It's a Damn Shame

[ShinyTop]

Ya know what, as I post on this and other forums I find myself alternately defending and attacking Bush. And as I think about I realize I almost always attacking his domestic policies and how he treats Americans and defending his foreign policy. I have enough testosterone in me to be glad we stood up to Saddam's actions and did not let the UN or EU dissuade us from the right course. I was happy to see Bush stand up to Korea and not keep giving in to their extortion. Don't get me wrong, I want a peaceful solution but not one that has us kissing the ass of every despotic dictator on the planet.

And then we look at his actions with regard to Americans. Is his Bring Em On attitude the same with us? He did not come clean with us regarding the reasons for invading Iraq, although there are many still disputing that. He and his AG enacted a law doing away with the checks and balances of the Constitution and has even treated American citizens with the same actions as foreign fighters. While making the rest of the world either respect or fear us, depending on their record, he has also done away with my country setting the example. He blew it big time with the Gitmo prisoners. We could have been an example of what to do, instead everyone in the world knows our government only recognizes basic human rights for Americans.

He has bowed to the wishes of big corporations in every case where their benefit came into conflict with the average citizen. From allowing foreign workers into the country when American citizens in the same field are unemployed to changing decades old rules for overtime to allowing business to import cheap labor from Mexico so they do not have to offer a decent wage to Americans he has totally shown his colors.

And you know what? The pride of most Americans in his foreign policy will get him elected. While I share some of that pride I bemoan the blinders that allows the man to continue to crush American workers while enriching the fat cats. Its a damn shame.

[ethics]

Good post and I agree.

One thing I'd like to add to your perspective on how the foreign policy success might be enough for him to get re-elected. This would NOT have been an issue if the US had balls and courage to do this prior to 9.11.01. Clinton was a softie, counterproductive in his actions, Bush Sr. was great but the entire world was in it. There was a lot less risk in going at it "alone" (although 50+ countries is hardly alone).

[Robert Harris]

And he has put us in the position of being admonished by the IMF for irresponsible fiscal policies, much as banana republics are admonished -- no, worse, because we are so big we can cause global economic problems.

WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Economists at the International Monetary Fund on Wednesday expressed alarm at growing U.S. budget deficits, saying continued deficits could hurt the global economy by roiling currency markets and driving up interest rates.

In a report on U.S. budget outlook, IMF researchers described the state of government finances as "perilous" in the long run and urged Congress and the White House to take steps to quickly rein in the deficits. Although federal tax cuts and spending increases since 2001 bolstered the global economy in the short run, the report said "large U.S. fiscal deficits also pose significant risks for the rest of the world."

A key risk is that the recent slide of the U.S. dollar against other major currencies could become "disorderly," the researchers said. The dollar has declined sharply since early 2002 against both the European common currency and the Japanese yen, complicating the task of European and Japanese monetary policymakers, said Charles Collyns, who heads the IMF team that monitors the U.S. economy.

"We feel there is a substantial risk that the foreign investors' appetite for U.S. assets, and in particular U.S. government assets, will over time diminish," Collyns said in a news conference. "We think to some degree over the past year this has occurred, and this is one of the reasons why there has been weakness in the U.S. dollar." So far, he said, the decline hasn't jeopardized the economic recoveries in Europe and Japan, but the danger to the global economy could grow if the U.S. budget deficits


Quotes from: http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=808&u=/dowjones/20040107/bs_dowjones/200401071721001228&printer=1

We are gooing to wind up an international laughing stock, much like Argentina.

[ethics]

We are gooing to wind up an international laughing stock, much like Argentina.
While the problem is evident I never pictured you as using histrionic type. I wouldn't take anything IMF says at face value.

[Robert Harris]

Many other people have said much the same thing, Leon. Including me.

[ethics]

Many other people have said much the same thing, Leon. Including me.
Dude, you are going to vote for Sharpton.

[Robert Harris]

1) That has nothing to do with the subject at hand.

2) Sharpton would have no objections to takin g necessary actions -- raising taxes.

3) It isn't true, anyway,