Who says George W. Bush has done "nothing" for conservatives?

WhiteHouse.gov; various news sources ^ | 1/27/04

[Wolfstar]

[ED. NOTE: In the last few months, FReeper Southack put together a list of Bush administration achievements over its first three years in office, and tirelessly posted it whenever an opportunity presented itself. Southack gave me permission to take that list, organize it by topics, and enhance it with further research from whitehouse.gov and other sources. This thread is posted in gratitude to and in honor of Southack.]

Abortion & Traditional Values

1. Banned Partial Birth Abortion — by far the most significant roll-back of abortion on demand since Roe v. Wade.
   
2. Reversed Clinton's move to strike Reagan's anti-abortion Mexico Policy.
   
3. By Executive Order (EO), reversed Clinton's policy of not requiring parental consent for abortions under the Medical Privacy Act.
   
4. By EO, prohibited federal funds for international family planning groups that provide abortions and related services.
   
5. Upheld the ban on abortions at military hospitals.
   
6. Made $33 million available for abstinence education programs in 2004.
7. Supports the Defense of Marriage Act — and a Constitutional amendment saying marriage is between one man and one woman.
8. Requires states to conduct criminal background checks on prospective foster and adoptive parents.
9. Requires districts to let students transfer out of dangerous schools.
10. Requires schools to have a zero-tolerance policy for classroom disruption (reintroducing discipline into classrooms).
11. Signed the Teacher Protection Act, which protects teachers from lawsuits related to student discipline.
12. Expanded the role of faith-based and community organizations in after-school programs.
    

Budget, Taxes & Economy

1. Signed two income tax cuts, one of which was the largest dollar-value tax cut in world history.
2. Supports permanent elimination of the death tax.
   
3. Turned around an inherited economy that was in recession, and deeply shocked as a result of the 9/11 attacks.
4. Is seeking legislation to amend the Constitution to give the president line-item veto authority.
5. In process of permanently eliminating IRS marriage penalty.
   
6. Increased small business incentives to expand and to hire new people.
   
7. Initiated discussion on privatizing Social Security and individual investment accounts.
   
8. Killed Clinton's "ergonomic" rules that OSHA was about to implement; rules would have shut down every home business in America.
   
9. Passed tough new laws to hold corporate criminals to account as a result of corporate scandals.
   
10. Reduced taxes on dividends and capital gains.
    
11. Signed trade promotion authority.
    
12. Reduced and is working to ultimately eliminate the estate tax for family farms and ranches.
13. Fight Europe's ban on importing biotech crops from the United States.
14. Exempt food from unilateral trade sanctions and embargoes.
15. Provided $20 million to states to help people with disabilities work from home.
16. Created a fund to encourage technologies that help the disabled.
17. Increased the annual contribution limit on Education IRA's from $500 to $2,000 per child.
18. Make permanent the $5,000 adoption tax credit and provide $1 billion over five years to increase the credit to $10,000.
19. Grant a complete tax exemption for prepaid or college tuition savings plans.
20. Reduced H1B visas from a high of 195,000 per year to 66,000 per year.

Character & Conduct as President

1. Changed the tone in the White House, restoring HONOR and DIGNITY to the presidency.
2. Has reintroduced the mention of God and faith into public discourse.
3. Handled himself with enormous courage, dignity, grace, determination, and leadership in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 hijackings and anthrax attacks. He almost single-handedly held this country together during those searing days:

• Just three days after the attacks, in his address at the National Cathedral, the President reassured the nation when he said: "War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder. This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the timing and terms of others. It will end in a way, and at an hour, of our choosing."
  
  
• On Friday, September 14, 2001, President Bush visited Ground Zero. Standing on a crushed and burned fire engine atop the smoldering pile at Ground Zero, he put his arm around a retired firefighter who had volunteered to help, and began speaking to the crowd. Rescue workers shouted that they could not hear him. Someone handed him a small American flag and bullhorn. The President spontaneously shouted: "I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon." The crowd roared with cheers and chants of "USA! USA! USA!" Then he raised that American flag and rallied a nation:
  
  

Education & Employment Training

1. Signed the No Child Left Behind Act, delivering the most dramatic education reforms in a generation (challenging the soft bigotry of low expectations). The very liberal California Teachers union is currently running radio ads against the accountability provisions of this Act.
   
