Incomes Fall, Hunger Worsens as Bush Says 'We're Doing Fine', Are we?
109127
No, we are not doing fine. Maybe America is on it's way out. The average government lasts 200 years. Do the math. However, Bush is doing fine, as are the other rich people in the nation. The gap between upper class and low class is widening and middle class is disappearing. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
350898
Bush is spending our country into bankruptcy.\n\nGovernment spending has grown nearly 29% over the last four years.\n\nThe Bush administration has spent money twice as fast Clinton. (7.6% vs. 3.4%)\n\nFighting the Al Quaeda terrorists costs money, but the fiscally responsible solution is to cut back low priority government spending.\n\nPork-barrel Republicans in Congress have increased nondefense discretionary spending at a record rate of 36%. Bush has yet to veto one pork-barrel spending bill.\n\nIn just 4 years, the Bush administration has increased nondefense discretionary spending by 1/3 more than the Clinton administration did in 8 years.\n\nThe government’s 2.4 trillion dollar budget means government is now spending more than $20,000 dollars for every family in America.\n\nOut of control spending is causing deficits and government debt to balloon, mortgaging our future and the futures of our children and grandchildren with total liabilities of nearly $40 trillion dollars.\n\nThe Bush administration claims that it will run a $500 billion deficit. .\n\nThe Bush administration continues to use phony accounting to cover up how the government raids social security to pay for pork barrel spending. The true deficit to be over $700 billion dollars per year.\n\nThe total national debt, including what is owed to social security, has reached a record breaking level of $7 trillion.\n\nIf Bush is reelected and continues to borrow and spend, it will pass $10 trillion!\n\nThat will add to the national debt-a debt we are already paying over $200 billion in interest each year.\n\nThe long run problems are worse. The unfunded liabilities in Social Security and Medicare are over $30 trillion dollars.\n\nBush’s prescription medicare benefit has put an already bankrupt program even deeper into the hole.
823758
Quite likely, as we can't afford to fund the future pensions (Government), the way pop.  incomes are going.\n\nWill
102930
On the scale 1 to 10, I would rate it at 3.  I don't understand about Bush adminitration so upbeat on the economies.  Meanwhile, a lot of American people are still can't find a steady jobs and some still get layoff or pink slip.
70021
No.  Bush is inarticulate and out of touch.  The last one was about Social Security reform, and look how well that did.
99771
The whoal thing is a joke...Reduce deficit..lol...WAKE UP AMERICA...I dunno what the heck you guys are doing...but...get off the couch and do something about it..Bush is killing America and its freedoms..and his sights seem set for  the world..that will not happen...the world will not tolerate as much as America does to its own...
317719
Bush budget cuts food program for pregnant women and infants.  According to the Los Angeles Times, “Another program new to Bush’s hit list is the Agriculture Department's commodity supplemental food program, which provides food packages to low-income elderly people, pregnant women and infants.” (2/6/06)  One in five children in America live in relative poverty yet President Bush proposes cutting this program that provides food packages for mothers, children, and seniors.  President Bush’s budget would also weaken the Women, Infant, and Children nutrition program\n\nBush budget cuts funding for children.  From health care to child care, President Bush’s budget underserves America’s children:\n\n    * Cuts funding for children’s health care.  “Mr. Bush will propose eliminating programs to treat people with traumatic brain injuries and to improve emergency medical services for children.” (New York Times, 2/5/06)\n    * Cuts to children’s hospitals.  Free-standing children’s hospitals depend upon the federal government to support the training of health professionals.  But the President has proposed to cut the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (GME) program by $198 million – from $297 million in Fiscal Year 2006 to $99 million in Fiscal Year 2007. \n    * Cuts to child care assistance.  The Bush budget also calls for $1.03 billion in child care funding cuts over the next five years, denying more than 400,000 children from receiving child care in 2011 as compared to 2005 levels. (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)  \n\nBush budget proposes the largest education cut in the history of our country. Tuition and fees have increased 57 percent for a public four-year college and 32 percent for a private four-year college since 2000.  