Political Opinion

Bush Money Pipeline

Fri, 23 Dec 2005 08:40:46 GMT

Long before George W. Bush began campaigning for the White House, his family built a fund-raising network of wealthy supporters to bankroll his political ambitions and propel him to the presidency

The network - including oilmen, lobbyists, developers, and agricultural executives - became accustomed to the Bush family's style of government, with George W. Bush as governor of Texas and brother Jeb Bush as governor of Florida.

The political financiers made an investment in the Bush family, an investment that paid off.

By 2004, President Bush's re-election campaign had assembled 66 elite fund-raisers in Texas and 55 in Florida. Some of the supporters, known as Pioneers and Rangers for raising at least $100,000 or $200,000, respectively, say they collected contributions for Mr. Bush because he was a trusted friend with common political ideas.

Some, though, acknowledge that being a prolific fund-raiser translates into access for those who want to influence government decisions.

"If you support someone, it's going to give you a leg up on getting an audience. There's nothing wrong with that," said Pioneer Charles Beggs Moncrief of Moncrief Oil in Fort Worth.

Since Mr. Bush took office in 2001, the federal government has awarded more than $3 billion in contracts to the President's elite 2004 Texas fund-raisers, their businesses, and lobbying clients, a Blade investigation shows. In Florida, massive sugar companies and development firms led by Bush Pioneers and Rangers have reaped millions of dollars from government policies, which environmentalists say have sided with sprawl and development over the restoration of the Everglades.

The Bush strongholds of Texas and Florida became the roots of a fund-raising tree that by 2004 had enlisted 548 Pioneers and Rangers nationwide - including 30 in Ohio.

A Blade report in October showed that Mr. Bush's top Ohio fund-raisers collected more than $1.2 billion in taxpayers' dollars for their companies and lobbying clients.

One Ohio "Pioneer," former Toledo-area rare-coin dealer Tom Noe, was indicted in October on three felony charges that he illegally laundered money into the Bush re-election campaign. The Blade first reported on April 3 that the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation gave Mr. Noe $50 million to invest in his rare-coin funds. State officials accuse him of stealing millions of dollars from the funds.

Supporting the 'cause'
Members of President Bush's prestigious fund-raising clubs in Texas and Florida - who raised at least $17.1 million of the $40 million collected for his re-election effort last year in the two states - stood to win millions of dollars through federal energy, environmental, or agricultural policies. Others had federal contracts to supply accounting services to government agencies or electricity to the Department of Defense, while some won high-ranking appointments and ambassadorships.

Bill Ceverha, a Bush Pioneer and political strategist who spent 12 years in the Texas Legislature, believes that most of Mr. Bush's key fund-raisers didn't expect anything from the President besides sound governance.

"These are people of a stature that they don't want any appointments. They don't need anything from the government," said Mr. Ceverha, who works as a political adviser to Louis Beecherl, an oilman and Bush Pioneer who declines to speak with the media. "They are just doing it because they believe in the cause."

In the early 1990s, Mr. Ceverha was among the Texans who helped persuade George W. Bush to run for governor. Today, there are photos of Mr. Bush on the wall of his Dallas office, and Mr. Ceverha says he and his wife are invited to White House Christmas parties.

He said being a Bush Pioneer or Ranger provides access but no guarantees from the President.

"I don't know any of them who are looking for anything in particular," Mr. Ceverha said. "They know they are going to get an audience when they go to Washington, not necessarily with the President, but with this senator or that senator, or this congressman."

As Texas's governor during the 1990s, Mr. Bush established a loyal following that included deep-pocketed political financiers by selling them on his straight-forward style of leadership and looking out for their interests in the statehouse, said Tom Smith of the Texas chapter of Public Citizen, a nonprofit public interest organization.

"The Texas Pioneers and Rangers learned through the Bush gubernatorial era that their investments would pay off, so they were more than willing to be leaders when Bush began to run for president," Mr. Smith said.

Pilgrim's poultry
Lonnie "Bo" Pilgrim, the chairman of Texas-based Pilgrim's Pride, is adamant that his fund-raising activities aren't done for "selfish reasons."