2. Announced "Jobs for the 21st Century," a comprehensive plan to better prepare workers for jobs in the new millennium by strengthening post-secondary education and job training, and by improving high school education.
3. Is working to provide vouchers to low-income students in persistently failing schools to help with costs of attending private schools. (Blocked in the Senate.)
4. Requires annual reading and math tests in grades three through eight.
5. Requires states to participate in the National Assessment of Education Progress, or an equivalent program, to establish a national benchmark for academic performance.
6. Requires school-by-school accountability report cards.
7. Established a $2.4 billion fund to help states implement teacher accountability systems.
8. Increased funding for the Troops-to-Teachers program, which recruits former military personnel to to become teachers.
   

Environment & Energy

1. Killed the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty.
2. Submitted a comprehensive Energy Plan (awaits Congressional action). The plan works to develop cleaner technology, produce more natural gas here at home, make America less dependent on foreign sources of energy, improve national grid, etc.
3. Established a $10 million grant program to promote private conservation initiatives.
4. Significantly eased field-testing controls of genetically engineered crops.
   
5. Changed parts of the Forestry Management Act to allow necessary cleanup of the national forests in order to reduce fire danger.
   
6. Part of national forests cleanup: Restricted judicial challenges (based on the Endangered Species Act and other challenges), and removed the need for an Environmental Impact Statement before removing fuels/logging to reduce fire danger.
   
7. Killed Clinton's CO2 rules that were choking off all of the electricity surplus to California.
   
8. Provided matching grants for state programs that help private landowners protect rare species.
   

Defense & Foreign Policy

1. Successfully executed two wars in the aftermath of 9/11/01: Afghanistan and Iraq. 50 million people who had lived under tyrannical regimes now live in freedom.
2. Saddam Hussein is now in prison. His two murderous sons are dead. All but a handful of the regime's senior members were killed or captured.
3. Leader by leader and member by member, al Qaida is being hunted down in dozens of countries around the world. Of the senior al Qaida leaders, operational managers, and key facilitators the U.S. Government has been tracking, nearly two-thirds have been taken into custody or killed. The detentions or deaths of senior al Qaida leaders, including Khalid Shaykh Muhammad, the mastermind of 9/11, and Muhammad Atef, Osama bin Laden's second-in-command until his death in late 2001, have been important in the War on Terror.
4. Disarmed Libya of its chemical, nuclear and biological WMD's without bribes or bloodshed.
   
5. Continues to execute the War On Terror, getting worldwide cooperation to track funds/terrorists. Has cut off much of the terrorists' funding, and captured or killed many key leaders of the al Qaeda network.
   
6. Initiated a comprehensive review of our military, which was completed just prior to 9/11/01, and which accurately reported that ASYMMETRICAL WARFARE capabilities were critical in the 21st Century.
   
7. Killed the old US/Soviet Union ABM Treaty that was preventing the U.S. from deploying our ABM defenses.
   
8. Has been one of the strongest, if not THE strongest friend Israel has ever hand in the U.S. presidency.
   
9. Part of the coalition for an Israeli/Palestinian "Roadmap to Peace," along with Great Britain, Russia and the EU.
   
10. Pushed through THREE raises for our military. Increased military pay by more than $1 billion a year.
    
11. Signed the LARGEST nuclear arms reduction in world history with Russia.
    
12. Started withdrawing our troops from Bosnia, and has announced withdrawal of our troops from Germany and the Korean DMZ.
    
13. Prohibited putting U.S. troops under U.N. command.
14. Paid back UN dues only in return for reforms and reduction of U.S. share of the costs.
15. Earmarked at least 20 percent of the Defense procurement budget for next-generation weaponry.
16. Increased defense research and development spending by at least $20 billion from fiscal 2002 to 2006.
17. Ordered a comprehensive review of military weapons and strategy.
18. Ordered a review of overseas deployments.
19. Ordered renovation of military housing. The military has already upgraded about 10 percent of its inventory and expects to modernize 76,000 additional homes this year.
20. Is working to tighten restrictions on military-technology exports.
21. Brought back our EP-3 intel plane and crew from China without any bribes or bloodshed.

