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Posts Tagged ‘Bush’
George ‘Make it Rain’ Bush Spends $11.5 Trillion
1/19/09 - Posted by Christopher Reinhard under Hot TopicsIt ain’t fair to put this all on that crazy cowboy from Texas, but studies indicate that the United States spent about $11.5 trillion—that is correct, eleven thousand and five hundred billion—during the presidency of George W Bush. If you weren’t quite sure, that is (a lot) more than ever before. And while I would like to do some kind of fun little exercise to explain how many _____s you could have bought with that money, no adequate or understandable comparisons can be made.
As you might have guessed, a lot went into setting this kind of a record, from a total economic collapse on Wall Street in late 2008, to that devastating terrorist attack back in 2001 and its successive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet perhaps the most important factor to note is that such spending is not about to come to a screeching halt in the months and years after president-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration on January 20th, 2009. While the next pres has aspirations of recovering the American economy, it’s true that he too will be forced to adhere to that age-old proverb: “you gotta spend money to make money.” And so, while $11.5 trillion dollars is undoubtedly a sh*tload of money, the numbers are sure to continue rising while the national debt skids closer to that inevitable point at which most citizens start scratching their heads and wondering, ‘does this number actually mean anything or can we just keep not making money forever?’
In other news, today is the last day during which news articles will refer to Barack Obama as the ‘president-elect.’ Yay-yay! *terrorist fist bump*
President Co-bama
11/26/08 - Posted by Abdullah Saeed under Hot TopicsIn preparation for his taking office, President-elect Obama is showing an effort to participate in policy-making during the last days of the George W. Bush era.
In a statement given by Bush Monday after a meeting with Henry Paulson, the president mentioned that Obama and his economic team would be informed and consulted in regard to any major decision made during the current administration’s remaining time in power. This was less than two hours before Obama presented the public with his economic team, which included New York Federal Reserve President Timothy Geithner, head of the Congressional Budget Office Peter Orszag, Community Chest coordinator Rich Uncle Pennybags, and millionaire Bruce Wayne.
Experts say that incentives for this ‘un-presidented’ (sorry) cooperation lie on both sides of the table. The damaged image of Bush’s legacy may very well be somewhat repaired as a result of the early success of Obama policies. Obama will benefit by easing his transition into office, ensuring that he can his administration can hit the ground running in January, and making sure Bush doesn’t steal any office supplies upon his departure.
Bush Grants Pardons, Spends Rest of Day Staring into Space
11/25/08 - Posted by Brian Burns under Hot TopicsPresident Gorge W. Bush, looking for fun things to do until January 20th, pardoned 14 people yesterday, commuting the sentences of 2 others.
The list does not include any big names, such as sprinter Marion Jones, junk bond dealer Michael Milken, former Representative Randy “Duke” Cunningham, or four-term Democratic Louisiana Gov. Edwin W. Edwards — all of whom are asking for pardons. But it did contain some fun ones, most notably a man convicted of unauthorized acquisition of food stamps; a man who unknowingly killed three bald eagles with misplaced pesticides; a couple dudes with a lot of drugs; and my personal favorite, a man convicted of “making false statements to the federal government.” Yeah, Bush can sooo relate to that.
Still unclear is whether or not President Bush will give preemptive pardons to those involved in handling (read: torturing) suspected terrorists after September 11th. It would give these officials criminal immunity in the rare case that Obama conducts investigations once he takes office, and would be a controversial move among constitutional scholars and human rights groups, even for Bush.
Bush Taking Final Bushwhacks
11/19/08 - Posted by Abdullah Saeed under Hot TopicsIn a last-minute attempt to inject a dose of religious values into the throbbing vein of America’s healthcare system before its inevitable revamping, the Bush administration has proposed a rule that would protect healthcare workers who refuse to aid in sterilization and abortion procedures because of their religious values. Additionally, it would prevent healthcare institutions from requiring the faithful to do anything that God would frown upon, including termination of pregnancy, jeopardizing the survival of the unborn, and coveting thy neighbor’s wife.
Representatives from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission oppose the rule, claiming that the protection of employees religious beliefs are covered in Title VII of the Civil Rights act of 1964 and that no additional provisions are required, unless of course the goal is not the protection of employee rights but rather to further the influence of dominant monotheistic belief on the everyday lives of Americans who like to make personal decisions for themselves.
President-elect Obama has said that the proposed rule would be an obstacle to women attempting to receive reproductive health services. This sentiment was echoed by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, who believe the rule may lead to patients being refused contraceptive products by religious employees who think everyone should do it the old fashioned way. A representative of the association noted that buying condoms at a pharmacy is awkward enough without the theological debate that would almost certainly ensue.
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