"I do it, first of all, for what I believe is right and people I contribute to have the same philosophy I have," said Mr. Pilgrim, a Bush Pioneer. "You know, I'm a conservative. I believe in integrity. I believe in a minimum of regulations. I don't believe in high taxes."

Mr. Pilgrim, who founded his company 60 years ago, has seen it grow into the nation's second-largest poultry producer. Last year, the company posted more than $5 billion in sales.

Since President Bush took office in 2001, Mr. Pilgrim's business collected nearly $60 million from the federal government for selling poultry to the Agricultural Marketing Service, a government agency that assists farmers and provides food for the poor.

Mr. Pilgrim said he didn't know that his company had received federal money, but he characterized the federal payments as a "small number," considering his business does "$20 million a day."

He said he's only asked President Bush once for a favor - that he speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin about stopping Russia's ban on the import of U.S. chickens. In May, 2002, President Bush spoke with Mr. Putin about the so-called "chicken war" - and the Russians eventually allowed the import of the U.S. products.

The discussions came after the two presidents signed a historic nuclear arms treaty at the Kremlin.

"President Putin and I also agree that we'll work to resolve disputed areas of trading, such as poultry or steel, in a spirit of mutual respect and trust," President Bush said at a news conference after the signing of the joint declaration.

Mr. Pilgrim, who said he requested Mr. Bush's intervention on behalf of the chicken industry, called the process "slow and even discouraging" at times.

"I think President Putin didn't have total control of many things down there in Russia, just like politicians here in America don't have total control," said Mr. Pilgrim, who added that Mr. Bush, his wife, Laura, and his two daughters, Jenna and Barbara, spent a night at his home while Mr. Bush was running for governor in Texas.

Defense and accounting
Of the more than $3 billion in federal contracts awarded to President Bush's key Texas fund-raisers and their lobbying clients, more than $1.7 billion went to the customers of Tom Loeffler, a lobbyist, former Texas congressman, and Bush Ranger.

Two of Mr. Loeffler's clients, American Management Systems and Motorola, collected the majority of the federal contract money. Motorola supplied security and communications products to the Department of Defense and other agencies, while American Management provided computer services to a number of agencies including the Coast Guard and Defense Department.

Mr. Loeffler's clients, in total, collected more than $960 million in Department of Defense contracts since Mr. Bush took office.

Julian Read, a spokesman for Mr. Loeffler, who is based in San Antonio, said the lobbying clients might have "gotten the contracts whether or not he was involved."

Adding that Mr. Loeffler has been a friend and supporter of the President for many years, Mr. Read said: "There are many, many factors involved in awarding contracts ... They probably don't have anything to do with lobbyists."

Besides chicken and defense contractors, the accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers also helped keep President Bush in the White House.

The firm last year lent two of its top executives, Carter Pate and Richard Kilgust, to the Bush campaign to raise money. The two men were so successful they were named Bush Rangers.

Pricewaterhouse has collected more than $353 million for accounting and auditing services from federal agencies since Mr. Bush took office in 2001.

To bolster its business with the government, the accounting firm in late October hired a business strategy firm, California-based SM&A, as an adviser.

Mr. Pate, a Texas resident and managing partner of Pricewaterhouse's Washington office, said in a statement: "SM&A's 22-year history of winning leadership in federal business capture made them the logical choice for moving forward with us."

A spokesman declined to comment on behalf of Mr. Pate and Mr. Kilgust, another senior partner with the accounting firm.

Kingdom of sugar
For miles and miles, the land along U.S. 27 through Florida's Broward and Palm Beach counties is barren, either under water, or black with a soil that locals call "muck."

But about six miles south of Lake Okeechobee, the smokestacks of the massive Florida Crystals refinery dominate the landscape, the smoke blending with the steel-gray sky.

And in the nearby town of Clewiston, which bills itself as "America's Sweetest Town,'' workers stream out of the U.S. Sugar Corp.'s refinery as rain falls on another humid, 75-degree day in December.

The federal and state governments call it the "Everglades Agricultural Area."

It is the kingdom of the sugar giants.

Two of President Bush's top Florida fund-raisers in 2004 were Jose "Pepe" Fanjul, president of Florida Crystals Corp., and Robert Edward Coker, senior vice president of U.S. Sugar.