Globalization & Internationalism

1. Challenged the United Nations to live up to their responsibilities and not become another League of Nations (in other words, showed the UN to be completely irrelevant).
   
2. Killed U.S. involvement in the International Criminal Court.
   
3. Told the United Nations we weren't interested in their plans for gun control (i.e., the International Ban on Small Arms Trafficking Treaty).*
4. The only President since the founding of the UN to essentially tell that organization it is irrelevant. He said: "The conduct of the Iraqi regime is a threat to the authority of the United Nations, and a threat to peace. Iraq has answered a decade of UN demands with a decade of defiance. All the world now faces a test, and the United Nations a difficult and defining moment. Are Security Council resolutions to be honored and enforced, or cast aside without consequence? Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founding, or will it be irrelevant?" We all know the outcome and the answer.
5. Told the Congress and the world, "America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country."
   

Government Reform

1. Improved government efficiency by putting hundreds of thousands of jobs put up for bid. This weakens public-sector unions and cuts undeserved pay raises.
   
2. Initiated review of all federal agencies with the goal of eliminating federal jobs (completed September 2003) in an effort to reduce the size of the federal government while increasing private sector jobs.
   
3. Led the most extensive reorganization the Federal bureaucracy in over 50 years: After 9/11, condensed 20+ overlapping agencies and their intelligence sectors into one agency, the Department of Homeland Security.*
4. Ordered each agency to draft a five-year plan to restructure itself, with fewer managers.
5. Converted federal service contracts to performance-based contracts wherever possible so that the contractor has measurable performance goals.
   

Health

1. Strengthen the National Health Service Corps to put more physicians in the neediest areas, and make its scholarship funds tax-free.
2. Double the research budget of the National Institutes of Health.
3. Signed Medicare Reform, which includes:

• A 10-year privatization option.
• Prescription drug benefits: Prior to this reform, Medicare paid for extended hospital stays for ulcer surgery, for example, at a cost of about $28,000 per patient. Yet Medicare would not pay for the drugs that eliminate the cause of most ulcers, drugs that cost about $500 a year. Now, drug coverage under Medicare will allow seniors to replace more expensive surgeries and hospitalizations with less expensive prescription medicine.
  
• More health care choices: As President Bush stated, "…when seniors have the ability to make choices, health care plans within Medicare will have to compete for their business by offering higher quality service [at lower cost]. For the seniors of America, more choices and more control will mean better health care. These are the kinds of health care options we give to the members of Congress and federal employees. What's good for members of Congress is also good for seniors.
  
• New Health Savings Accounts: Effective January 1, 2004, Americans can set aside up to $4,500 every year, tax free, to save for medical expenses. Depending on your tax bracket, that means you'll save between 10 to 35 percent on any costs covered by money in your account. Every year, the money not spent would stay in the account and gain interest tax-free, just like an IRA. These accounts will be good for small business owners, and employees. More businesses can focus on covering workers for major medical problems, such as hospitalization for an injury or illness. At the same time, employees and their families will use these accounts to cover doctors visits, or lab tests, or other smaller costs. Some employers will contribute to employee health accounts. This will help more American families get the health care they need at the price they can afford.
  

Homeland Security, Border Enforcement & Immigration

1. *See Government Reform above. Under President Bush's leadership, America has made an unprecedented commitment to homeland security.
2. Has CONSTRUCTION in process on the first 10 ABM silos in Alaska so that America will have a defense against North Korean nukes. Has ordered national and theater ballistic missile defenses to be deployed by 2004.
   
3. Announced a 9.7% increase in government-wide homeland security funding in his FY 2005 budget, nearly tripling the FY 2001 levels (excluding the Department of Defense and Project BioShield).
4. Before DHS was created, there were inspectors from three different agencies of the Federal Government and Border Patrol officers protecting our borders. Through DHS, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) now consolidates all border activities into a single agency to create "one face at the border." This not only better secures the borders of the United States, but it also eliminates many of the inefficiencies that occurred under the old system. With over 18,000 CBP inspectors and 11,000 Border Patrol agents, CBP has 29,000 uniformed officers on our borders.
5. The Border Patrol is continuing installation of monitoring devices along the borders to detect illegal activity.
   
