Clinton Criticizes Bush

september 19, 2005

Former President Bill Clinton (whom I admire), came out over the weekend to criticize George W. Bush on Iraq, Katrina and the federal deficit. The hardest criticism -- and one that we should all take heed to -- is the one on the federal budget:

What Americans need to understand is that ... every single day of the year, our government goes into the market and borrows money from other countries to finance Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina, and our tax cuts. We have never done this before. Never in the history of our republic have we ever financed a conflict, military conflict, by borrowing money from somewhere else. We depend on Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Korea primarily to basically loan us money every day of the year to cover my tax cut and these conflicts and Katrina. I don't think it makes any sense.
I am glad that Clinton has come out to criticize Bush on these issues because half of the country just does not see these things. Although, that half of the country is the Bush-supporting Republicans, I do hope that they hear this and take it to heart. Politics, or not politics, it is hard for anyone to argue that being in debt is a good thing. And to be in debt, while still borrowing to try to finance a war is pure stupidity. Bush has put our country into such debt that we will be trying to get out of this hole for a long time to come. And for what? This country still is not safer (and some will argue that it is more dangerous). In a time of crisis we could not even help our own country, all the while we are borrowing to try to help others. And the saddest thing is that George W. Bush does not realize (or maybe he does) that he does need to raise taxes to help pay for Katrina. He has come out to say that he will not raise taxes to pay for the two relief bills passed by Congress (totalling $62.3 billion). He says that he will make cuts elsewhere to make up for the difference. I want to see exactly where he plans to get the money, when we are already in debt! As Clinton said, "They should continue to oppose it [Bush's refusal to hike taxes to finance Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan], and they should make it an issue in the 2006 election, and they should make it an issue in the 2008 election"


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