The sugar industry and developers have profited under President Bush and his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, in part by gutting the purpose of the federal Everglades Restoration Act, said Jonathan Ullman, Everglades field representative for the Sierra Club.

The law was signed in 2000 by President Bill Clinton.

Under the Bush Administration:

The Army Corps of Engineers has weakened the rules governing the proposed restoration of the Everglades, in part by restricting the Department of Interior's oversight power.

In 2002, the federal government gave the green light to rock-mining companies that want to destroy about 20,000 acres of wetlands. Environmental groups, saying the mining would contaminate groundwater, have sued.

Two years ago, at the request of Florida sugar companies and several lobbyists they hired, Governor Bush signed a bill into law to amend the state's Everglades Forever Act, which has set a 2006 deadline for the cleanup of phosphorus. Governor Bush signed legislation that delayed the planned cleanup of phosphorous pollution from the sugar industry by another 10 years.

The administrations of both President Bush and Governor Bush have allowed residential development on land environmentalists say is needed to restore the Everglades. Critics also say the administrations have not provided enough money for a proposal to replace a roadway in Miami-Dade County with an 11-mile elevated skyway that would allow for natural flow of water into Everglades National Park.

In 2000, Mr. Coker and Mr. Fanjul were at Governor Bush's side at Everglades National Park when he signed legislation into law implementing the federal Everglades Restoration Act.

"There are certain milestones in our careers and lives where everything comes together, and we recognize that we have actually done something of lasting importance,'' Governor Bush said at the time.

The Sierra Club had generally supported the $8 billion blueprint, but the group now only supports parts of it.

"We could see that both Bush administrations in Tallahassee and Washington were abandoning the plan and it was being turned into a water-supply project for the benefit of developers, specifically sprawl development," said Mr. Ullman, the group's Everglades field representative in Miami.

Russell Schweiss, Governor Bush's senior press secretary, rejected the charge and said environmental groups have distorted the governor's record.

"It is abundantly clear that Everglades restoration is one of his top priorities, based solely on the investment he has committed to the project. A lot of the governor's critics have argued that it is simply to get water for South Florida, but the fact is you can't restore the Everglades without providing a better water source to South Florida," said Mr. Schweiss, who added that phosphorous levels have declined in the Everglades during Governor Bush's tenure.

Three Florida Bush Rangers - Al Austin, Alfred Hoffman, Jr., and H. Gary Morse - served on Governor Bush's Council of 100, a business advisory group which in 2003 recommended that water from rural northern parts of the state be moved to urban areas in the south. Because of extensive opposition, Governor Bush has shelved the recommendation.

Mr. Hoffman, chairman of one of the state's largest development firms, was the council's chairman. In 2004, he was national co-chairman and Florida finance chairman for President Bush's re-election campaign. President Bush in July nominated him as ambassador to Portugal.

Mr. Austin, a Tampa-based developer, was a fund-raiser for Governor Bush's 1998 campaign.

Mr. Morse is a developer who gave more than $80,000 to the Florida Republican Party when Jeb Bush ran successfully for governor in 1998.

Another Florida Bush fund-raiser, attorney C. David Brown - a Pioneer in 2000 and a Ranger in 2004 - helped convince the Scripps Research Institute of California to locate a biotech research center on a 1,920-acre site in Palm Beach County near the Everglades.

Governor Bush has supported the project. It is on hold, in part, because a federal judge said the Army Corps of Engineers should have conducted a comprehensive environmental review of whether the institute could use the site.

Mr. Brown's law firm received about $200,000 from the state of Florida for working on the project.

Development of the land, now covered with orange groves, would damage the Everglades, the Sierra Club's Mr. Ullman said.

Energy industry
President Bush faced criticism when he was governor of Texas for aiding his financial supporters.

Critics charged that his hands-off approach to the state's booming energy industry was because he was beholden to oil and energy interests, which had provided millions of dollars for his campaigns.

Tom Smith of the Texas chapter of Public Citizen said recently that Mr. Bush had a record in Texas of deregulating utilities and allowing polluters to police themselves - policies which would foreshadow the actions he would take in the White House.

