Name that President
I like games, especially trivia. Although I’m not smarter than a fifth grader, usually I do pretty well. In watching quiz shows I find myself casually giving out the answers much to the amazement of my kids. Sometimes it’s an educated guess because of the clue and other times my brain pulls it out of some dusty part of my head labeled ‘useless facts needed for diploma’. I will admit however many times I have no idea. I may know the end result or maybe the question is familiar but the answer eludes me. So I make something up that sounds plausible and do my best to sound confident.
My kids never seem to catch on. I believe the same can be said for John Q. Public in regards to President Bush and the many things he’s accomplished. Sadly we recite things like “Bush is stupid” not even knowing why. But did you know he has an IQ of 125. The average IQ by definition is 100. Mr. Bush also scored higher than John Kerry at Yale. Kerry himself apparently believed Bush was stupid too. In April 2004, he was quoted in Newsweek as saying, “I can’t believe I am losing to this idiot.” There are many examples of misinformation concerning George Bush and too many people are reciting incorrect facts. So I thought I’d expound on a few of his accomplishments and perhaps you’ll amaze your kids or friends at the next trivia party.
President Bush set aside more marine wildlife sanctuaries than any other man in history. 195,280 square miles containing some of the most ecologically rich marine life is now protected for example. This does not include a large area he also set aside off the Hawaiian Islands. Green Peace says thank you.
His approval rating in Africa is 80%. In Africa, Bush is a full-fledged hero after quietly tripling aid to the continent during his presidency. No other president has even come close to this in terms of dollars but even more impressive is that his compassion is directly responsible to the saving of more than 10,000,000 lives.
In Iraq and Afghanistan Bush liberated over 50 million people, disbanded the Taliban, knocked out Saddam Hussein’s supposed well trained army in a matter of a month. With the stunning effectiveness the terrorist Al Qaeda switched tactics to suicide bombers and roadside explosives. Bush listened to his field commanders and ordered a surge. This drew great criticism and worldwide doubt. The media pounded him, politicians jumped in with both feet. Harry Reid said “the war is lost.” Hilary Clinton called General Petraeus a liar. The Washington Post ran an ad from Move On that read ‘General Betray Us’. Bush held firm and was proven right. The surge worked and now even more progress is being made on the building of schools, roads and other infrastructure. Grudgingly even left wing papers and news outlets admit the terrorist network is crippled and fleeing. What perhaps is most impressive is that in January 2005 millions of Iraqis turned out to vote freely for who and what they chose. This truly was a bench mark for the world to see and even the Washington Post had to admit it was a victory for President Bush.
Elsewhere in the world Bush improved relations with North Korea and stopped their nuclear threat, Iran with all their saber rattling too is quieting down. Relations with India have greatly flourished with the signing of a landmark deal allowing for the sale of civilian nuclear technology to them. Relations with China have improved vastly under Bush and both countries have grown economically as a result. He disarmed Libya of its nuclear, chemical and biological wmd’s without firing a shot and incidentally Libya has finally paid restitution for the bombing of flight 103 in 1988. All under George Bush’s watch.
For the environment George Bush has been a leader. He killed the Kyoto treaty which to many is not good but in reality the initiative would have crippled the economy of U.S. Undaunted he established a 10,000,000 dollar grant to promote private conservation initiatives. He eased field testing controls on genetically engineered crops. Changed parts of the Forestry Management Act to allow necessary cleanup of the national forests in order to reduce fire danger. Restricted judicial challenges (based on the Endangered Species Act and other challenges), and removed the need for an Environmental Impact Statement before removing fuels/logging to reduce fire danger. Stopped Clintons CO2 rules that were cutting off electricity surplus to California. Provided matching grants for state programs that help private landowners protect rare species. Oh and just as an aside, President Bush’s own ranch in Crawford Texas is by far more energy efficient with more eco friendly ‘green’ features than even the green champ himself, Al Gore. While Al’s house uses 20 times more fossil fuel in a month than the average home does in a year. The Bush home uses NO fossil fuel at all utilizing geo thermal heated water that is recycled from rain water off the roof. Bush is truly a leader by example and not in words only.
Mr. Bush has also put through three pay raises for the military increasing it by more than 1 billion per year. Withdrawn troops from Bosnia, Germany and the Korean DMZ. Prohibited the putting U.S. troops under U.N. command. Ordered renovation of military housing and modernization. More than 76,000 homes have gone through the upgrade. Earmarked at least 20% of the military budget for research and development of future weaponry.
At home Bush has implemented tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 that have greatly benefitted all people across the board. Not just the wealthy as some would have you believe. One study shows this scenario if the tax cuts were to expire or be done away with;
Tax rates will rise substantially in each tax bracket, some by 450 basis points;
Low-income taxpayers will see the 10-percent tax bracket disappear, and they will have to pay taxes at the 15-percent rate;
Married taxpayers will see the marriage penalty return;
Taxpayers with children will lose 50 percent of their child tax credits;
Taxes on dividends will increase beginning on January 1, 2009;
Taxes on capital gains will increase, also beginning on January 1, 2009; and
Federal death taxes will come back to life in 2011, after fading down to nothing in 2010.
Facts thanks to William W. Beach and Rea S. Hederman, Jr.
Bush also signed Medicare reform which includes prescription drug benefits and a 10 year privatization option. Prior to this reform, Medicare paid for extended hospital stays for ulcer surgery, for example, at a cost of about $28,000 per patient. Yet Medicare would not pay for the drugs that eliminate the cause of most ulcers, drugs that cost about $500 a year. Now, drug coverage under Medicare will allow seniors to replace more expensive surgeries and hospitalizations with less expensive prescription medicine. New Health Savings Accounts: Effective January 1, 2004, Americans can set aside up to $4,500 every year, tax free, to save for medical expenses. Depending on your tax bracket, that means you’ll save between 10 to 35 percent on any costs covered by money in your account. Every year, the money not spent would stay in the account and gain interest tax-free, just like an IRA. These accounts will be good for small business owners, and employees. More businesses can focus on covering workers for major medical problems, such as hospitalization for an injury or illness. At the same time, employees and their families will use these accounts to cover doctor’s visits, or lab tests, or other smaller costs. Some employers will contribute to employee health accounts. This will help more American families get the health care they need at the price they can afford.
More on his list include No Child Left Behind that hold children and schools accountable for certain learning benchmarks. The consolidation of more than 20 departments down to one which is Homeland Security, vastly streamlining response to emergencies and terrorist threats while eliminating bureaucracy. Faith based initiatives programs and grants. Strengthened the 2nd amendment by notifying the Supreme Court that the U.S. Governments position is to support INDIVIDUALS rights to own fire arms.
These are just a few of the things most people don’t associate with the name George W. Bush. In reality you can’t blame them. None of these accomplishments were put out there as front page news and it isn’t discussed at the water cooler much I’m sure. One thing that can’t be denied is that since Sept. 11th 2001 we haven’t had another terrorist attack on our soil and despite the economic downturn now, we had 52 months of uninterrupted job growth and prosperity after he led us out of a recession he inherited from Clinton. All in all we have a lot that we can look back on and thank George Bush for and perhaps now we can credit him for being a little smarter at least than a 5th grader.
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