If Bush resigned today....

[Biggs3535]

Yep the Bush years have placed us nicely for competing in the new global economy.

I never insinuated any such thing, nor do I think that.  I know where the economy is right now, but the tax cuts weren't the problem.

Like you said, America is a consumer-driven economy, so when you give people more money to spend, they spend it.  Which means more services/objects are purchased, which means more jobs, which means more taxes.

[John Galt?]

The biggest problem with the economy is that more and more of that consumer spending has been going to foreign products. The money goes overseas to China, India, Arabia, etc and multiplies in their economy instead of ours.

[mjs020294]

The biggest problem with the economy is that more and more of that consumer spending has been going to foreign products. The money goes overseas to China, India, Arabia, etc and multiplies in their economy instead of ours.

Yep, and its on borrowed money as well.  So we are borrowing from other countries to send that money to other countries.....not the smartest economical model I could think of.   We send $600 billion a year over seas on oil imports alone, much of which ends in the hands of less than friendly regimes.

[SnookAU]

Oh and BTW - I am a life long fully paid up conservative.

Which is why you probably don't like what Bush has done... 

Its a shame most people don't even know what "conservative" means. 

[SnookAU]

I only have one: the tax cuts.

Yep tax cuts, mainly for the wealthiest in society and borrowing to fund public spending.......that is something to hang you hat on.

Yeah, tax cuts are great.  But when the administration paired that with out of control spending and borrowing, it pretty much cancels out any benefits to tax cuts.  Sure, its great for the people short term but where are we in the end?

[Biggs3535]

I only have one: the tax cuts.

Yep tax cuts, mainly for the wealthiest in society and borrowing to fund public spending.......that is something to hang you hat on.

Yeah, tax cuts are great.  But when the administration paired that with out of control spending and borrowing, it pretty much cancels out any benefits to tax cuts.  Sure, its great for the people short term but where are we in the end?

I believe MJS and I both made that point.

[BucsBullsBolts]

and my response to Mr. Bush's resignation speech:

Mr. Bush, you ran for President as a Conservative Republican, but in your terms as PotUS the National Debt has risen from $5.7 trillion to $9.5 trillion, and the Federal Deficit had nearly tripled.  What happened to your pledge of "less government"?  What happened to your promise of "fiscal rationality", a term you invented? What happened to less government and support for the small businessman?  yes, you stood on a podium and told the American people you would bring about more opportunities for small business but all we have seen is your support for Big oil and Walmart/massive business.  

You stood on that podium and told us about Alternative Energy plans for fuel cell tech, electric cars, etc, but all we have seen is incentives and support for Haliburton and other "old tech" big oil companies.

You were caught unawares in the 9/11 events, as were we all, but you promised us resolve, you promised us retribution, but instead we got a half a$$ed response to the true terror hotbed, Afghanistan.  And instead of justice we got a war of vendetta that only you had a issue with.  The one mid-east country most watched and most cornered, that certainly could not have had any part of the events of 9/11, is the one you choose to make an example out of???  That is kind of like the logic of beating your neighbors kid for something some other kid did.

And throughout this international clusterfilck you created, you somehow managed to totally ignore what was going on in your own backyard.

After brilliant and faithful service for nearly 2 decades, your Fed Reserve Chairman, after getting married and getting hooked on viagra and cialis, goes bonkers and starts making irrational decisions, and you ignore it.

Then your Attorney General gets involved in a nasty hiring faux pax and he gets Alzhiemers and can't rememner his own birthday, and you ignore it.

Your Sec of Defense tells the whole world (including our troops) that armor is unimportant, "you go to war with the army you have got".  in other words "dying soldiers, suck it up, I don't care." And you ignored it.

Mr. President, you have treated this job like some chore your daddy gave you, and you are suprised we, the American People, are upset with you!

Who the hell did you think you worked for, Haliburton?  Yes, we are upset.  You have broken every promise, and made us a laughing stock in the worlds eyes, what do you expect?  You have collected every paycheck, but you have yet to finish one single job you promised to complete.

