Evaluation of the policies of George W. Bush and his Republican conservatives on America.
Published on March 8, 2006 By COL Gene In Politics


Most powerful people at some time focus of the legacy their tenure will leave. The Bush legacy will be multifaceted and the shapes of many of those facets are still unclear. For example the War on Terrorism will be circumscribed by what finally happens in Iraq. The issue of Bush's response to Katrina will depend on how the rebuilding of the Gulf region progresses.

One issue that is cast in stone is the impact his tax and spend policies will have on the federal budget in the years after he has left office. From an economic impact, the rapid escalation of the National Debt started in 2001 and the enormous increase in the interest American tax payers will be required to pay as a result of the Bush policy will be both long term and catastrophic. When Bush took office America already had a large deficit and was paying about $230 Billion EVERY year in interest on that debt. By 2010, the interest that the American Tax Payer will be paying will be approaching $500 Billion per year. The interest we will be paying every year will more then double.

The average person has no idea what $500 billion means. It is about 10 times more per year then the reported net worth of Bill Gates. $500 billion would pay the prescription Drug cost under Medicare for about eight years for the interest we will be paying EACH year. The interest Americans will pay in two years would rebuild every, school, bridge, dam water/sewer system and electrical system that is in need of rebuilding in America. $ 500 billion is more money then we spend on national defense. $500 billion is more then all other non-entitlement government expenses. The sad reality is that this money will not provide for ANY OF THE CURRENT NEEDS of our people. This annual blood letting pays for past years when we were not willing to pay for what we spent! Almost all this interest is the result of the very same policy - Cut taxes while increasing spending. It started in 1981 with Reagan and restarted anew with Bush in 2001. It was the refusal of both Reagan and Bush to balance the budget. It is very basic - When you choose how much you want to spend then you MUST set the tax rates at a level that will equal the amount you have chosen to spend. In the past that was called the Balanced Budget Amendment.

Some say the most lasting action of a President is his Supreme Court appointments. In the case of Bush, his fiscal policy will outlast any court appointments and impact the lives of 100 % of Americans. The money it will require to pay the added interest resulting from Bush will added to our future taxes and restrict money for far more important needs or our country! What a SAD legacy for ANY President to leave to future Americans.

Comments
on Mar 08, 2006
Shall I post the links to the pictures of the free Kurdistan and the letter the president of Iraq wrote to thank George Bush again, or will we assume that the point has been made?
on Mar 08, 2006
What does this have to do with the legacy of the deficit and the higher interest we will be paying because of the Bush tax and spend policies?

The legacy of Iraq can not be known until we see what sort of country Iraq becomes AFTER we have left. The statements of the Iraq President is immaterial. What do you think he would say? Without Bush he would not be in power.
on Mar 08, 2006

What does this have to do with the legacy of the deficit and the higher interest we will be paying because of the Bush tax and spend policies?


Nothing. It's just also part of the legacy. And from my point of view, i.e. the point of view of someone grown up in a country liberated by the US, it's much more important.



The statements of the Iraq President is immaterial. What do you think he would say? Without Bush he would not be in power.


If I believed the left and their statements about Iraqis, I would assume that he would hate the US and comdemn the invasion. But you are right, without Bush the elected president of Iraq would not be in power. That's one of the differences Bush made. And that is his primary legacy.
on Mar 08, 2006
Don't forget Bush's impact to the environment and big business
on Mar 08, 2006
Please, please, give me more presidents who could care less about their "legacy". When a president makes decisions in the context of his concern for his legacy, they are generally bad. It's the presidents who don't worry about their legacy that have one worth remembering.
on Mar 08, 2006
Please, please, give me more presidents who could care less about their "legacy". When a president makes decisions in the context of his concern for his legacy, they are generally bad. It's the presidents who don't worry about their legacy that have one worth remembering.


Are you actually saying that Bush gives no thought to his legacy? Are we on the same planet?
on Mar 08, 2006
Bottom line - When historians look at the Bush legacy it will be VERY DARK both on domestic and foreign issues. I do not believe there will be a single positive result of his eight years in office. Not Iraq or the war on terrorism. We will be in as much danger in 2008 as we were in 2001. We will be worse off in with Social Security because we will be that much closer to the day of reckoning with no progress on a solution. Medicare and Medicaid will be much worse. The trade situation could be in crises mode. Border security will remain unresolved. The deficit national debt and the impact of the budget will be a major problem. We will be no closer to being energy independent then we were in 2001. In a nut shell, EVERY MAJOR ISSUE WILL BE FAR WORSE IN 2008 THEN IN 2001. That will be the Bush legacy!
on Mar 08, 2006
I do not believe there will be a single positive result of his eight years in office.


on Mar 08, 2006
Are you actually saying that Bush gives no thought to his legacy?


Have you read any newspapers or magazines or watched any TV news in the last 6 years? You really think he bases his decisions on how popular they will make him? Do you not think it's possible that he considers his actions the "right" ones based on principle? Since "legacy" is defined by others, I doubt he's losing too much sleep over it, actually. Getting caught up in concern for legacy too often leads to timidity & failure of resolve - the political equivalent of the prevent defense.
on Mar 08, 2006
As Bush comes closer to the end of his term, I bet his thoughts turn more and more to what history will say about his eight years in office.
on Mar 08, 2006
To be fair to Bush, a post September 11 world is a difficult world for ANY leader to deal with, excluding fiscal issues.
on Mar 08, 2006
You are correct. The measure of a leader is how well they can deal with the difficult issues.