George Bush Is A Great Man
Posted: Saturday, November 01, 2008
by Marty RicKard
I grow weary of the public denigration of George W. Bush. He has done many good things and these should be brought out. He has endured a withering campaign of left-wing, demonization from the main-stream press and democrats.
But let's look at some things Bush did, good things, that you never hear about.
I apologize that this is long, but when a man has done so many good things, it is difficult to file a brief report.
Bush turned around an inherited economy that was in recession, and deeply shocked as a result of the 9/11 attacks. Our current economy and our stock market both did well until this year.
Bush signed three income tax cuts, one of which was the largest dollar-value tax cut in world history. This could well be the reason why our economy even has a pulse under present conditions.
Reduced taxes on dividends and capital gains.
Seeks to eliminate estate tax. This is money that has already been taxed as income and through the capital gain laws, why should it be taxed again at death?
Bush seeks permanent elimination of IRS marriage penalty.
Bush favors privatizing Social Security and individual investment accounts. This would be HUGE. Imagine getting 8 to 10 percent on your retirement account, retiring a millionaire and then passing it along to your children. Now we contribute and lose it all when we die.
Private accounts today with the market low would be dollar-cost-averaging and buying huge numbers of shares of stocks that would reap astronomical dividends as the market recovers. Buy low, sell high.
Increased the annual contribution limit on Education IRA's from $500 to $2,000 per child, and granted a complete tax exemption for prepaid or college tuition savings plans. This should help anyone who has children to educate.
Interest and mortgage rates are near historic lows, the rate of inflation over the past three years ranks among its lowest in 40 years, despite high gas prices.
Until this year, jobs were created at a brisk pace, and the unemployment rate remained below the average unemployment rate of the last thirty years. You don't hear Democrats mention this stuff, and the sad part is that you haven't heard Bush mention it either. Clinton was on TV every week extolling his virtues.
Displayed enormous courage, dignity, grace, determination, and leadership in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 . He almost single-handedly held this country together during those searing days.
Bush successfully executed two wars in the aftermath of 9-11: Afghanistan and Iraq . Fifty million people who had lived under tyrannical regimes now live in freedom and elect their own leaders.
Clinton didn't even visit the site of World Trade Center when the truck bombs went off in the basement during his tenure. He fired a rocket at a tent in the African desert.
Leader by leader, the Al Qaeda is being hunted down in dozens of countries around the world, as Bush continues to execute the War on Terror. He now gets worldwide cooperation to track terrorist funds, and has cut off much terrorist funding.
Saddam Hussein is now dead. Remember guys, Saddam is the leader who shredded his opponents in a giant machine while the victims' families were forced to watch. Victims he didn't like were lowered slowly, feet first. I guess they screamed pretty loud. If he liked the victim he shredded him head first. Who cares whether he had WMD, when this is happening. His two murderous sons (who raped whomever they desired whenever they desired) are dead.
Disarmed Libya of all WMD's without bloodshed. They feared his show of strength after 9-11.
Pushed through THREE raises for our military, which increased their pay by more than $1 billion a year.
Has withdrawn most of our troops from Bosnia , and has announced withdrawal of our troops from Germany and the Korean DMZ.
Prohibited putting U.S. troops under U.N. command, something Clinton not only favored, but pushed hard.
Told the world, " America will never seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country."
Told the Supreme Court that the OFFICIAL U.S. government position on the 2nd Amendment is that it supports INDIVIDUAL rights to own firearms, and is NOT a Leftist-imagined "collective" right.
Signed TWO bills into law that arm our pilots with handguns in the cockpit. It has worked so far. By the way, that businessman across the aisle from you is really a sky marshal who packs mace and a 9 mm automatic, and trust me, his cell phone is turned on. You can thank Bush for that.
Led the most extensive reorganization of the Federal bureaucracy in history: After 9/11, condensed 20 overlapping agencies and their intelligence sectors into one agency, the Department of Homeland Security.
