IMHO Open Debate Forum: September 2005

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

The Collapse of American Preeminence, The Bush Legacy

The Collapse of American Preeminence, The Bush Legacy

In the Next three years we will see the cascade effect of the errant Bush policies collapse the economic strength of the US.

With hard won economic strategies America entered the 21st century in financial health to dominate the century. Bush squandered this strength and in doing so condemned this nation to potential financial ruin.

Any organization should always anticipate the unknown. You set up a catastrophe fund, a rainy day fund, an emergency fund. We have none.

America had an Annual Budget surplus that gave America the option to pay down long term debt, or address any emergency that arose. The long term debt were both the Social Security Bond Redemption the US treasury has to honor, and the Treasury bonds issue to the public. Bush took this 'surplus' and used it to buy his Presidency at the cost of America's future.

The Tax cuts during a time of war are fiscally irresponsible.

Now we will suffer the long term effects of this fiscal irresponsibility. The long term pain this country will suffer will far out weight the short term benefit of the tax cuts. Tax cuts the MAJORITY of America did not benefit from.

Alone these tax cuts did not weaken this nation, but when two wars, rampant deficit spending by Republicans, TWO natural disasters Katrina and Rita and the resultant higher energy prices this nation was dealt a potentially crippling series of devastating lethal blows.

Had Bush not chosen to continue with the irresponsible Tax cuts and the War of Choice in Iraq, and the Republicans had shown some fiscal responsibility they always claimed they had, this country could have weathered the TWO hurricanes with little fiscal turbulence.

The cure now will be painful and severe. We are looking at an annual deficit of $700 Billion a year. That is a conservative estimate. It will take each American paying an additional $7000 a year to pay off this deficit or we can slash ALL spending a flat rate equivalent to the Deficit. This is the cure.

If we do not do this, the Depression will look like a pleasant dream.

If people only knew the facts, they would not be fighting for the 'RIGHT' to be screwed over.

+ $1,751,132,130,359 Social Security Trust Fund
– $7,805,708,317,936 The Gross National Debt

Time will tell all the Truth.
VT

Sean Lewis/VirtualTruth/VT

Founder
OpenDebateForum
http://VTSL.blogspot.com

clock

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

The Next 3 years of an Irrelevant President.

The Next 3 years of an Irrelevant President.

Bush is now telling the truth. Hell after the horrible images of Katrina, Bush has nothing left to lose. Well, actually he does. Bush is about to become irrelevant. No one any longer takes him seriously.

We volunteered to give up our civil liberties, and mortgaged our children's future because Bush said it would keep us safe. We turned everything over to the Government. Bush told us the US Government could best see the big picture, the big puzzle, the big threat.

Yet somehow they missed a CAT 5 hurricane that took days to move across the Gulf of Mexico. They missed the Americans begging for help as they slowly died in color worldwide over the next week waiting for our Government to come to their aid.

We invaded Iraq to bring Democracy. Somehow after seeing how the greatest Democratic country treats it's most helpless and needy Citizens in a time of emergency, I doubt anyone thinks Democracy is such a good deal. Maybe we should recycle those WMD theories again.

Bush responded with that 'no one could have expected such an event.' 'There was no warning.' 'The reports he received were wrong' or 'never made it to the WH.' This might have worked once, but Bush has used it for 9/11, Post Iraq, and now Katrina. That's three strikes. Bush is out.

I remember reading about the French and how the elderly were left behind during August to die slow deaths. I thought how could any civilized country allow such a thing happen to their elderly. I no longer take such a high and mighty point of view.

I have traveled overseas. At some point no matter who I am talking to, the issue of Bush comes up. My response is that I did not vote for him. During the first week of Katrina I received calls from overseas. My foreign friends were in stunned disbelief that America could not help it's own citizens in a national emergency that was known to about to occur. They kept asking the same question, 'how could this happen?' I couldn't answer because I was asking the same question too.

I tear up when I see those helpless elder Americans. More than anything else these poor people endured so much their entire lives and then to see them die such slow horrible deaths that could have and should have been prevented. There are simply no words to express my sorrow and disgust.

Bush has to do more than simply except responsibility. This was obvious. Bush needs to admit this is not the only mistake he has made. Bush needs to change how he runs the WH. If he does not, the Country will simply ignore him and get the business of running this country done through the Congress and the 2006 elections. All the Bush Republicans should take notice, it is not working and America is about ready to clean house.