6. Launched Operation Tarmac to investigate businesses and workers in the secure areas of domestic airports and ensure immigration law compliance. Since 9/11, DHS has audited 3,640 businesses, examined 259,037 employee records, arrested 1,030 unauthorized workers, and participated in the criminal indictment of 774 individuals.
7. Since September 11, 2001, the Coast Guard has conducted more than 124,000 port security patrols, 13,000 air patrols, boarded more than 92,000 vessels, interdicted over 14,000 individuals attempting to enter the United States illegally, and created and maintained more than 90 Maritime Security Zones.
   
8. Announced the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), an internet-based system that is improving America's ability to track and monitor foreign students and exchange visitors. Over 870,000 students are registered in SEVIS. Of 285 completed field investigations, 71 aliens were arrested.
   
9. This week, the US-VISIT program began to digitally collect biometric identifiers to record the entry and exit of aliens who travel into the U.S on a visa. Together with the standard information, this new program will confirm compliance with visa and immigration policies.
10. Eliminated INS bureaucratic redundancies and lack of accountability.
11. Split the Immigration and Naturalization Service into two agencies: one to protect the border and interior, the other to deal with naturalization.
12. Signed the workplace verification bill to prevent hiring of illegal aliens.
13. Established a six-month deadline for processing immigration applications.
14. Information regarding nearly 100% of all containerized cargo is carefully screened by DHS before it arrives in the United States. Higher risk shipments are physically inspected for terrorist weapons and contraband prior to being released from the port of entry. Advanced technologies are being deployed to identify warning signs of chemical, biological, or radiological attacks. Since September 11, 2001, hundreds of thousands of first responders across America have been trained to recognize and respond to the effects of a WMD attack.

Judiciary & Tort Reform

1. Is urging federal liability reform to eliminate frivolous lawsuits.
   
2. Killed the liberal ABA's unconstitutional role in vetting federal judges. The Senate is supposed to advise and consent, not the ABA.
   
3. Is nominating strong, conservative judges to the judiciary.
   
4. Supports class action reform bill which limits lawyer fees so that more settlement money goes to victims.

Politics

1. His leadership resulted in Republican gains in the House and Senate, solidifying Republican control of both houses of Congress and the presidency.
   
2. Signed an EO enforcing the Supreme Court's Beck decision regarding union dues being used for political campaigns against individual's wishes.
   

Second Amendment

1. Ordered Attorney General Ashcroft to formally notify the Supreme Court that the OFFICIAL U.S. government position on the 2nd Amendment is that it supports INDIVIDUAL rights to own firearms, and is NOT a Leftist-imagined "collective" right.
2. Signed TWO bills into law that arm our pilots with handguns in the cockpit.
   
3. Currently pushing for full immunity from lawsuits for our national gun manufacturers.
   
4. *See Globalization & Internationalism.
   

Traditional Values, Compassion & Volunteerism

1. Endorses and promotes "The Responsibility Era." President Bush often speaks of the necessity of personal responsibility and civic volunteerism. He said, "In a compassionate society, people respect one another and take responsibility for the decisions they make in life. My hope is to change the culture from one that has said, if it feels good, do it; if you've got a problem, blame somebody else — to one in which every single American understands that he or she is responsible for the decisions that you make; you're responsible for loving your children with all your heart and all your soul; you're responsible for being involved with the quality of the education of your children; you're responsible for making sure the community in which you live is safe; you're responsible for loving your neighbor, just like you would like to be loved yourself."
   
2. Started the USA Freedom Corps, the most comprehensive clearinghouse of volunteer opportunities ever offered. For the first time in history, Americans can enter geographic information about where they want to get involved, such as state or zip code, as well as areas of interest ranging from education to the environment, and they can access volunteer opportunities offered by more than 50,000 organizations across the country and around the world.
   
3. Established the The White House Office and the Centers for the Faith-Based and Community Initiative — located in seven Federal agencies. The faith-based initiative supports the essential work of these important organizations. The goal is to make sure that grassroots leaders can compete on an equal footing for federal dollars, receive greater private support, and face fewer bureaucratic barriers. Work focuses on at-risk youth, ex-offenders, the homeless and hungry, substance abusers, those with HIV/AIDS, and welfare-to-work families.
   