Bush has made an unprecedented commitment to homeland security. I hope we can give him high marks for this. I sure do. I would hate to think what Clinton would have done. There would not be a tent standing in the Sahara , I suppose. And the terrorists have not succeeded in getting even one of our tents here.
We have constructed 10 ABM silos in Alaska so that America will have a defense against North Korean nukes. We now have national and theater ballistic missile defenses deployed, something Clinton opposed.
I believe one of Bush's most important and politically courageous achievements is the No Child Left Behind Act, the most dramatic education reform 30 years. You remember he challenged "the soft bigotry of low expectations." For this he became the prime target of teachers who pump degrading Bush information and humor to their students daily. These are members of the NEA.
Bush's act requires annual reading and math tests in grades three through eight.
It requires states to implement teacher accountability. Imagine this, guys. Teachers now have to take tests to be sure they are qualified. And some fail these tests. Is it any wonder that the liberal NEA has fought him at every step?
Bush promotes "The Responsibility Era." Bush's words: "My hope is to change the culture from one that has said, if it feels good, do it; if you've got a problem, blame somebody else - to one in which every single American understands that he or she is responsible for the decisions that you make; you're responsible for loving your children with all your heart and all your soul; you're responsible for being involved with the quality of the education of your children; you're responsible for making sure the community in which you live is safe; you're responsible for loving your neighbor, just like you would like to be loved yourself."
Banned Partial Birth Abortion - by far the most significant roll-back of abortion on demand since Roe v. Wade.
By Executive Order, Bush reversed Clinton 's policy of not requiring parental consent for abortions under the Medical Privacy Act.
By EO, Bush prohibited federal funds for international family planning groups that provide abortions and related services.
Supports the Defense of Marriage Act - and a Constitutional amendment saying marriage is between one man and one woman. Clinton favored gay marriage.
Bush introduced the mention of God and faith into public discourse. That same God in which our money says we trust.
First President ever to improve government efficiency by daring to put hundreds of thousands of government jobs up for public bid, thus weakening government-sector unions, who are nothing more than job-protection agencies and a huge voting bloc for democrats. I love this one. Is it any wonder the Democrats hate Bush and are so intent on demonizing him? We must not let all the stuff democrats put out soak in.
Bush doubled the research budget of the National Institutes of Health.
Pushed through Medicare Reform, including:
Prescription drug benefits: 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.
More health care choices: Bush stated, "when seniors have the ability to make choices, health care plans within Medicare will have to compete for their business by offering higher quality service at a lower price." For seniors, like me, more choices and more control will mean better health care. These are the kinds of health care options we give to the members of Congress and federal employees. What's good for members of Congress is also good for seniors.
New Health Savings Accounts: Americans can now 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 stays in the account and gains interest tax-free, just like an IRA.
Another one I like is this: Bush enforced the Supreme Court's Beck decision regarding union dues being used for political campaigns against individual's wishes. This would never have happened under a weak president.
George Bush is a great man. Any fair-minded person can see that.
Marty RicKard Bio
Marty RicKard attended William Penn College , Iowa State University and University of Southern Mississippi , from which he holds a BS degree in journalism and photojournalism. He also has a Masters Degree in photography, in addition to the Craftsman, CPP, and A-ASP degrees. Marty spent two years as a technical writer for White Motor Company, and has worked for the Charles City Press, Mason City Globe-Gazette, and Davenport Times-Democrat. He was co-owner of the weekly New Sharon Star, where he was twice named Iowa Master Columnist for his article, which was syndicated in twenty Iowa newspapers. For more than a decade Marty's regular column appeared in the Professional Photographer magazine. He has been published in many other magazines and newspapers, including Writer's Digest, Writer Advice, Golf Digest, Resource Magazine, Picture, Range Finder, and Darkroom. In addition to his writing credits, Marty has won numerous photography awards, has lectured in 48 states, and has traveled internationally as lecturer, and judge. He was one of thirty from the U.S. to participate in the first cultural exchange with China in 1986. He currently is a regular columnist for Lens Magazine, and a full-time writer of fiction and poetry. He is the author of two poetry books and one volume of short stories. He is an entertaining speaker.