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Is George Bush REALLY a Republican?

Is George Bush REALLY a Republican?

All my life I was told a Republican represents these things.

1) Fiscal Responsibility

2) Strong Foreign Policy

3) Less Government Spending

4) Smaller Government

5) Less Government Legislation Interference

6) Protector of America from Outside Dangers

Yet George Bush does none of these things.

1) Since Bush has been in office he has allowed Government Deficit spending to increase at never before seen levels. The National Debt will have doubled doing Bush's Presidency.

2) Bush has no comprehension cohesive foreign policy. Under Bush our enemies have gotten stronger, China, North Korea and Iran, while US influence has diminished.

3) Over all Projects requiring Government funds have tripled. Bush has created a new Cabinet Level organization HLS, has allowed expansive pork barrel spending virtually unchecked and has instituted a new Government Medicare Drug Plan that actually costs more than was budgeted and resolves none of the issues of most Americans. Not having Insurance coverage.

4) The Government under Bush has actually grown faster than under any other President in history. It has now become a bureaucratic nightmare as the Katrina Hurricane has bared out.

5) Bush has sign unconstitutional laws in regard to individual rights (Terri Schiavo). Has with the stroke of a pen eliminated many of the civil rights thousands of Americans had died to have. (the Patriot Acts) Has waged war on a part of the American population (gays) Finally Bush has begun to legislate a National State Sanctioned Religion with his Faith Based 'Initiative.'

6) 4 years ago America was attacked. The Man responsible still is free. Japan and Germany were both defeated by this time after the last surprise attack on America. We as Americans still live in fear of continued attacks. Bush promised to protect Americans with the HLS department. However it's first major test was Katrina, a slow moving disaster and by all accounts HLS, FEMA and BUSH failed. In that failure Americans died and America felt less secure about Bush's ability to protect us. Remember the Anthrax? Anyone ever caught?

In the past, real Republicans would have tarred and feathered any Liberal Democrat who had such a track record. So why do real Republicans tolerate Bush? He obviously sold them a bill of goods. Is no one in the Republican party going to call him on this?

Let's not even discuss Iraq.

Thursday, September 08, 2005

The Bush Believer's Katrina blame game, anyone else But Bush and Co.

For the last week I have heard a litany of noise from both sides of the aisle about the Catastrophe that was the Katrina Post Hurricane Rescue and now recovery.

In the beginning the discussion was overwhelmingly critical of the WH and it's extremely slow response, or in reality; the WH non response to the death and destruction of Hurricane Katrina.

The Bush Believers and Useful Bush Idiots cried it was unfair to blame the WH. They used the same tactic as 9/11. It was the terrorist who attacked the US blame them not Bush. It was a hurricane that caused the Destruction down south, not Bush. I love this Bull Shit. The Deflection of cause and accountability begins immediately. The Bush Believers and Useful Bush Idiots believe that if they can say that being critical of the President about something that was not in his control you are being just a Bush Basher and Blame America First Democrat. The reality is being critical of Bush is putting his feet to the fire to start acting like the President of the United States, The Commander And Chief.

In Both Disasters there were warnings that went unanswered. In both disasters actions could have been taken that could have limited or possibly even eliminated the Disaster. In both disasters Bush was actually taking FUNDING away from the solution that could have prevented the Disaster. In both Disasters Bush exhibited a total disconnect to reality, we watched Bush and his 'My Pet Goat' syndrome during 9/11 and while people were drowning in New Orleans Bush was playing Guitar and blowing out candles. He exhibited total dereliction of duty. The man has proven that he is not qualified to run the Nation and his administration has shown they do not know how to run things. Condi rice was still on Vacation 4 days after Katrina hit. She was shopping for shoes in NYC until Customers shamed her to go to work.

The Administration is an embarrassment, and the world got to watch how the administration did nothing as a Disaster unraveled in slow motion. A disaster that took DAYS in the making!!!!!

The Bush Believers and Useful Bush Idiots were like Bush and CO. caught flat footed. So for the first few days the images of New Orleans and the complete criticism of Bush went unchallenged. It took both Bush and Co and the Bush Believers and Useful Bush Idiots a few days to mount a reaction to the obvious show of incompetence the world view with Katrina.

The First step was to try to stem the damage. So the Bush Believers and use Useful Bush Idiots said pointing fingers wasn't going to help the survivors. The issue wasn't blame the issue was accountability. the death in New Orleans was unacceptable.