"His attempts to forgive utilities on every turn can only be figured out in the context of its payback for their help in his election," Mr. Smith said.

After his election in 2000, President Bush assembled an energy transition team that included a number of Bush fund-raisers, such as former Enron executive Ken Lay, a 2000 Pioneer, and Erle Nye, a 2004 Pioneer and the former chairman of TXU, a large Texas energy company.

Since Mr. Bush took office in 2001, TXU has collected more than $147 million in federal contracts for supplying gas and electric services to several agencies, including the Department of Defense. On Dec. 5, 2001, the Defense Logistics Agency authorized a $71 million contract to TXU for fuel oils. TXU also received a $600 million tax refund in 2003, according to the company's official filings.

During President Clinton's eight years in office, TXU received $69 million in federal contracts.

Mr. Nye, who left TXU earlier this year, could not be reached for comment. Mr. Nye was appointed by Mr. Bush to serve on the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.

Charles Beggs Moncrief of Moncrief Oil in Fort Worth, another Bush Pioneer, said he's never asked for any favors from the Bush Administration.

Mr. Moncrief said being a Bush fund-raiser "obviously" could help someone gain access.

"That works whether you are a Republican or a Democrat," he said.

Mr. Moncrief's father, W.A. "Tex" Moncrief, the longtime owner of Moncrief Oil and a major Republican contributor, said he believes one of the "big reasons" Mr. Bush decided to invade Iraq was oil. And the decision, he said, will pay dividends for the U.S. oil market.

"The Iraq situation doesn't look good, but my honest opinion is that if we hadn't gone into Iraq, then we would be in worse shape with the oil situation," he said. "The Iraqis probably would have gone into Saudi Arabia and certainly gotten into a squabble with Iran or taken them over and have a lock on all of the oil, which they don't have now."

Money: a loud voice

Heather

I smell hipocracy

Tue, 20 Dec 2005 12:54:51 GMT

who gets uncomfortable when too much Truth is stated ?.. its like hipocrites when he goes to church with his ma and dad.. he gets real squirmy

IS IT FINALLY TIME TO IMPEACH BUSH?

Mon, 19 Dec 2005 20:30:30 GMT

That's really not question. I think that it really is time, with the NSA domestic spying news, and the president admitting to ordering the felonious acts. Domestic spying against US citizens, wiretaps without warrants is illegal�a felony. With the president admitting to this, and, also, saying that he will continue to do it, I'd say it's time to show him that he's not above the law, and to impeach him. (They impeached Clinton for sexual hanky-panky, don't you think that this is more serious, than that?) More facts on this can be seen : here call.htm If we don't bring this president to task for this, and show him that no person in the US is above the law, then we will surely become a dictatorship, sooner than later.

Bush Arrogance!

Sun, 18 Dec 2005 17:19:49 GMT

In ordering the NSA to spy secretly on Americans, George Bush has overturned United States Signals Intelligence Directive 18, which prohibits domestic spying by NSA; violated the federal act which created the FISA court to oversee covert domestic investigations; and trampled upon the Fourth Amendment guarantee against warrantless searches.

The President of the United States has admitted on national radio that he has violated the laws of the nation and abrogated the U.S. Constitution, that he has no remorse for his actions and intends to continue to hold the Constitution in contempt, and that he believes himself to be above the law and not answerable to any institution or human being alive.

I don't like George Bush as any reader of this journal will know, but this goes so far beyond mere disagreement with his policies and ethics. This would be recognized as tyranny by the Founders of this country; it defies a principle established in Anglo-American jurisprudence since the Magna Carta. As does the use of torture, by the way, and the suspension of habeas corpus. But if Abu Ghraib was not enough to move you, if the imprisonment of American citizens without charges does not seem to be your problem, perhaps the spectre of Orwellian surveillance of American citizens at the whim of a man who considers himself above the law will give you a chill.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, read the original article in the New York Times. You'll note that the Times knew about this a year ago, and withheld the story at the request of the Administration, which itself is a shameful act indicating how low the "free" press in American has sunk. (See this for more NYT analysis.)

If you don't want to register to read that article, try this later one on MSNBC.