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Top-level comments on this article: (7 total)You've made your case for Bush very well, Marty. Morally, Bush has been great for America. He's a man of integrity, something our country really needed in the Oval Office. I voted for him in 2004, because he perfectly merged conservatism and compassion. Bush also gave unprecedented support for victims of HIV/AIDS and Malaria in Africa. I'm so grateful for that. However, I think the Iraq War was a mistake, regardless of Sadam being a really bad guy. Charles Taylor of Liberia was a bad guy as well, so is Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. Should Bush have gone after these dictators as well? I don't think so. I enjoyed your article. Thanks. ~mogama~Dear Mogama: If Liberia and Zimbabwe harbor training facilities for terrorists that attack the US, we should attack them, I believe. You won't read negative comment from me about Bush. There are enough others who do that. I think the war in Iraq has proven positive for the area and the world, and most Iraqis agree. Thank you for your thoughtful discussion. God Bless you, Marty RicKard
So great that the republican party wants no parts of him during their campaign in quest of 4 more years in the White house. Real greatDear Roschelle: You are right, but this is common political strategy, just like Al Gore wanted nothing to do with Bill Clinton when he ran. Thanks for reading and God Bless you. Marty RicKard
Marty,This is one great and accurate article. I appreciate your efforts here. This man is the most undeserving of the ridicule he has received than anyone I know. The Democrats have bekittled and cursed him for the 8 years and so loud and terrible that many have come to believe the nonsense. I always shudder to think what kind of mess we would have been in if either Gore or Kerry had defeated him. All went really well until 2006 when the Democrats seized power of the congress. Thanks for writing this.
Marty, on balance I agree with this article. Bush has been a good president for the most part, especially on taxes, Second Amendment issues, and abortion. I really don't understand why his approval rating is so low. I think too many people have been taking their cue from liberal Hollywood.If he hadn't erred on going to Iraq, implementing the Partriot Act, illegally wiretapping U.S. citizens, and allowing the torture and abuse of detainees at Gitmo (there's my libertarian side coming out), he would have been an almost perfect president. But every president has his shortcomings and I can forgive him for all of them.But how can you say who cares whether Saddam had WMD? The "fact" that he had them was Bush's whole selling point for going to war with Iraq. Otherwise, Congress would never have gone along with it.
hi marty,i had no idea about any of the things i just read.all interesting facts.thanks for the education.i still don't like bush, but it's for idiotic reasons, like the way he looks, and the way he talks, and fumbles, never made him seem credible to me.stupid, but true.now, my focus is on obama, and what he can do for our country.thanks for an interesting and informative article,my best regards,sue
thank you for listing so many things that I've forgotten and I bet most Americans have forgotten. If Clinton had been President at the time of 9-11, I wonder what would be the state of the world today? No one is perfect, not even the President, but looking back and into the future America is still the greatest nation to live. There's so much war and destruction in the world, but God has really been protecting the inhabitants of this land, we've only had a brief taste of what other countries and it's inhabitants have had to endure for years on end. I say we were blessed to have Bush as our President. Now another is just about to be sworn in, and may God have His hand upon O'bama as well for all our sakes.
Marty, There is much you say that I can accept but morally this nation was allowed to slide into the morass it is in. Greed, exploitation, illegal crime allowed and condoned, usury and the destruction of people all under his watch. Now certainly he wasn't the only one. Now I agree you shall know someone by their works. I prefer to look at those works in a perspective of what he professed he was, a follower of Christ. Nowhere have I fond that in the deeds mentioned. Nor will I accept you cannot mix religion and politics, no this is about ethics and morality. Yet a very good article.
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