Despite this growing concern for students and their families, the President’s budget freezes the maximum Pell Grant award at $4,050, the same level as 2003.  Failure to increase Pell Grants is weakening the value of these grants:  in 1975, a Pell Grant covered 80 percent of the cost of a public four-year college education while today it covers only about 40 percent.  The President’s budget also proposes to eliminate the Perkins loan program, which provides low-interest, fixed-rate loans for students with financial need, and plans to recall the federal portion of revolving funds collected by participating institutions.  Furthermore, the President’s budget would eliminate the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) program, which provides a federal match to states for need-based grant and work-study assistance. \n\nBush budget eliminates Social Security death benefits.  The Bush budget would eliminate the $255 death benefit provided by Social Security to the families of those who die.  While modest, this benefit is important to many families who need assistance in order to bury their loved ones with dignity.Bush budget cuts job training programs.  At a time of uncertainty for so many American workers, the Bush budget proposes to cut funding for critical job training programs.  These cuts could not come at a worse time for working mothers, young women starting out their careers, and their families.  For example, the Bush budget would cut funding for:\n\n    * Job training and employment services by $695 million (eight percent);\n    * Dislocated worker employment and training programs by $223 million (17 percent);\n    * Adult employment and training activities by $145 million (17 percent);\n    * Youth training programs by $100 million (11 percent); and\n    * The Job Corps program, an education and job training program to help young people start their careers, by $55 million (over three percent) and rescind $75 million of un-obligated Job Corps construction funds. This is just some of the buget cuts that are happening with Bush!!
881837
yes!, we are going broke,,,\n\nwe pay welfare, social security, sewage systems are breaking down, our schools are over crowed, our jails are getting fuller....etc\nand jus who do you think pays for all of this?\n\ncertainly not the illegals......
273955
In terms of monetary income loss to most americans I would be far more concerned with corporate malfeceanse than welfare.  Things like the bail out of TWA's Employee Benefit packages have a much larger effect on the economy.  Bush Jr. Is leaving us bankrupt and unable to afford social policies anyway.....so their simply won't be money left for many social programs regardless.  Some cynics might think this was intended.
253652
economy is NOT booming.. The economy is suffering from the highest deficit of ALL time. 7 TRILLION dollars.\n\nbush's poll numbers are so low they're at the same level as Nixon's when he resigned office because he was facing impeachment. The lowest of any president of ALL time!\n\n- we're not winning the war. we're hundreds of billions of dollars in the hole. 2,000+ dead... 20,000+ wounded... no WMD's, a super strong insurgency, a hotbed for al queda (wasn't any in iraq before the war)\n- bin laden is still alive and planning, american's are being spyed on\n- the disdain for america is mounting from all sectors of the world\n- china and india are on their way to taking america's place as the world's super powers in 30-40 years, \n- un-employment has increased since bush first took office\n- civil liberties are disappearing\n- and the list goes on and on..\n\nthe healthiest the econonmy has been, the safest america has been was during the 8 years clinton was in office...\na libby...
792473
HELL YES!!!  \n\nWhat planet are these people living on who claim that Bush has improved the economy?  The economy began taking a turn for the worse with Bush's first tax cuts for the wealthy.  We've been on a downward spiral ever since.  The economy was booming while Clinton was in office.\n\nThen again, maybe I'm mistaken and the moon really has turned to cheese.
644443
Our economic policy is Nixonomics (Keynesian policy), so you can imagine that the result will be pretty much the same.  I expect inflation (currently observed in prices for both housing and raw materials like oil and metals), and over the longer term, some weakening growth (recession). In the days of Gerald Ford, it was called stagflation.  If we elect a responsible leadership that can control spending, we might be able to turn things around and forestall that slowdown, but sadly, I just don't see that happening.  Very few politicians on either side of the aisle are talking about responsible spending these days.  (OK, maybe they're talking about it, but they're sure not DOING it.)