4. The White House released a guidebook fully describing the Administration's belief that faith-based groups have a Constitutionally-protected right to maintain their religious identity through hiring — even when Federal funds are involved.
5. Issued an EO implementing the Supreme Court's Olmstead ruling, which requires moving disabled people from institutions to community-based facilities when possible.
6. Increased funding for low-interest loan programs to help people with disabilities purchase devices to assist them.
7. Revised the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Section 8 rent subsidies to disabled people, permitting them to use up to a year's worth of vouchers to finance down payments on homes. HUD has started pilot programs in 11 states.
8. Committed US funds to purchase medicine for millions of men, women and children now suffering with AIDS in Africa.
   
9. Heeding the words of our own Declaration of Independence, the president laid out the non-negotiable demands of human dignity for all people everywhere. On January 29, 2002, he said, "No nation owns these aspirations, and no nation is exempt from them. We have no intention of imposing our culture. But America will always stand firm for the non-negotiable demands of human dignity." As stated by the President, they are a virtual manifesto of conservative principles:

• Equal Justice
  
• Freedom of Speech
  
• Limited Government Power
  
• Private Property Rights
  
• Religious Tolerance
  
• Respect for Women
  
• Rule of Law

[The Old Hoosier]

Sorry, but so little of our growth in spending and our new spending is 9-11 related. Bush's domestic average annual increase is something like 8 or 9 percent, against Lyndon Johnson's 4.3 percent.

It's these damned education/grant proposals, medicare "reform," and others programs Bush has created.

From this week's Brainwash:

With his State of the Union Address, President Bush has once again demonstrated a foolish willingness to indulge the culture of entitlement. He can’t veto the pork-laden spending bill currently before the Senate, but he positively promises to veto any attempt to undo his massive new prescription drug entitlement. He promises new funds for drug testing, job training, and half a dozen other initiatives, and sets a ridiculously low standard for the budget: “We will cut the deficit in half over the next five years.” (“Vote Bush: Only a quarter-trillion dollar deficit by 2008!”)

Is it any wonder that NBC News Wall Street Journal poll from last month shows Republicans have lost their advantage with voters on the issue of controlling spending?

...President Bush...responds to Democrats’ provocations with concessions and new wasteful social programs that they could have hardly dreamed up themselves: Now we’re buying people’s drugs for them, making payments on their houses, subsidizing teachers’ unions with massive education spending, and we may soon pay college tuition for illegal aliens, and send Social Security checks to Mexico as well.

Ronald Reagan had a hostile Congress, and even he did better to keep spending down than this president.

Last Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal reported that, on average, Bush has increased domestic discretionary spending by 8.2 percent annually, putting Lyndon Johnson’s 4.3 percent average to shame. Remember, this isn’t war-on-terror spending—it’s “let’s-buy-votes” spending.

[PhiKapMom]

I thought so too until I had to go observe the Dean blog after the Iowa caucus -- guess what -- some of their posts were word for word what I see on here by posters. The same can be said of the others campaigns.

How can you tell the difference? The negativity of the weekend by "new" posters was unbelieveable. Are you telling me that all these "New" posters and screen names on here just happened to be Anti-Bush but not from the liberals?

Coincidence and I are not on the same page!

[MJY1288]

And who in the Constitution Party are you voting for?, have they fielded a candidate yet? and what chance does that candidate have?

If you answer #1 with a name and yes to #2 and None to #3 that equals "irrelevance"

[blackie]

I'm one conservative who supports President George W. Bush 100% ~ he is the man!

[b9]

Well, then what do you have against bikers?

[A Navy Vet]

Thanks for compiling this list. As one of President Bush's critics here at FR, I will admit I often lose sight of his many accomplishments.

That said, he is not a fiscal conservative. Spending increases have occurred at more than twice the rate during clinton's terms. The tax cuts are overshadowed by the huge yearly deficits he's allowing to build. He has yet to find his veto pen, and actually encourages more spending which all but negates the tax cuts.

