FTA
I must first emphasize at the time of Dubyas tenure in the White House I was not a supporter of many Bush policies, however, I did understand his reasoning.
Sometimes research into why was needed in order for us to understand this reasoning, but there were valid reasons nonetheless. It is unfair for the liberal media, or for any Johnny-come-lately to re-write his motivation as illicit, it was not. In hindsight some of his policies and approaches may have been wrong, but it generally is unfair to look in the rear view mirror to judge. Again, at times it is important to stop the conversation, pause, and remind ourselves what was going on at the time.
When Dubya took office the economic country was moving along steadily, indeed Dubya was less focused on fiscal matters and more focused on educational and social issues. The primary plank of his candidacy was education. People were working, things were quiet, and the country was steadily moving forward with little attention to outside the U.S. influences.
However, all that changed immediately on 9/11/2001.
EVERYTHING CHANGED.
Not only was our collective conscience shocked and we felt suddenly vulnerable to attack, but the very core of our society was attacked. Our economy literally came to a grinding and immediate thundershock of a stop.
The images of people jumping out of burning buildings as the best option left impressions of their bodies exploding on the sidewalks of our psyche. Not only did it scare the crap out of us, it also caused us to retract into an almost economic coma.
The Stock Market closed.
For weeks and then months people stayed away from purchasing anything, businesses were immediately in trouble. People didnt buy stuff.
Cars were not selling, shops were empty, massive economic activity just stopped as suddenly as the planes hitting the World Trade Center Towers. In addition to the risk from terrorism, Bush was also facing an immediate, check that, an instantaneous economic recession.
People blasted George W. Bush for a news conference when he asked Americans to start buying again, but what they didnt give him credit for was knowing how substantive this drop in economic activity was.
Our economy was immediately in dire straits.
Do you remember the $600 per person tax rebate check he quickly dispatched to every man, woman and child in our country. This was one of the measures he took to combat an economic downturn facilitated by the terror attacks on 9/11.
He was trying to wake up our economy from the fear those Muslim Jihadists put us into. In addition he took steps to lower the tax rates, which are infamously now called the Bush Tax Cuts.
It is unfair, heck it is beyond unfair, to ignore the context of his decision. It was not just some arbitrary determination along the lines of gee I think Americans pay too much in taxes, and I want to create a deficit. That type of claim is just a total disconnect to the reality behind the decision. He was trying to save us from the result of the economic terrorism which followed the attacks.
And guess what? It worked
. It frigging worked. Yes, his approach however you feel about the tax rate cuts, the tax rebate checks, and the subsequent economic growth worked. That context is fair and appropriate whether or not you think the decision was correct, the reality of the context still exists. Im really am quite sick and tired of watching progressive liberals re-write history without this context in place.
Besides, their charge that the Bush Tax Cuts reduced tax revenue is fundamentally flawed. Actually, it is an outright lie. Take a look at Revenues or how much money has come into, or been withheld from the Government because of Bushs Tax rates. The Bush Tax Cuts (Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003) were signed into law on May 28, 2003, just months before the start of the 2004 fiscal year. The results in terms of real revenue to the U.S. government were stunning.
According to the OMBs own figures, the Bush tax cuts resulted in an explosion of revenue to the U.S. government. Get that? The governments own non-partisan accounting office state unequivocally the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 brought more revenue into the treasury (look at chart). Thats not to say Bush wasnt a profligate spender, he was; and that is where a lot of fiscal conservatives became extremely angry with Dubya. But in virtually no cases were Democrats arguing that he spend less (unless you count national security).
Remember the day, January 3rd, 2007 was also the day that Barney Frank took over the House Financial Services Committee and Chris Dodd took over the Senate Banking Committee. The economic meltdown that happened 15 months later was in what part of the economy? BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES !
Democrats dumped 5-6 TRILLION Dollars of toxic loans on the economy from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac FIASCOS! (By the way: Bush asked Congress 17 TIMES to stop Fannie & Freddie starting in 2001 because it was financially risky for the US economy).
And who took the THIRD highest pay-off from Fannie Mae AND Freddie Mac? Senator Barack Obama. And who fought against reform of Fannie and Freddie? Senator Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress.
The last budget used by the federal government to determine spending priorities was signed in the fall of 2007 by George W. Bush for fiscal year 2008. There has not been one annual budget passed since then. Obama has not served one day in office with a spending budget in place.
Read more actual FACTS at:
http://theconservativetreehouse.com/2014/11/05/dubya-the-fair-context-and-seven-years-without-a-federal-budget/