at Vinemont Middle School. (Alabama)
• [source] $100 million in grants for communities to develop mosquito-control programs. (pending)
• [source] $753 million for Import-Export Bank.
• Increased loan limit for Import-Export Bank to $25 billion. Taxpayers must guarantee loans.
• [source] $159 billion deficit for fiscal 2002.
• [source] $14.2 million for Phoenix Sky Harbor traffic control tower replacement. (pending)
• [source] $4.2 million for Phoenix bus facilities. (pending)
• [source] $500,000 for a Scottsdale pilot project to determine the best technologies for removing arsenic from drinking water. (pending)
• [source] $300,000 for a Southwest Transit Assessment and Review Team (START) project for Bus Route 131, which runs through Avondale. (pending)
• [source] $500,000 for Central Arizona College to continue implementation of the Science, Engineering, Math and Aerospace Academy in Pinal County. (pending)
• [source] $1 million for Rio de Flag (Flagstaff) flood-control project. (pending)
• [source] $1.5 million for Maricopa County's AZTech Integrated Emergency and Transportation Communications Network. (pending)
• [source] Creation of new federal bureaucracy, Office of Rare Diseases.
• [source] $100 per month federal subsidy to welfare parents who marry.
• [source] $8 million to maintain a heating oil reserve to stabilize prices in the U.S. Northeast. This fund was created in 2000 by Bill Clinton.
• [source] $2 billion over 10 years to help companies develop cleaner-burning coal.
• [source] $87 billion in corporate welfare which includes (but is not limited to) funds for oil companies through the fossil energy research and development program, research subsidies to aerospace companies, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the Foreign Agriculture Service, and the Conservation Reserve Program.
• [source] $6 million for teaching English through the Elementary School Foreign Language Incentive Program.
• [source] The federal government currently provides $700-800 million in annual ethanol subsidies.
• [source] $37 billion through 2007 for the National Science Foundation via the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002. (pending)
• [source] $15 billion for NASA fiscal 2003.
• [source] $903 million in grants to spur federal agencies, industry and universities to devote more energy to cyber security research.
• [source] $533 million over two years for Project Safe Neighborhoods. Billed on the official website as "America's Network Against Gun Violence."
• [source] $900 million for the President's "Reading First" plan.
• [source] $28.9 billion "anti-terror" package. (As if the federal government didn't already spend enough on defense)
• [source] Increased FDA budget by over $120 million.
• [source] $1.1 billion for federal reading programs.
• [source] Proposed economic stimulus package which could cost as much as $600 billion over 10 years.
• [source] Ordered military to begin deploying a missile defense system.
• [source] Urged Congress to raise pay of federal judges who already earn $150,000 or more annually.
• [source] Increased the National Science Foundation budget from $4.8 billion to $7.4 billion in 2005 and $9.8 billion in 2007.
• [source] Proposed increasing defense spending to $378.5 billion next fiscal year from the $364.1 billion appropriated by Congress for fiscal 2003.
• [source] $782 billion in new spending for fiscal 2003 above what Washington spent in the previous four years.
• [source] Reinstated program to pay cash bonuses to political appointees. The program was previously stopped during the Clinton administration because of concerns about potential abuse.
• [source] "Terror insurance" which would force taxpayers to compensate those affected by future terrorist attacks.
• [source] Up to $3,000 for unemployed Americans to pay for their job searches.

[Dead Corpse]

Nope. The linked to article was/is applicable.

"Physician, heal thyself..."

[TomServo]

Who the hell said anything about anyone taking away peoples freedom??

Nothing. Stand-by for a report from Todd on the price of tea in China.

[Amelia]

There has been a lot of good done. More than we could have expected from a Dim.

Still, the growth of government, the PATRIOT Act, caving in to the liberals by co-opting their agenda items... I expected better from a "conservative".

Maybe that's where I differ from a lot of people here. I never thought GWB was a "conservative", at least as defined on FR. I thought he was a "moderate", so I'm not all that surprised, I'm just happy about the stuff on the "conservative" list that has gotten done.

[Dane]

Something is being left out of this discussion. The President cannot enter into treaties without the consent of the Senate and they supported neither Kyoto nor ICC

I don't get your point. Are you basically stating that a Gore administartion would have not reintroduced Kyoto or the ICC?

JMO, but Gore would be going full bore for Kyoto and the ICC if he was President at this time.

[justshe]

Got this: Nominated strong, conservative judges to the judiciary....but missed the faith-based social programs. Added it.....THANKS!

Also got this: Changed the tone in the White House, restoring HONOR and DIGNITY to the Presidency

[TLBSHOW]

Social welfare programs under George W. Bush have grown by $96 billion in just two years, versus $51 billion under six years of Clinton, according to economist Stephen Moore of the Club for Growth. [source]


BUMP

[My2Cents]

Where is Bush on the Davis (D-CA) recall?

My first thought was "Why should he care?" But then I think that Bush opposes the recall because with Gray Davis still in office in Nov. '04, people will be so disillusioned by Davis that they will not tolerate voting Democrat, and Bush will win California in a landslide.

[TLBSHOW]

Stand-by for a report from Todd on the price of tea in China.

"What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?"

http://www.beprepared.com/Articles/Butterfly.html