Now you quit before the job is done, and try to put the blame on us.  Mr. President, keep your blame because WE THE PEOPLE were not given any power or authority to change anything.  We gave all of that to you, and you have failed us utterly.  Please do quit for it will save us the trouble of firing you.

I wish you the best in your future endeavors, but do not use us, the American People, as references for future jobs because your performance was not acceptable.

[SnookAU]

I only have one: the tax cuts.

Yep tax cuts, mainly for the wealthiest in society and borrowing to fund public spending.......that is something to hang you hat on.

Yeah, tax cuts are great.  But when the administration paired that with out of control spending and borrowing, it pretty much cancels out any benefits to tax cuts.  Sure, its great for the people short term but where are we in the end?

I believe MJS and I both made that point.

Right.  I guess I'm saying that the one thing Bush did that you liked (tax cuts) is pretty much canceled out by the rest of his poor decisions.

[Biggs3535]

Right.  I guess I'm saying that the one thing Bush did that you liked (tax cuts) is pretty much canceled out by the rest of his poor decisions.

And I agree with you.

But I think it's fair to point out that he did do something right, at some point.

[oregonbucfan]

My god I leave, gas killed me. I come back gas is doubled. Something went wrong, and leadership was obviously nonexistent to get us to where were at. The downhill of a country cannot be blamed on one person, and it would be ignorant to justify that view, but its undeniable a president owns the highest influence.

And according to Obama we just need to keep air in our tires and get tune ups in our cars, and that = the gas we could drill.

Not to worry, Obama has flip-flopped on drilling.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080801/ap_on_el_pr/obama;_ylt=AhRvXKJuT6M0IuBcotIaCiFh24cA

Don't like Obama's platform? Just wait a few minutes and it will change.

[spartan]

Not to worry, Obama has flip-flopped on drilling.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080801/ap_on_el_pr/obama;_ylt=AhRvXKJuT6M0IuBcotIaCiFh24cA

Don't like Obama's platform? Just wait a few minutes and it will change.

And what's to say all these policy changes will revert back to their original once he is elected? Sorry but you can call me a skeptic but if someone supports a particular view all his life then changes his mind 3 months before the election? It doesn't give me a great deal of confidence it's heartfelt. There is also the minor point that he is probably very confident his colleagues across the street would never let it happen in a month of sundays should they retain control of Congress.

Here is the problem IMO with the spending. And, I will hasten to point out it will get even worse come the introduction of Socialized medicine. Once implemented a wealth distribution program, sorry entitlement pro  .., sorry I'll get it right in a moment, Government Initiative is that once started cannot be stopped or even reduced. The reason being is that the idiots who get the most benefit out of it vote in blocks if they think they will lose money. Pretty fair reaction if you ask me, but the problem with that is that it has to be funded. To do that you raise the taxes on the those creating the wealth or you borrow money. There comes a point where you can't tax the 'rich' even more because then there would be no point in them creating the wealth to begin with and ends the gravy chain. So you end up borrowing money. In the end, one of two things happen, bankruptcy or some very hard decisions need to be made. There does not seem to be the wisdom or the will to do the latter so it looks like a foregone conclusion to me.

[oregonbucfan]

What has this great democrat congress done? Whats there approval rating 8%? They refused to take a vote on the energy problem today, and acting like the commies they are turned the mics off on republicans who called them out.

[royceks]

YOU are clueless and yes you can. What do you think all those neocons were doing getting him elected? When he actually tries to talk he is embarrassing and sounds like an idiot.

Obama, when he doesn't have his speech writers giving him his material, also struggles with speaking in the form of "ums, uhs, ands" over and over.

Um, at least he doesn't make up words like dubya!

[Dash Riprock]

YOU are clueless and yes you can. What do you think all those neocons were doing getting him elected? When he actually tries to talk he is embarrassing and sounds like an idiot.

Obama, when he doesn't have his speech writers giving him his material, also struggles with speaking in the form of "ums, uhs, ands" over and over.

Um, at least he doesn't make up words like dubya!

Karen were you born that stupid or did it take a lifetime of practice.