Also, although I am pleased to see him consolidate so many overlapping agencies, his policies toward illegal immigration are mostly smoke and mirrors. And his latest proposal of amnesty (call it what you will) is wrong-headed and will only encourage more illegal entry - it already has according to the latest Border Patrol reports, not to mention the increase in OTM's (other than Mexican) entries.

Agreed, no one can satisfy everyone, but the above are two VERY important issues where he is lacking. The first has not even been addressed and the latter has received a band aid approach.

[Ophiucus]

For your consideration!,/i>

Thanks for the ping - I like the list.

[Valin]

CFR was profoundly bad law. The President signed in knowing full well it was unconstitutional. Most people don't care since they don't engage in political free speech.

Plenty of guilt to go around on this.
So DO something about it!
/short rant
HOORAY For John!

Hugh & Series, Critical & Pulled by JimRob
Special to FreeRepublic | 17 December 2003 | John Armor (Congressman Billybob)

This is nothing like the usual whine by someone whose post was pulled. JimRob pulled my previous thread for a good reason. "If direct fund-raising were permitted on FR, it would soon be wall-to-wall fund-raising."

So, let's start again correctly. This is about civil disobedience to support the First Amendment and challenge the TERRIBLE CFR decision of the Supreme Court to uphold a terrible law passed by Congress and signed by President Bush.

All who are interested in an in-your-face challenge to the 30- and 60-day ad ban in the Campaign Finance "Reform" Act, please join in. The pattern is this: I'm looking for at least 1,000 people to help the effort. I will run the ad, and risk fines or jail time to make it work -- AND get national support.

But there should be NO mentions of money in this thread, and not in Freepmail either. This is JimRob's electronic home, and we should all abide his concerns.

Put your comments here. Click on the link above, and send me your e-mail addresses. I will get back to you by regular e-mail with the practical details.

This CAN be done. This SHOULD be done. But it MUST be done in accord with JimRob's guidelines.


Fair enough?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1042394/posts



Update
I've already tested the idea of my in-your-face challenge ads, first in the print media and then deliberately illegal on TV, with certain editors I have a long relationship with. I could trust these two gentlemen, one in the print media and the other in the broadcast media, with a "heads up" on what I am planning. Both said they wanted to know, in advance, when I am about to do this.

The bottom line is clear. If I am willing to put my neck on the line, with the possibilities of a fine and jail time, THAT effort will put CFR back on the front page in all media. And that is part of the point. There's not much value of going in-your-face against the enemies of the First Amendment unless the press takes up the story and spreads the word. It is now clear they will do exactly that.

Update 2
QUICK PROGRESS REPORT, ANSWERING A SUPPORTER'S QUESTION:
We have about 15% of the needed 1,000 sign-ups.

Spread the word, direct folks to the front page link on my website.

Google-bomb the phrase "anti-CFR" directing readers to that page and link. (We're already #2 and #4 on Google.)

Target date is now August, since the NC primary looks to be put back to September. (Remember, the ad isn't illegal until the 29th day before the election.)


Cordially,

John / Billybob


Note if you are interested in more on this please contact Valin or Congressman Billybob
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1066138/posts

[A Citizen Reporter]

"My own observation is that we have far fewer liberal disruptors here than we've had in a long time."

Doubtful. I believe we've got the same liberal distruptors here we've always had and more, returning with different screen names and under the guise of being disgruntled conservatives. They know they can't stay if they claim to be liberal.

Same ole Terry McAwful technique they use as CSPAN callers. "I've been a Republican my entire life, but by golly this year I'm voting for Kuchinich!" LOL!

[onyx]

Neither will we, Mr. President. We're going to see that you're re-elected.

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks for your comments! That is exactly what some of us have been trying to get across -- we believe that although we may not agree with the President 100% of the time, we believe he is far better then any Democrat and not even in the same category as his Dad.

This President is much more conservative IMO then his Dad. Do not believe you would ever get a Souter on the bench with this President. The Supreme Court nominee will be so vetted there will be no chance of another Souter.

[woodyinscc]

Kudo's too you, and do not forget all that is happening, that cannot be told.