If you want a primer on Constitutional principles, try this at Steve Gilliard's blog.

If you want to know why the Prez thinks this is ok, read this.

And if you think something ought to be done about it, read this.

It cannot stand, or historians will look back on this moment at the pivot point where the American republic and its experiment in democracy crumpled. Ironic that it was no foreign enemy, but fear and complacency that did us in.

NSA spying on us.

Sat, 17 Dec 2005 01:42:16 GMT

Wow who would have guessed that. First I see nothing wrong with it. They have been all over stuff like this for years now. This is not a new thing,like the New York Times claims it is.I feel better they are spying or listening in on selected key calls or keywords. This is one of the only ways you can head off terrorists calling back to momma . So a few selected American groups were listened in on also. They still had to get a warrant for this if it went beyond a sneak and peek. If you are doing nothing wrong what do you care?

Now lets see the motives behind the New York Times here. James Risen who wrote this article claims the Whitehouse made him hold off for a year on publishing it. Maybe so but in two or three weeks there is a book due out written by Mr. Risen titled State of War The Secret History of CIA and Bush. Sounds like he was just waiting to release this so his book will get more press. Another media creation and scumbag trick here.

something to stick on yer favorites

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 08:44:47 GMT

here are some useful urls for a rainy day when ya feel like meddling or want to dig

a little deeper into yer pc.. or play or fix or whatever.. I hope you can be excited just as i am.. now that i have my handy dandy urls.. i am truly a better person...Dont you wish you could be like me? LOL.

http://freewarearena.com/
http://www.topfreeware.net/
http://100-downloads.com/
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp.htm

Love, Schlicktaco

DOES JENNY HAVE A MOTIVE?

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 04:20:47 GMT

Ok so she's a lesbian who had an affair with Angeliner !! So they have a strong relationship... more friends than lovers.... so if Jenny claims they are so tight.. why couldnt she just leave her and Brad alone.. and let them have their family.. any thoughts?

McCain/Bush reach deal

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 02:59:41 GMT

Yes they did in public at least. All this Bill will do is force the CIA and other groups to just plain and simple not tell the Senate Select Intel Commitee is all. They will still ship the terrorists all over and in the future will just hide it better,and not tell Congress. Anyone remember Iran Contra thing? Yup that was those types saying one thing to congress reaching a deal(Boland ammendment) publicly and doing everything behind their backs instead in private.

Judge Alito media distortion

Fri, 16 Dec 2005 02:52:23 GMT

I saw today the media make some big deal out of groups that oppose Alito. This is all a bogus blown out of porportion media semi invented story. What the media failed to tell you about these five or six groups who yesterday opposed Judge Alito is that these groups also opposed now Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts. Why did they not mention these groups when the Roberts nominee was up? Well I will tell you why,the media is reaching here plain and simple.Roberts was first up and there was probably a little more press speculation on him and interest from the public just because he was first. Now the story of Supreme Court nominees is overplayed (by the media) and they are stretching for a story. They will try to do anything and do anything for ratings and market share and I find it sickening. No wonder nobody watches those Hardballs and shows like that.

hi all

Tue, 13 Dec 2005 07:26:52 GMT

hi there im a newbie here ... nice to see you

Zarqawi a phony

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 02:45:05 GMT

He is the nutbag who claims he does all this for cultural Islam reasons. He hates the WEst and all it stands for. This is a guy who opened a video rental store in Jordan,and sold rentals . Humm this sounds like he tried to own a blockbuster and it failed.Maybe thats why he hates the western culture. He never has liked Bin Laden nor has Bin (I think he is dead) laden. All badmouth the western culture but try or tried or have made tons of money off our values in the past.