The Second step was to kill the story. So the Bush Believers and Useful Bush Idiots tried to make the story about the looters who took control of the city 48 hours after no rescue, food, water medication and lawful order were brought to the city. They completely ignored the majority of the Lawful citizens who listened to officials and gathered for help at designated areas or those victims clinging to life trapped in flooded attics or rooftops. All these people waited and died for aid that for them never came. they did not riot, they did not break the law. They died waiting for a government that was still on Vacation or simply out to lunch.

The Third step was to play the race card effectively killing the issue of why the poor, sick and elderly do not rate being on the radar as far as Bush and Co are concerned. The Bush Believers and Useful Bush Idiots try to say it was just the LIBERALS trying to make it a racial issue, when the reality was that the Bush Believers already made it an issue with phrases such as 'look at THESE people, they are looting and acting like animals' 'THESE people deserve what they get, THEY stayed to loot the city'

The fourth step was to Blame local government by simply throwing as much Shit at the wall, seeing what stuck and running with that. Each claim that was knocked down as wrong, a lie or actually a negative for Bush was dropped and two other claims took it's place. The longer it took to knock a lie down the louder the lie got. The softer the retraction, if any was even given.

Finally the issue of the death toll. Just like Iraq. the death toll is being swept under the rug. No central collection area, no body retrieval, just numbers that haven't been recounted since Tuesday after the hurricane hit. Many bodies will never be found. they will be swept to sea of into the lake. Many are being eaten by Alligators. These are Americans. In an age where soldiers will not leave a dead comrades body behind and will even suffer more dead to retrieve the dead body, bush and CO are letting American bodies rot and covered where they lay.

This is unbelievable. This is unacceptable. This is unforgivable.

This is the ultimate responsibility and fault of Bush.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Don't worry Middle Class America, Republicans say help is on the way!

Don't worry Middle Class America, Republicans say help is on the way!

With Oil and Gasoline prices now the highest ever in history, even after being adjusted for inflation; The average American can expect to pay an extra $1500 a year for higher Gasoline and Heating oil or Natural Gas pricing. For the Average Person making $40,000 a year that is a 'tax' increase of 3.75% before taxes or 5% after taxes.

The Republicans solution, end estate taxes for people who have a net worth of $5 million or more!

Great Idea! The republicans are always looking out for the average American especially in time of National Emergencies.

Most people would say we need to sacrifice as a nation to get through this tough patch. Not the republicans.

Most people would say it would be time to by American bonds and sacrifice and give to the people who are affected the most by this catastrophe. Not the Republicans.

Republicans see the solution as giving MORE MONEY to the people LEAST affected and Taking MORE money away from the Government in a time when disaster spending will cause the Deficit to DOUBLE causing even greater economic pressure for the US Government to provide services to those who have been devastated by this catastrophe.

Everyday I feel safer and I feel the Government is capable of handling ANY crisis that arises. Don't you?

Monday, September 05, 2005

When Natural Disasters become National Catastrophes

When Natural Disasters become National Catastrophes

The Government failed to adequately plan, prepare, warn, protect, and save the Lives of Americans in a Natural Disaster that has now become a Man made Catastrophe. 'This is not just incompetence, this is dereliction of duty.' Why do I say this? This National Natural Disaster was compounded by the obvious shortsightedness of our Federal Government for underfunding a Levee project that was designed to protect against a Category 5 Hurricane. The funds were redirected to Iraq to help non Americans in a war of choice. This single act of callousness is something the Federal government must be made to be responsible for and accountable for. This single action may have turned a National Natural Disaster into a National catastrophe. The final death toll may be staggering. The financial cost to the US may become crippling. There is plenty of blame to go around, but ultimately when a catastrophe on a NATIONAL scale occurs it falls squarely on the shoulders of the Commander and Chief. That man is George Bush.

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Re: New Orleans was not about poverty, class, religion, welfare or even race.

Two important points to add.

Definition of 'to' and 'in'

In my first sentence I say 'To blame what happened in the Big Easy on these factors sounds great, but it is not the truth,' the key word in this sentence is 'in.'

The BEHAVIOR of the AMERICANS 'in' New Orleans had nothing to do with poverty, class, religion, welfare or even race.

However the response 'to' New Orleans may have had everything to do with poverty, class, religion, welfare or even race.