This President leads by deeds and action, not hollow words, a faux economy, and a kick the can down the road foreign policy. The Clinton adm. put many roadblocks in his way. He has never publicly said this, or laid blame. He has just picked up the load that was given to him, shouldered it, and set out to correct it.!

[dts32041]

Yup the bots just want their borders opened and the illegals granted amnesty look at WSJ's journal today.

And of course they forget CFR, increasing education spending under Kennedy's bill, etc.

The fail to realize, we are like the frog in warm where the temperature is gradually being increased.

We will boil in our own juices, and not complain.

BTW have you heard when he is going to tighten up the ASW ban or better known as the 1994 fire arm act.

Bet that will get done in the next 6 months?

[MJY1288]

Congress spends money, Bush did not attach the pork to those bills, those wheeling and dealing Congress Critters did. Sure he signed them, but the Republicans in Congress agreed to the Pork to get enough votes for passage. Blame your Congressman and Senators

[Consort]

Are question like these considered conservative any more?

They are good questions and you are right to ask them. However, their intended impact and significance are becoming diluted and blunted, unfortunately, by the Perpetually Disgruntled and Eternally Disenchanted who use them to attack rather than to persuade and, consequently, they are in danger or becoming trite, IMO.

[EllaMinnow]

I believe that you mentioned earlier that you are a Texan.

What was President Bush's spending and budgetary record in Texas?

I've going out to get a sandwich, so you don't need to rush.

[antiRepublicrat]

I've been over some of this before, but I'll go into a few points here. I do agree that most of these are good points, especially the line item veto amendment, but there some that aren't right.

First, notice all of the items that have $ in front of them. That's your tax money people, and he's spending more than Clinton ever thought to. Second, a lot of this stuff is supposed to be done by the states, making GW a supporter of a large, powerful federal government at the expense of state autonomy. Now some points:

Upheld the ban on abortions at military hospitals.

We are going to refuse to our soldiers a service that is legal in the US. Not good.

Requires schools to have a zero-tolerance policy for classroom disruption (reintroducing discipline into classrooms).

And we've seen the idiocy that follows zero-tolerance policies, taking the discretion away from teachers and administrators.

Requires annual reading and math tests in grades three through eight

That opens a whole can of worms, from teachers teaching not a well-rounded course of instruction to them now teaching only for passing the tests, plus other problems.

Killed the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty.

It was already dead.

Initiated review of all federal agencies with the goal of eliminating federal jobs (completed September 2003) in an effort to reduce the size of the federal government while increasing private sector jobs.

So we're cutting federal jobs, but we're not cutting federally-paid positions and therefore the size of government.

Killed the liberal ABA's unconstitutional role in vetting federal judges. The Senate is supposed to advise and consent, not the ABA.

While I applaud the move, it was not unconstitutional. The Constitution requires the advice and consent of the Senate, but does not preclude advice and consent from other sources.

Freedom of Speech

George is known for suppressing dissent, such as how he allowed protests for his cause in front of the governor's mansion, but had those against him removed. Plus, as usual, protesters against him as president are always moved out of camera range.

Limited Government Power

Government power has expanded enormously under his presidency.

Private Property Rights

GW had the Rangers stadium built with $135 million of public money, to be paid for by a raise in sales tax. He then was part of a land grab to buy or steal the land surrounding the new stadium (often at prices set below-value) using a newly created public entity to do so. Several landowners won lawsuit against Bush's Rangers totalling over $11 million. The Rangers then tried to pass off that cost to the taxpayers, but finally paid up for the stolen land several years later. Whenever you hear of gross abuses of eminent domain, remember that Bush supports and was even part of eminent domain land grabs.

[.45MAN]

Thanks for the ping..I am bookmarking it also.

[RiflemanSharpe]

Most (60%) of the money TX spends is by law earmarked for education. He nor does anyone have much room ro manuver on this one.

[The Old Hoosier]

Two words: VE-TO.

I'm not talking about pork projects, even--although Bush is responsible for everything he signs. I'm talking about HIS initiatives, like expanding Americorps, "21st Centruy Jobs," the new Marriage Initiative, the drug-testing initiative, the "homeownership" initiative, etc., etc. No one to blame for these but the President, because he invented and announced them.