177227
Yes, financial aid is being decreased.  The money is going to pay for a war in Iraq, for tax breaks for large corporations and wealthy individuals, and for interest on the money the country has borrowed in the past.
927989
Economic failures - taking a record budget surplus and turning it into a record deficit.\n\nWar - A rush to judgment following 9/11 and thus getting the nation embroiled into a never-ending war in Iraq which has cost countless lives.\n\nLies, Thievery, Deceit - Look at the 2000 election that covers all 3, but let's not stop there.  Let's add Moral Degredation to the list and then we can include Foley, Abramoff and other fun people - oops, let's not forget his good friends at Enron.\n\nMaking the Country A Joke - mostly by his misstatements and mispronounced words as well as such things as his famous "back-rub" for the leader of Germany.\n\nTurning his back on education - Concentrating instead on standardized tests so that kids come out of schools now knowing how to take a test, but knowing little else.  A recent survey showed America was something like 49 out of 50 countries in the world when it came to education.\n\nIgnoring the Plight of Disaster Victims - Talk to the Katrina victims who still have no place to live and are waiting for government aid and housing while there are thousands of empty trailers sitting around empty.\n\nTax Cuts For The Rich - catering to the wealthy while watching the erosion of the middle class.\n\nHigh Gas Prices - Did everyone enjoy paying $3 or more for a gallon of gas?  \n\nOverall - The Bush legacy will be one of Failure, Failure and more Failure.  Scholars generally agree that the worst President in history was James Buchanan in the mid-1800's.  It's time for James to move over, here comes Dubya to take his place.
884274
I wish our economy was this bad all the time!\n\nWages - up!\nUnemployment - low!\nInflation - Low\nStock Market - up!\nHome ownership - up!\nTaxes - down!\nTax Revenue - up!\nBudget Deficit - down!\n\nPS....To g:  I'm comparing today's economy to that of a few years ago.  By the way, the stock market started tanking in March 2000, long before Bush become president.  Unemployment also started rising as he entered office, that very month.  Both due to the dot.com bubble bursting.  Are you going to blame that on Bush?  Then of course we had the economic hit of 9/11.  Also, historically 4.6% unemployment is very low, and beats much of Clinton's term. Just go to www.bls.gov and look up historical figures.\n\nTo CORiverRat - please look at census data that shows ALL income levels going up in 2005, and the poor going up in 2004, while the rich got poorer.\n\nPPS....To g:  I guess you didn't understand the concept of a "bubble" economy.  The economy grew far faster than reasonable during Clinton, and then the bubble burst in late 2000.  I'm not blaming Clinton for the bubble and the burst, merely setting the stage.  Yes Clinton inherited a poor economy from Bush 41, and he left a tanking economy for Bush 43.\n\nYou want to give Clinton credit for the great economy of the late 90's.  Fine.  Tell me what policies he enacted to cause it?  Fact is he was the beneficiary of a new industry starting (dot.com) that created lots of wealth and jobs.  He did nothing to encourage it, or cause the bubble burst.\n\nBush instead gets hit with 9/11 instead of a brand new industry that creates new wealth and jobs.  Thems the breaks.  Just look at things honestly.
1020177
Oh heck no! Our economy is doing better than it ever did under Clinton, Bush1, or Reagan. Unemployment is low, housing is up...darlin, the economy is cruising right on along. Gas prices are up and it causes some consumer goods to rise, that's all.
693439
If the country was being run like it should be, we shouldn't have anyone here in the US living in poverty.  \n\nSadly even the minimum wage is a "poverty wage".  You can work 40 hours a week and work all 52 weeks a year, and you would still be considered living in "poverty".\n\nSo to answer your question:  Yes, the government is wasting our tax dollars and making impractical decisions.\n\nIf they were running the country properly, we wouldn't have to have a need for welfare, or be hated by more people than ever from other countries (war issue).