More anti smoking nonsense

Mon, 12 Dec 2005 02:07:39 GMT

Here we go again another company jumps on anti bandwagon. It appears Scotts Miricle Grow will fire all and any employee who smokes.This follows last week where the City of Washington DC and Chicago make it illegal to smoke. DC Mayor says he will not support anti smoking but the way it was passed,he can't overide it. New Jersey a few weeks ago is coming on strong to not allow smoking in every bar and restuarant but the casinos(too strong a lobby) Well where is the [ansy ACLU on this one to try to help us who smoke out ? Or is all they care about the lonley crack head immigrant? My bet Scotts tries to fire Chuck the crack fiend from thier staff the ACLU would be all over it suing. Ohh lets all coddle a guy who uses illegal drugs that would be wrong to fire him. Lets cry about smoking costs of healthcare but not whine that Chuck the crakepipe smoker is costing them just as much if not more with the treatment they have to put him thru to quit too. Who is some company to tell me I can't use a legal substance in my home while I am off duty. Do I try to stop that fat CEO from chomping on Cigars and eating Prime Rib while he is on his way to a bypass (average cost of bypass is about 250,000 ) I know my father had one but he used the best guy in country so maybe it is a touch less. My point these wingnuts need to be stopped ,they are out there where the busses don't run. Came home from the market without all thier groceries,ooppps sorry I made fun of mental patients I better watch out for the ACLU. BTW who pays for those shrinks for the nutballs that work at Scotts? GO smoke a Marlboro if you want .

Saddam Trial Designed Not To Bring Out The Whole Truth

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 17:15:30 GMT

The trial of Saddam Hussein by an Iraqi court, on highly specific charges of relating to mass murder in 1982 (and thus prior to the full scale western re-engagement with Iraq, which predominated for the rest of the 1980s) is from the US point of view a carefully constructed exercise in damage limitation.

The Bush administration's rejection of the International Criminal Court has been portrayed as a means of preventing US soldiers facing war crimes charges. It is also paying dividends in this case, in keeping "interfering" liberal European lawyers off the pitch, and thus the more unsavoury aspects of US foreign policy out of the full glare of the western media. On the surface a local trial for local people, it is taking place in the Green Zone under a US military occupation of Iraq.

The last thing the neo-conservatives want is Donald Rumsfeld's "loans and weapons" meetings with Saddam Hussein (when in 1983-84 as Reagan's special envoy, his job was to reintegrate Iraq into the US fold for policing the Middle East region) open to new scrutiny.

The smart lie of Bush junior's war on Iraq, that America the brave altruistically took on Saddam the evil, remains intact as long as western complicity in aiding and abetting Saddam during the years of his worst crimes remains off record. With only the unheeded courthouse ramblings of the former dictator himself, living up to his allotted role of entirely unreliable witness, to challenge the official narrative, US Perception Management Inc will score a much needed victory in the information war that remains essential to its Iraq mission.

The Saddam trial, configured as pantomime for western audiences, will thus only prolong the utter disaster of the US's fifty-year history of covert and overt meddling in Iraq.

Merry Christmas To All!

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 16:41:11 GMT

I want �Merry Christmas� put back everywhere. If you keep Christ in Christmas you will likely have �Happy Holi-days.� This whole situation is so ridiculous, who has the right to tell me that I can�t say Merry Christmas? Where are my rights? We already have enough holidays that are strictly for the well being of businesses, Boss�s Day, Secretary�s Day, etc. We don�t need business or government telling us what kind of greetings we MUST use. I am saying Merry Christmas, big and loud to everyone I see.

ACLU Abuse

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 03:20:48 GMT

During September of this year, the American Legion Organization asked Congress to amend a law to stop the American Civil Liberties Union from using our courts to destroy American values at taxpayer expense.

The American Legion is in full support of the Public Expression of Religion Act of 2005 and House Rule 2679 sponsored by Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind. The legislation would amend the Civil Rights Attorney Fees Act to withdraw the authority of judges to award attorney fees to the ACLU, or anyone else.

The courts are awarding the ACLU millions of dollars in taxpayer-paid attorney fees awards. While the law was written with good intentions � to ensure legitimate victims of civil rights violations could obtain representation � it has been exploited by the ACLU. The threat of these judge�ordered fees has terrorized elected officials into surrendering to the ACLU�s demands

The latest attack by the ACLU has recently taken place in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals where it was ordered that the cross honoring World War I veterans in the Mojave National Preserve, be removed or destroyed because the memorial contained an inscription of �For God and Country� which was placed there by veterans of World War I in 1919

It is conceivable that if the ACLU continues to be successful in eliminating �God� from anything to do either directly or indirectly with all governing bodies of this country, then at some point in the future, it will be illegal for witnesses to swear upon the Bible before giving testimony in our courts!