There were as many dissimilarities as similarities between the two Disasters that have befallen America Under Bush's watch. One was an 'unforeseen' attack that happened without notice. The other was a Natural Disaster, foreseen and planned for. the response to the unforeseen event was much better than the foreseen and planned event. THAT is the focus of the post. Why were the response so different both by the Americans involved and the Government helping them?

In a message dated 9/3/2005 2:02:19 PM Eastern Daylight Time, Virtualtruth writes:

New Orleans was not about poverty, class, religion, welfare or even race.

To blame what happened in the Big Easy on these factors sounds great, but it is not the truth.

In New York City. The US Government had the city up and running in 5 days. Rescue workers were searching the rubble while flames were still burning white hot. There was Gulianni a PRESENCE OF US LEADERSHIP in the middle of the disaster giving hands on help. Aid was rushed in from around the country and the world within hours.

This did not happen in New Orleans. Everything happened in SLOW MOTION. The Hurricane sweeping in from the Gulf growing in size and strength. The disaster happened in slow motion, starting Monday morning with land fall and continuing on Tuesday morning with the Levees bursting from Mississippi Run off to People drowning in their homes Tuesday and Wednesday. The Relief effort also happened in slow motion and unlike NYC where relief had the power back on with generators outside of office buildings and communication trailers supplying a connection with the outside world, comfort stations for the rescuers, New Orleans 5 days later had people dying from lack of water and Food.

The People of New Orleans listened to the people in charge. Those who could evacuate did. those who could not were told to go to certain locations as a refuge of LAST RESORT. So many stayed in their homes. Their was no violence on Monday, just people helping each other just like in NYC. There was no violence on Tuesday just heroic images of rescuers saving people trapped in their homes, trees and roof tops. The violence did not begin until the realization that the Government was no longer present. There was no power, no communication, no food, no water, no authority, no rescue. Only fear panic and desperation. This is when those who are weak of moral character rise up to fill the vacuum of power. They seize the moment and that advantage of it for self gratification.

Yes, there was looting, however there were two sides of the looting. No looting began until Wednesday morning 2 days after landfall. People needed water, food, medication and clothing. No help was coming so people did what they had to do. They broke into stores to get supplies. Those who were weak with moral character saw it as an opportunity to seize the moment for themselves.

There are two sides of human nature the good side and the bad side. We like to believe the good side always wins out, and for the first 48 hours in New Orleans it did. However good has a hard time winning against evil when evil carries a gun and there is no one to challenge it.

There were many around the Country who looked at the looting and seized on it to apply suave to their wounds of guilt. No longer did they need to question why the sick elderly and the poor were without help, they could point to the looters and lump all into this. It was easier to say the looters were just animals getting what they deserve than to have to question why New Borns, the sick and the elderly AMERICANS were dying while America watched and did nothing of consequence to help.

Many articles pointing blame to poverty, culture, welfare, religion and even race are just one more way to apply salve for our collective wound of guilt.

What happened in New Orleans should not have happened, but it did and we as Americans need to own up to it.

New Orleans was not about poverty, class, religion, welfare or even race.

To blame what happened in the Big Easy on these factors sounds great, but it is not the truth.

In New York City. The US Government had the city up and running in 5 days. Rescue workers were searching the rubble while flames were still burning white hot. There was Gulianni a PRESENCE OF US LEADERSHIP in the middle of the disaster giving hands on help. Aid was rushed in from around the country and the world within hours.

This did not happen in New Orleans. Everything happened in SLOW MOTION. The Hurricane sweeping in from the Gulf growing in size and strength. The disaster happened in slow motion, starting Monday morning with land fall and continuing on Tuesday morning with the Levees bursting from Mississippi Run off to People drowning in their homes Tuesday and Wednesday. The Relief effort also happened in slow motion and unlike NYC where relief had the power back on with generators outside of office buildings and communication trailers supplying a connection with the outside world, comfort stations for the rescuers, New Orleans 5 days later had people dying from lack of water and Food.

The People of New Orleans listened to the people in charge. Those who could evacuate did. those who could not were told to go to certain locations as a refuge of LAST RESORT. So many stayed in their homes. Their was no violence on Monday, just people helping each other just like in NYC. There was no violence on Tuesday just heroic images of rescuers saving people trapped in their homes, trees and roof tops. The violence did not begin until the realization that the Government was no longer present. There was no power, no communication, no food, no water, no authority, no rescue. Only fear panic and desperation. This is when those who are weak of moral character rise up to fill the vacuum of power. They seize the moment and that advantage of it for self gratification.

