Stop rewarding bad presidents
The common joke is that, compared to Trump, President George W. Bush looks good. Does that joke aid American’s amnesiac tendencies? Bush spent the first months pushing a big tax break for the wealthy, amounting to $1.6 trillion. Sound familiar?
What is it about these unfunded tax breaks for their wealthy donors that Republican presidents now find so necessary? Neither Bush nor Trump won the popular vote. Bush lost by over a half-million voters. Trump lost to Hillary by nearly 3 million votes!
Bush’s tax bill passed. It didn’t accomplish the touted economic benefits. It added to the deficit. Meanwhile, the warnings about al-Qaida kept coming, until the 9/11 tragedy struck. The subsequent war pretty much cinched Bush’s second term. Is Trump planning something like that? When will we stop rewarding parties and presidents for their failures?
James Carlisle, Atascadero
This story was originally published January 2, 2018 at 9:33 AM with the headline "Stop rewarding bad presidents."