Is Bush the worst U.S. president ever?

[MikeyDB]

Careful with those MIKEY references bud!

 

[Walter]

So Bob Rae had nothing to do with hard times in Ontario in the early 90's and Mike Harris had nothing to do with the boom in the mid to late 90's.

The depth of recession and the peak of a boom can be influenced by public policy. Higher tax levels will reduce economic activity. Lower tax levels will increase economic activity. Bob tried to spend and tax his way to prosperity and it didn't work, Mike lowered taxes and the economic boom peaked at a higher level than it otherwise would have.

 

[lone wolf]

Careful with those MIKEY references bud!

;-) Really sucks when someone goes and desecrates a perfectly good name, huh?...

Woof!

 

[Avro]

The depth of recession and the peak of a boom can be influenced by public policy. Higher tax levels will reduce economic activity. Lower tax levels will increase economic activity. Bob tried to spend and tax his way to prosperity and it didn't work, Mike lowered taxes and the economic boom peaked at a higher level than it otherwise would have.

Depends where those tax dollars are spent old boy instead of invested offshore as opposed to salaries for cops and firefighters who spend their money in local economies.

So governments do or do not have influence over the economy?

If they do your defense of Bush is moot and nothing more than idealogical swill.

Btw the economy started to improve before Mike was elected. The same guy who spent 80 million to have a hole filled in because he refused to expand Toronto's infrastructure.

 

[MikeyDB]

Mike Harris was the man for the times.... unfortunately his "times" were devoid of any thought or thinking about anything longer than the "legacy" he'd leave written in Canadian history books. Same goes for Mulroney and every other politician who puts their personal aggrandizement/wealth/power ahead of the substantive metric that ought to be the rationale for serving the public interest.

We'll continue to elect people who can be easily bought by industry and financial interests because our choices are limited to those few. A typical housewife in a typical neighborhood could do the job and perhaps a better job of managing finances than our "finance ministers" and "experts" elected to office. But while the rest of humanity is getting on with living their lives, many find the opportunity to re-direct the flow of life energy and progress to their personal advantage. I didn't like Mike Harris but I just as equally don't like Dalton McGuinty or any other stooge who just like every previous politician makes a practice of lying to people and pretending he's got a conscience when in fact his conscience in the "bottom-line" for his wealthy friends.

Don't blow a gasket on me Walt.... Uniformed and poorly conceptualized "social-programs" are no better in many cases than handing bundles of money under the table in restaurants and hoodwinking taxpayers so your political party can bank money they neither earned nor deserved.

We create these monsters and we'll have to live with them.

 

[talloola]

Members of the UN security council are preoccupied with their own agendas and don't work together for the common good.

I agree, and I think that the U N should become the strongest voice in the world when
it comes to 'treating other countries with diplomacy or force', not the U.S. or any other
country.
The U N should have had the power to 'prevent' or 'not allow' the U.S. to invade Iraq.

But after saying that, how would the U N, even with great power ever be able to stop
China from stealing Tibet and calling it their own. Seems similar to Iraq trying to overtake Kuwait, big
against little, so, there are some countries in the world who thumb their noses at the U.N. and give them
no respect, (including the u.s.), so, that is not right, why even have a u.n.
It seems everyone wants a u.n., but only for all 'others' to obey, not them.

 

[Avro]

I agree, and I think that the U N should become the strongest voice in the world when
it comes to 'treating other countries with diplomacy or force', not the U.S. or any other
country.
The U N should have had the power to 'prevent' or 'not allow' the U.S. to invade Iraq.

But after saying that, how would the U N, even with great power ever be able to stop
China from stealing Tibet and calling it their own. Seems similar to Iraq trying to overtake Kuwait, big
against little, so, there are some countries in the world who thumb their noses at the U.N. and give them
no respect, (including the u.s.), so, that is not right, why even have a u.n.
It seems everyone wants a u.n., but only for all 'others' to obey, not them.

Except the UN never gave China the green light to take Tibet like a U.S. diplomat did Iraq on Kuwait.