Yes, there was looting, however there were two sides of the looting. No looting began until Wednesday morning 2 days after landfall. People needed water, food, medication and clothing. No help was coming so people did what they had to do. They broke into stores to get supplies. Those who were weak with moral character saw it as an opportunity to seize the moment for themselves.

There are two sides of human nature the good side and the bad side. We like to believe the good side always wins out, and for the first 48 hours in New Orleans it did. However good has a hard time winning against evil when evil carries a gun and there is no one to challenge it.

There were many around the Country who looked at the looting and seized on it to apply suave to their wounds of guilt. No longer did they need to question why the sick elderly and the poor were without help, they could point to the looters and lump all into this. It was easier to say the looters were just animals getting what they deserve than to have to question why New Borns, the sick and the elderly AMERICANS were dying while America watched and did nothing of consequence to help.

Many articles pointing blame to poverty, culture, welfare, religion and even race are just one more way to apply salve for our collective wound of guilt.

What happened in New Orleans should not have happened, but it did and we as Americans need to own up to it.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Three strikes, thousands of Americans dead. Let's get the Bum OUT!

Three Strikes Bush is OUT

The missing component is to PLAN for the worst and be prepared, not get caught with your pants down then trying to make the best of a situation that never should have happen.

This is 9/11 and the post Iraq after Mission Accomplished. Bush ignored the warnings and then claims it wasn't his fault no one warned him. Three strikes thousands of Americans dead. Let get the Bum OUT!

Time will Tell all the Truth VT, Virtual Truth

by VirtualTruth on Wed Aug 31st, 2005 at 23:24:02 EST

I'm getting angrier by the minute

Yet, I'm remaining calm. Here are some of my observations:

Having Navy ships and rescue teams arrive 3-4 days after the initial storm and flooding for search and rescue isn't useless, but it's certainly not the best state of affairs. We knew if my memory serves me sometime on Saturday that we were looking at possible Cat-5. That's when the federal government and President Bush should have taken action, knowing that there was a shortage of National Guard because they were in Iraq, for one reason, and the other reason being that this could have been so catastrophic that only immediate, same or next day assistance would have made the best difference between a) saving people's lives; and b) preserving the city of New Orleans. One of my buddies is a former rescue swimmer for Navy rescue and special forces and if Bush had put out the call on Sunday, I know he would have responded.

We don't need to overpromote looting and what not to make up an excuse for meeting the Insurrection Act and thus be able to use active-duty troops in the rescue effort. Bush should have made the order to prepare active-duty military, in the absence of National Guard, to be ready to go in. Then you work something out with Congress, even if it's a freak'n bill signed by 25% of them on Monday through teleconference, and you go in there and save people's lives and the city. If there is some delay, you just send the troops in, save people, and justify it later, blaming it on those Congresspersons who failed to act in the dire hour when the difference between life and death was being decided.

As a result of failing on #1 and #2, there is mass confusion in the Gulf Region between interacting leadership entities. There doesn't seem to be a single person in charge, when this is a national emergency. We failed to effectively monitor the levees in the immediate aftermath of the storm, failed to in a timely fashion implement emergency efforts to fix the breaches that occurred, and we have failed to devote the manpower to the 3 essential tasks in New Orleans - search and rescue, efforts to fix levees/save the city from flooding, and to maintain order. If the National Guard had been available and gone in, on the first day, there would not be widespread looting (beyond survival rationing) and roaming bands of thugs (which is probably being exaggerated as a legal justification for sending in active duty troops under the Insurrection Act).

This is an extreme clusterfuck of leadership and crisis management. For the local and state leaders, it may very well be that they just do not have the resources or the line of command between each other to have done any better. Any inkling that this was the case, with so much at stake, should have been picked up by national leaders, especially Bush, who should have been inordinately interested in this and monitoring it. After this had been picked up, that there was a crucial lack of resources and an unclear line of command, Bush should have stepped in and declared a national emergency. If the best case scenario had occurred, he would have had to do relatively nothing but pay attention and not allow the situation to get out of hand.

The situation is out of hand, and having military support, search and rescue come 4 days after the worst of the disaster just isn't good enough.

free the information

by freelixir on Wed Aug 31st, 2005 at 23:44:43 EST

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