Evaluation of the policies of George W. Bush and his Republican conservatives on America.
COL Gene's Articles » Page 32
February 20, 2005 by COL Gene
This week the governors came out against the proposal by President Bush to cut $40 billion from the budget for Medicaid. That program pays for health care for the poor and disabled and is funded jointly by the Federal and state governments. Therefore, when the Federal Government cuts funding to the states those cuts must be made up by the states. If President Bush is successful in cutting the funding to states for Medicaid, the states will then begin looking within their budgets...
February 18, 2005 by COL Gene
When President Bush opened the door to increasing the Social Security wage cap to include all earned income, it was to garnish support for his plan to partially privatize Social Security. The AP reported that including all earned income would add approximately $100 billion per year to Social Security taxes. AP further reported that only 6% of wage earners would be impacted by this proposal. The $100 Billion per year would pay for partially privatizing Social Security without going in...
February 17, 2005 by COL Gene
Yesterday the new CIA director, Porter Goss told a select Senate committee on intelligence that Iraq has become a terrorist training ground. He further admitted that he could not guarantee that theIraqi insurgents have not have stolen enough nuclear material from Russia to create a weapon. Today Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld noted it is likely the United States would again be attacked by the Islamic extremists. In addition, we now have a partnership between Syria and Iran which is the re...
February 16, 2005 by COL Gene
President Bush continues his discussions across the country about his change to Social Security. The Social Security question has two basic components. First, is the philosophy of what Social Security is and what it should be for workers in America? Second, is the mechanics of how to maintain the solvency of Social Security? Social Security has always been a guaranteed minimum retirement benefit for the American worker. Something that was predictable and guaranteed. The problem wit...
February 15, 2005 by COL Gene
Congress needs to act quickly to approve The President's $81.9 Billion request to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This money should not be added to the deficit. Two suggestions to pay for this added expenditure are to rescind the tax cuts for the top two income brackets or make the $82 billion a loan. In no event should Congress increase the deficit which is estimated by President Bush at $ 427 Billion without this $81.9 Billion. It is time to STOP charging and start paying for wh...
February 14, 2005 by COL Gene
President Bush ignores the real problem and potential solution to this country's fiscal morass which is the interest on the national debt. The rationale used to mitigate the increasing debt is that it is the same % of GDP. The real issue is not the percent of GDP the national debt represents but how much interest does that debt require us to pay. Since 1980, American taxpayers have paid $6.5 trillion in interest on our national debt. That amount of money would have solved both Social Se...
February 12, 2005 by COL Gene
There are a number of ways of being untruthful. One is to outright lie like President Clinton did about having sex with Monica Lewinsky. Another way is to mask your true intentions. It is clear from the choices President Bush has made in his new budget that he has chosen to lie to the American people by hiding his real intentions. First, the farm subsidy cuts are going over in the red states like a “lead balloon”. Group after group of farmers, who are responsible for reelecting George ...
February 10, 2005 by COL Gene
In reviewing the strategy employed by President Bush it is clear that he has seized upon a tactic which has apparently worked well for him. That tactic is very simple, when the rationale you have used is shown to be untrue, you quickly shift to a new rationale. Let's review a couple of Mr. Bush’s decisions to enumerate this tactic. First was the Iraq war. The first reason was that Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction threatened the United States. We had things like a mu...
February 7, 2005 by COL Gene
The unveiling of the Bush budget is the clearest indication of where Bush and his compassionate conservatives place their values. The budget shows either reduced funding or cuts in numerous areas which will have a negative impact on America. A sample of his cuts or reduced funding include: Cuts in home heating assistance for the poor – Let them freeze to death Medicaid - Healthcare for the poor – Let them die in agony Subsidies for growing cotton, rice, corn, soybeans and wheat – ...
February 6, 2005 by COL Gene
We must STOP the CHARGE and SPEND policies in Washington NOW! Here is how to do it. Establish the objective to bring our general fund expenses and revenues into balance by 2008. Begin generating a budget surplus of $200 billion annually starting with fiscal year 2009. This annual surplus would be directly applied each year to reduce the overall federal deficit. Below is a process that should be considered to achieve the fiscal discipline outlined above namely to balance revenues...
February 5, 2005 by COL Gene
Restore the Café standards and make them apply to all cars, trucks and SUVs. Establish new targets for increased miles per gallon for each type of vehicle over the next 10 years. Establish tax credits for car manufacturers who achieve the established standards. Establish tax surcharges to car manufacturers who fail to meet the new mileage standards. Utilize the additional tax revenue from surcharges to help fun...
February 5, 2005 by COL Gene
This week the Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the net bottom line on job creation during the first Bush term in office. According to the Bureau, 119,000 net new jobs were created during the four years of the Bush first term. During that same four year period, over 5 million Americans entered the work force seeking jobs. The retort is that the president doesn't create jobs. The truth is the economic policy of the federal government has a great deal to do with economic growth and...
February 4, 2005 by COL Gene
Voter turnout in Iraq, which created euphoria in the Bush administration, could turn out to be a nightmare for this country. Although it is too early to have the final results from the election, it appears that the Shiite clerics hold a commanding lead. The net result of the Iraqi election could be the creation of a government similar to the type of government in Iran. We have been unable to deal with the Iranian government for decades and if what results in Iraq is similar to the gove...
January 10, 2005 by COL Gene
President Bush is placing a great deal of emphasis on the Iraqi elections on the 30th of January. Even if these elections are held, there is no guarantee it will help to create a more peaceful Iraq or enable the withdrawal of American forces. The possibilities that will follow the election are many. It is possible that a government may be selected around which the majority of Iraq people will rally and move toward a more stable environment. On the other hand the government that is selec...
January 6, 2005 by COL Gene
Another major priority of the Bush administration appears to be Social Security. President Bush and his staff have been closed mouth as to the exact proposals they plan to recommend. Now the camel's nose is beginning to appear under the tent. First we heard that the 2% diversion of worker Social Security taxes to private accounts might be recommended. That was immediately followed by where is the money to come from to allow Social Security taxes to be diverted into private accounts? A...