Profit and Loss

Every administration wants to make its mark in the world but the Bush regime has left an ugly scar instead, on the Earth as well as on the body politic. From the endangered Alaska Wildlife Refuge to old growth forests in Oregon being harvested under the "Healthy Forests Initiative;" From strip mining and mountain capping in the Eastern coal states to the rubble that is Iraq, the Bush group has inflicted a wound on the planet that will be a long time healing.
Add to the physical destruction the long term effects of the "Clear Skies Initiative," which allows more toxins into the atmosphere, or the refusal of this government to consider any agreement on climate control and greenhouse gases, be it international or interstate.
This is because the governing philosophy of this brand of Conservative is not lead by "values and morals," or religion, or even national security. This government is ruled by one thing only, bare knuckle capitalism. That's the agenda behind all the deregulation of environmental safeguards and the arrogant non-cooperation with other nations. The Bush message is "don't stand between an American capitalist and his God given right to maximize his profits."
The corporatization of everything commercial in this country would be bad enough if they were good corporate citizens. But aside but plastering their names on sports arenas, many of the largest corporations keep shell offices in the Cayman Islands and other administration approved tax sanctuaries to legally bypass something so troubling as income tax. Bush wants to end the estate tax too, so another Yaley legacy can inherit a family fortune without having to pay the government. And the current tax cuts to the most wealthy come to $70 billion dollars. Kanye West was wrong when he said that Bush doesn't care about black people. Bush doesn't care about poor people. And his government is utterly shameless about it.
In the teeth of scandal and criminal investigation, the Republican led House Agricultural Committee voted along strict party lines to approve budget cuts that will take food stamps away from 300,000 people and cut off school lunches and breakfasts for 400,000 children. A government report says that in the five years of the Bush presidency, the number of people who are hungry because they can't afford to buy enough food has risen by seven million and affects 12% of U.S. households. And it was the White House that proposed the restrictions on food stamp recipients while simultaneously making it more difficult to declare bankruptcy.
The grim reality is that there are a full three years of Bush economics facing this country unless someone in power, preferably on the Republican side, screams "enough!" Because it is in the Republican Party's self interest not to self-destruct with the Bush administration, some brave soul may yet exclaim that these policies are killing the average American and it must stop. The best a caring citizen can do is to prepare ourselves to come out in sufficient numbers to return one of the legislative bodies to the Democrats in 2006. At least this will break the Bush government's immunity from accountability, and will allow legitimate inquiries to begin into the plunder of both natural and human resources used by this regime to accomplish their political goals. It's a good thing the President is a "compassionate conservative." I'd hate to see the extent of the damage done by someone who didn't care as much.