Reply #16: Bush Lies [View All]

[Disturbed]

Bush Lies

• "You can't say one thing and do another."-- George W. Bush, 10/31/00

• “If you overspend, it creates a fundamental weakness in the foundation of economic growth. And so I'm working with Congress to make sure they hear the message -- the message of fiscal responsibility.”-- 9/16/02

(Less than 6 months later, Bush proposed a budget that would put the government more than $300 billion into deficit.)

• “Having been here and seeing the care that these troops get is comforting for me and Laura. We are -- should and must provide the best care for anybody who is willing to put their life in harm's way.”-- Walter Reed Army Hospital, 1/17/03
(That same day the Bush Administration cut off access to its health care system from approximately 164,000 veterans.)

• “We're dealing with first-time responders to make sure they've got what's needed to be able to respond.“-- 3/27/02 (Bush said he was proposing $3.5 billion in “new” money for first responders, but he actually tried to rob more than $1 billion from existing grants to local police/fire departments to fund his proposal. In August 2002, Bush rejected another $150 million for grants to state and local first responders.)

• “We're working hard to make sure your job is easier, that the port is safer. The Customs Service is working with overseas ports and shippers to improve its knowledge of container shipments, assessing risk so that we have a better feel of who we ought to look at, what we ought to worry about.”-- 6/24/02 (Bush’s 2003 and 2004 budgets provide nothing for port security grants. In August, he vetoed all $39 million for the Container Security Initiative that he specifically touted.)

• “A secure and efficient border is key to our economic security.”-- 9/9/02 (Bush promised more INS/Border Patrol staff and facilities, but provided no funding. He vetoed $6.25 million for promised pay upgrades for Border Patrol agents, and his 2004 Budget slashes “Border and Transportation Security” by $284 million.)

• “We've got to do more to protect worker pensions.”-- 8/7/02 (The Bush Administration proposed new rules so employers could resume converting traditional pension plans to new ‘cash balance’ plans that can lower benefits of long-serving workers.) “Companies favor these plans because they can slash a worker's pension benefit by 20 to 50 percent in one fell swoop.”-- Rep. Bernard Sanders (I-VT.)

• “A reformed and strengthened Medicare system, plus a healthy dosage of Medicare spending in the budget, will make us say firmly, we fulfilled our promise to the seniors of America.”-- 1/29/03 (Bush’s 2004 budget proposes 85% less than what would be needed to meet his goal, and would leave 67% of the total $400 billion pledge to be spent after 2008.)

• “I want to thank the Boys & Girls Clubs across the country…The Boys & Girls Club have got a grand history of helping children understand the future is bright for them, as well as any other child in America.”-- 1/30/03 (Bush’s 2002 budget proposed eliminating all federal funding for the Boys and Girls Club of America.)

• “Clear Skies legislation, when passed by Congress, will significantly reduce smog and mercury emissions, as well as stop acid rain. It will put more money directly into programs to reduce pollution, so as to meet firm national air-quality goals. ...”-- Earth Day speech, 4/22/02 (Actually, the Clear Skies law delays required pollution emission cuts by as much as 10 years, weakens the states' power to address interstate pollution problems, and allows outdated industrial facilities to avoid costly pollution-control upgrades.)

So while the big lies about the war are exposed to the light, the Bush team is quietly working in the shadows-chipping away at programs for veterans, the young, the old, and the poor-funneling every possible dollar into their giant war machine so it will eventually end up in the pockets of friends and family. That is compassionate conservatism at its best.

http://www.interventionmag.com/cms/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=600