AUSTIN, Texas -- "We will not pass along our
problems to other Congresses, to other presidents, and other generations." --
George W. Bush, State of the Union address, Jan. 28, 2003
"Even though hundreds of other government programs would be
squeezed, the president projects the deficit will still hit record highs
of
$304 billion this year and $307 billion in 2004. Over the next five years,
the deficits would total $1.08 trillion. ... Taken together, the new
stimulus measure and making the tax cut permanent would add up to $1.3
trillion in new tax relief, on top of the $1.35 trillion tax reduction
Congress passed in 2001." -- Associated Press, Feb. 3, 2003.
The question is, does the President believe himself?
"To lift the standards of our public schools, we
achieved historic education reform, which must now be carried out in every
school, in every classroom, so that every child in America can read, and
learn, and succeed in life." -- Bush, ibid.
The president's first education budget after he signed his much-touted No
Child Left Behind Act proposed $22.2 billion, a cut of more than $90
million
below the previous year and more than $7 billion less than Congress had
authorized. They need to change the name of the law to the Quite a Few
Children Left Behind Act.
"To insist on integrity in American business, we
passed tough corporate reforms, and we are holding corporate criminals to
account."
Bush opposed the corporate reform bill until the very last
minute, until the political pressure had built to such a point that the
bill
was passed in the Republican House without a single dissenting vote. The
reform bill was then sent to Bush's man Harvey Pitt at the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Pitt, who is still SEC chairman despite having been
fired on election night, has proceeded to screw up the proposed reforms to
such an extent that shareholders and employees may now actually be at
greater risk than they were before the Enron & Etc. debacle.
This is the most cynical gutting of a decent piece of reform
legislation since Bush appointed Michael Toner, a vehement opponent of
campaign finance reform, to implement the McCain-Feingold legislation.
Bush
initially proposed an SEC budget for 2003 that was 40 percent less than
authorized by Congress. After he signed the bill, it raised that, but it
is
still 26 percent less than full funding.
"This tax relief is for everyone who pays income
taxes. ... Ninety-two million Americans will keep this year an average of
almost $1,100 of their own money."
One third of all Americans will never see a dime of that tax
cut. Half of all taxpayers will get less than $100 from the Bush tax cut.
Those who make more than $1 million a year will get an average cut of
$92,000. That may average out to $1,100, but it ain't going to the average
family. As The New Yorker recently noted, if Bill Gates walked into a soup
kitchen serving 60 bums, the average worth of the people in that room
would
be $1 billion each. But it would still be Bill Gates and 60 bums.
I would quote Bush's words on the environment, touting his
energy plan, "Clear Skies" legislation and the "Healthy Forest
Initiative,"
but they make me too sick. Everyone who cares about the environment knows
what this administration is doing to environmental protections, every day,
relentlessly, with regulatory change after regulatory change, dirtier air,
fouled streams, polluted rivers, vanishing wetlands, drilling in national
parks, the Powder River Basin destroyed ... the list is already
interminable, with more to come.
Enviros are, of course, profoundly grateful for Bush's
encouraging words about the hydrogen-powered cars we may have in 16 years,
but since he has adamantly resisted every effort to improve the fuel
efficiency standards in effect today, our gratitude is necessarily
tempered
by cynicism. The coup de grace came just a week
before
his speech with the news that business will now get a bigger tax break for
buying SUVs and pickups. The deduction has been raised from $25,000 to
$75,000 and can be claimed right away. Pay $75,000 for a Hummer, and you
get
to write the whole thing off.
"In Afghanistan, we helped to liberate an oppressed
people. And we will continue helping them secure their country, rebuild
their society and educate all their children: boys and girls."
We have dropped Afghanistan like a hot rock. There is no
security outside Kabul. The warlords have taken over again. The warlords
are
so bad, many Afghani women say they preferred the Taliban.
Let us close with some final words from our president: "There's an old saying in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas,
probably
in Tennessee -- that says: 'Fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool
me -- you can't get fooled again."
To find out more about Molly Ivins and read features by other
Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate
web
page at
www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2003 CREATORS SYNDICATE, INC.