 

[mrgrumpy]

Okay, well thank you for your opinions, by the way if i was old enough to vote i would vote for John McCain but im only fifteen so i wont be voting in the upcoming election but thanks for asking. I do belive that even if we cannot win in Iraq we should still stay there and not pull out beccuse our presence in the country is preventing a full-blown civil war that would result in many more deaths and so i believe we should stay in Iraq until their security forces are strong enough to control the country on their own. Also, how can Bush be the worst president in history when other presidents have sent more men to their deaths and the sole argument you are making is that Bush is the worst because of all the deaths under his presidency?

Speaking only for myself I would say that Dubya is , to put it succinctly, an international and historic disgrace, not just because of the innocent people he is responsible for killing, but primarily that he was completely unsuited to the post he was elected to, shrank instead of grew into the job, and let his personal ignorance and petty dislikes disgrace a great nation. He squandered the wealth of sympathy and support of the free world after 9/11 and has led our largest trading partner into rack and ruin.

 

[talloola]

Speaking only for myself I would say that Dubya is , to put it succinctly, an international and historic disgrace, not just because of the innocent people he is responsible for killing, but primarily that he was completely unsuited to the post he was elected to, shrank instead of grew into the job, and let his personal ignorance and petty dislikes disgrace a great nation. He squandered the wealth of sympathy and support of the free world after 9/11 and has led our largest trading partner into rack and ruin.

Well said!!!

 

[Praxius]

Speaking only for myself I would say that Dubya is , to put it succinctly, an international and historic disgrace, not just because of the innocent people he is responsible for killing, but primarily that he was completely unsuited to the post he was elected to, shrank instead of grew into the job, and let his personal ignorance and petty dislikes disgrace a great nation. He squandered the wealth of sympathy and support of the free world after 9/11 and has led our largest trading partner into rack and ruin.

I'd agree to most of that except the part where you said he was "Elected."

 

[gopher]

Bush booed at baseball season opener:

but at least he can throw a ball

 

[talloola]

Bush booed at baseball season opener:

but at least he can throw a ball

too bad the benches didn't empty and all of the players jump him:angryfire:

 

[zoofer]

Too bad this Statesman can't run a 3rd time. Maybe he should be be given the keys to Montreal and offered honorary Canadian citizenship? :canada:

Bush's Africa Legacy
By Michael Steele
Friday, March 28, 2008

President Bush showed the world that it isn't words, but actions, that truly make a difference. Millions throughout Africa would agree.
Mr. Bush recently completed a historic visit to the African continent; a trip he described as "the most exciting, exhilarating, uplifting trip" of his presidency. During his visit, we saw pictures of the president dancing, celebrating and attending ceremonies with heads of state. But the real story is not about just this one trip; it is about the commitment the president made to Africa and what the United States has been quietly accomplishing throughout the continent over the past eight years under Mr. Bush's leadership.
While critics here at home, including many in the press, focused on attacking Mr. Bush at every turn, he steadfastly pushed for greater investments to help the families and businesses of Africa. It's the great untold story that has rarely made headlines here in America, but even so, it has truly changed the world for millions of Africans.
As Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete noted, for the people of his country and others across the African continent, Mr. Bush's "legacy will be that of saving hundreds of thousands of mothers' and children's lives from malaria, preventing new HIV infections and giving hope to those infected through care and treatment, and helping millions of young men and women get education." Perhaps most importantly, he adds, Mr. Bush leaves "the legacy of assisting African nations and people [in building] capacity for their own growth and development." Over the last seven years, the U.S. has committed $1.6 billion to trade capacity-building assistance to Sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, Mr. Bush launched the Millennium Challenge Account as a new model to support governments that commit to ruling justly, investing in people and encouraging economic freedom. In May 2007, he announced the Africa Financial Sector Initiative, which will create seven new investment funds that will mobilize more than $1.6 billion through support of OPIC.
In the area of improving health care in Africa, the president's actions are already producing measurable results: nearly 1.5 million people are receiving life-saving antiretroviral medications, HIV infection from HIV-positive mothers has been prevented in more than 150,000 infants and 29 million children have been enrolled in schools, some for the first time in their lives. For Mr. Bush, that's just the beginning. On his recent trip, he announced plans to provide more than 5 million mosquito nets to Tanzanians, as well as a new investment to help eradicate certain tropical diseases.
So why did he do it? As singer-songwriter Bob Geldof pointed out, "There are no votes in helping the poor of Africa, but Bush did it anyway." It clearly wasn't about winning votes or political gain. It was not about fodder for stump speeches and empty promises of hope. Instead of being about catch phrases that simply ring hollow, the president's quiet efforts in Africa have been about action, about compassion and about results.
Mr. Bush's unheralded commitment to helping the people and nations of Africa reminds us that we are the generation who will have it within our power not only to move hearts and minds but also to raise our hands to shape the very future of families, communities and even a continent. The ability to empower others rests not in empty promises or high-minded rhetoric, but rather in real actions that not only change lives, but also change the world.
During my trade mission to Africa as Maryland's lieutenant governor and on subsequent visits, I had the opportunity to witness firsthand how the seeds of empowerment were being planted through market reforms, health initiatives and long-term strategic planning across the African continent. I gained a new appreciation for the kind of business climate that continuing market liberalization and privatization can create, and also for the impact that U.S.-sponsored trade legislation truly offers as a mechanism of support.
Measures such as the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and Southern Africa Customs Union Free Trade Agreement (SACU-FRA) are making Africa more attractive to American companies who are interested in doing business on the continent. These reforms and the partnerships they foster will shape the economy of both continents for generations to come.
The time is ripe for Africa — and an African renaissance is beginning to emerge across the globe. Because of the efforts of the Bush administration, America will have an important role to play in helping to sustain that renaissance. But it will be equally important for future administrations to appreciate what Mr. Bush's leadership on Africa exemplified: The character of America is not so much revealed in what we say or the public attention we may get, but in what we do when no is watching.

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/MichaelSteele/2008/03/28/bushs_africa_legacy

Michael Steele is a former Lieutenant Governor of Maryland.

 

[talloola]

Too bad this Statesman can't run a 3rd time. Maybe he should be be given the keys to Montreal and offered honorary Canadian citizenship? :canada:

He's only taking orders from others, as always, can't think on his own. I'm sure it
was Condoleeza Rice who organized all of the african aid. good for her.

 

[gopher]

too bad the benches didn't empty and all of the players jump him:angryfire:

Too bad the fans didn't empty the bleachers and do it!

 

[talloola]

Too bad the fans didn't empty the bleachers and do it!

even better yet;-)

 

[MikeyDB]

Zoofer

The evil men do lives on....

If you measure the potential aid and assistance of education and expertise that could and should have been given to African nations instead of presenting the lure of Nigerian oil as impetus to strengthen already strained ethnic barriers.... If the wealthiest nation on the planet had any intrerest other than oil and resources in Africa...like getting involved when people were being slaughtered in Rwanda......

But hey you celebrate this buffon if you like....

 

[gopher]

Iraqi death toll climbs sharply


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7324106.stm



"The monthly figure of people killed in Iraq rose by 50% in March compared with the previous month, according to official government counts.
A total of 1,082 Iraqis, including 925 non-combatant civilians, were killed, up from 721 in February. The figures come from the combined counts of the health, defence and interior ministries. "


Yes, still another example of Bush's failings in Iraq.

 

[Praxius]

Zoofer

The evil men do lives on....

If you measure the potential aid and assistance of education and expertise that could and should have been given to African nations instead of presenting the lure of Nigerian oil as impetus to strengthen already strained ethnic barriers.... If the wealthiest nation on the planet had any intrerest other than oil and resources in Africa...like getting involved when people were being slaughtered in Rwanda......

But hey you celebrate this buffon if you like....

That and can anybody actually tally up how many people were saved by the above actions he took in Africa? Once you get that, subtract the amount of people who have died in both Afghanistan and Iraq due to his actions, and I think you'll notice it'll still be in the negatives.

 

[Praxius]

.... including 925 non-combatant civilians

And people still wonder why there's such a large insurgency/insurrection there?