Golden Oldie: Did Bush Leave Us Bankrupt, Corrupt, Ungovernable?

[kpete]

Golden Oldie: Did Bush Leave Us Bankrupt, Corrupt, Ungovernable?

-- by Dave Johnson

Feb. 2010: Did Bush Leave Us Bankrupt, Corrupt, Ungovernable?

When you sell the farm, the farm's gone.

Is it already too late for America? I’m starting to think that the anti-tax, anti-government conservative movement that started in the mid-70s, elected Reagan and led to the terrible Bush Presidency may have effectively destroyed the country, leaving it bankrupt, corrupt,ungovernable, ruled by a wealthy elite -- and we're only now just starting to realize it. To cover tax cuts we stopped maintaining the infrastructure and started borrowing. To satisfy their hatred of government we increasingly stripped away rule of law, regulation, and belief in one-person-one-vote. We are seeing the consequences of all of that coming back to roost now.

Reagan left us with massive debt and ever-increasing interest payments. Bush left us with $1.3 trillion deficits and a destroyed economy that would force further increases in the borrowing for years - to be blamed on Obama. The "free marketers" gave away our manufacturing base that will take decades and massive capital investment to recover. Obama can try, but it may just be too late to do anything about the borrowing. We need massive investment in jobs and infrastructure, and a national economic/industrial plan. But, with their own Reagan/Bush debt as ammunition, conservative ideologues continue to block every effort at investment to get out of the mess we are in.

And with the country on the very edge of defaulting on the Reagan/Bush debt, Senate Republicans are FILIBUSTERING the very debt-ceiling deal they were for just a few weeks ago...

There is much more at that old post, go read.
http://www.seeingtheforest.com/archives/2010/02/after_bush_amer.htm

[dtom67]

1. Agree with the assessment, but.....

... If I thought it was too late, I would not be wasting my time here....

Overall, its a pretty good analysis of our situation.

What Bush really left us with was a Devastating tax cut for the wealthy that no one has had the balls to let expire. That should have been gone on day one.

[kentuck]

2. That's a very scary thought ...

..but I think it may true.

Reagan, Bush, and Supply Siders created a government that is ungovernable. As the author notes, "Reagan left us with massive debt and ever-increasing interest payments. Bush left us with $1.3 trillion deficits and a destroyed economy that would force further increases in the borrowing for years - to be blamed on Obama."

Unfortunately, our President and the Democratic Party have not yet come to that realization. It only delays the day of reckoning, in my opinion.

[xtraxritical]

13. Bring our troops home, close down that "embassy compound" in Iraq

cut the defense budget by half and get real. America's number one problem is an out of control military budget.

[Gman]

3. It appears that will be Bush' legacy.

[Beowulf]

4. This was all done intentionally

They wanted to leave such a horrible mess that the Dems would spend all their time cleaning it up rather than implementing new ideas. Didn't quite work with healthcare and that's among the reasons they are so angry about it.

[Zoeisright]

5. Completely, absolutely true.

It's literally upside down world here.

[Coyotl]

6. They are on a path to break up the USA and steal the federal lands and minerals

Fifty percent of the USA is public lands in the West primarily, and worth uncountable trillions in minerals. That is their real goal.

[HiPointDem]

9. +1

[AnotherMcIntosh]

7. They are filibustering on a debt-ceiling deal? Has Reid called for a cloture vote?

If he hasn't but is otherwise engaged in other activities (like spending time raising campaign cash), who is filibustering?

[ThoughtCriminal]

8. It can be saved

We have a remarkable ability to rebuild.

But so far, we're only slowing a steep decline. It seems that as long as the GOP has any power to it will stop the country from leveling out and start to climb again.

[Solly Mack]

10. Well, I wouldn't give him credit for the corruption (it already existed)

but he did use that corruption - within government (as well as his own and that of others) quite effectively to harm the country and its citizens. (and not just America/American citizens)

Nixon, Reagan, Bush I and Bush II - an accumulated effect that we'll never recover from without first being truthful about what they did, calling their crimes crimes and admitting that the lack of accountibility is also at fault for where we are now. Nixon resigning in no way altered the damage caused by his actions. He should have been impeached. He should have been criminally prosecuted. Pretending the damage caused by Nixon was somehow over after his resignation didn't help. Allowing Reagan and Bush I to get away with Iran-Contra didn't help any. And Shrub - well, here we are.

And it is not just what they did in office but how they got into office that has hurt America. Their use of racism and their promotion of vicious, even violent attacks, on liberals. You don't pander to racists and theocrats and get to claim you weren't expecting them to lash out. You don't play on fear and get to claim you didn't know someone would bomb a clinic or murder a doctor or attack people with brown skin. You don't use phrases like "attacking our way of life" and pretend you weren't setting up certain groups as the enemy of America - making them the target of attacks.

And they used these attacks - on minorities, on the poor, on women - to promote their ideology...to gain those tax cuts, to attack government as the enemy (all the while wanting government office to use the power of government to advance their ideology)...but the appeal of government is evil works on their voters, so they use it. (look where that has gotten us)

It ceases to be (if it ever was) "playing politics" or "how the game is played" when the damage that results can destroy a country.


Is it too late? I dunno.

[raouldukelives]

11. I'm pretty much convinced they know exactly what they are doing.

From the S&L scandal to Enron to the war profiteers to the real estate market crash to the new push for austerity. Part of me thinks they must be being playing dumb for Joe Public. "Who could have foreseen this happening?" I don't know. Me and a gazillion other people?
When someone is sporting degrees from the the top schools in the nation its hard to take a lack of recall and sheer naivety seriously. The collusion between our politicians & businessmen drawn up under the covers with a flashlight in one of those ivy league dorms is more likely the answer.
All I know for sure is the last 30 years have felt like one big corporate wedgie in the locker room of life.

[maddiemom]

12. Thanks for the reference to the Johnson post.

Very prescient two years ago. Anyone who's been paying attention would agree. Are too many of us so consumed with just surviving that we'll go along without a fight? The Reagan worship is totally ludicrous , and a sure sign of a struggling and dying political party. But Democrats are floundering around and show little sign of giving salvation.