Bush Guest Worker Program Just More Appeasement To Big Business And Extremist Neocons

Sat, 10 Dec 2005 17:44:12 GMT

On Nov. 28, President Bush addressed the contentious topic of illegal immigration in a speech he made in Arizona. Bush tried to appease the conservative wing of the Republican Party by exaggerating all the bills he has signed, supposedly meant to stem the flood of illegal immigrants entering America via our border with Mexico.

Bush also detailed a "guest worker program" that would allow illegal immigrants to work in the United States for two consecutive three-year periods before they would have to return to their home country. Further scrutiny of Bush's guest worker initiative makes it clear the scheme will not work as it is being sold to the American people.

First of all, it is pie-in-the-sky logic to believe those who are in this country illegally will sign up for such a program. And, if they did, it boggles the mind to expect them to return to Mexico for one year after the six-year period is concluded and then register again for the program.

Also, there is the question of what will happen�;to all the children who will be born in the U.S. to these guest workers during their temporary stay. These children will be American citizens. Will their parents be expected to remove them from schools and the country of their birth for a year, and what will stop illegal immigrants for filing for citizenship while they are here claiming guest worker status?

Bush knows this program is only meant to satisfy big business by continuing the flow of cheap labor. In reality, Bush's plan is nothing more than amnesty - no matter which way you slice it.

Bush Economy: Temporary Growth, Lasting Damage

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 21:39:59 GMT

While George W. Bush has been touting good news on the economy, the picture is not quite so rosy, especially in the long term. The Boston Globe reports that recent economic growth is not "merely a lucky accident." According to the Globe, Bush's enormous military and security spending, and two of the largest tax cuts in the nation's history are likely to result in "short-term growth and long-term damage." The Globe describes the economic policies of the Bush administration as a "crude and destructive cocktail of stimulants." Even if the recent positive economic signals temporarily take hold, "the administration's policies will weaken the economy over time, fall particularly harshly on its working middle- and low- income citizens, and fail to prepare the nation for a century of far more intense global competition."

A Welfare Program for Big Business

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 20:40:34 GMT

In early October, Congress considered a $140 billion dollar tax bill that would provide a tax break to 276 large companies and special interest groups. Instead of using this money to help national financial worries, Congress has decided to give tax breaks to the rich and powerful. As Doug Thompson explains, this "corporate tax reform bill" is more like a "welfare program for big business." A few specific examples include provisions for the following corporations: Starbucks, NASCAR, Carnival Cruise Lines and Home Depot. Thompson claims that many members of Congress, representatives and senators alike, only care about "the golden rule." That is, "he who has the gold, makes the rules."

06 Elections

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 17:49:20 GMT

Well speaking with Heather in past few months ,she claims she wants the Republicans to lose control of Congress in 06. OK fine (as she would say to me) but she also claims she wants Senator McCain to win in 2008. So Heather are you telling me you want Maverick McCain to limp into the oval in 08 and have a split devisive congress ,so he won't be able to get anything done? Humm if you are pro McCain he will need to retain control the SEnate in the 06 elections,as senators are 6 year terms. If you truely want McCAin you need half term republicans in senate to already be in control and in place when he gets there in 2008. It's not about Bush anymore look to the future down the road stuff,I have always told you its three moves down the road that counts not next year or next week .

Bush Budget Slashes Education, Veterans' Health Care, Law Enforcement, and Environmental Protections

Thu, 08 Dec 2005 17:00:50 GMT

The Bush administration's budget for the 2006 fiscal year will cut non-defense discretionary spending, including education, veteran's health care, law enforcement, and environmental protections. In all, President Bush's fiscal 2006 budget plan calls for elimination of or drastic cuts from 154 programs. Funding for the Iraq war, however, was recently increased. A House subcommittee approved an initial $45 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan next year, two weeks after Congress approved $82 billion for this year's costs of the conflicts. Although President Bush argues that it is too early to request money for the wars during the 2006 budget year, which started Oct. 1, with no timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, war costs are certain and many lawmakers are reluctant to wait for his request.