The Legacy Of George W Bush’s Presidency
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So did you all vote yesterday? Here’s some interesting statistics on the mess that Bush is leaving for the next president. [Via Democratic Caucus]
THE LEGACY OF GEORGE W. BUSH’S PRESIDENCY The Country He Inherited, The Country He Leaves Behind THE ECONOMY JANUARY 20, 2001 TODAY UNDER BUSH REAL GDP GROWTH1 4.09% Over Prior 8 Years 2.65% Over Prior 7 Years NATIONAL DEBT2 $5.7 Trillion $9.2 Trillion BUDGET DEFICIT/SURPLUS3 $431 Billion Surplus over the Previous Three Budget Years $734 Billion Deficit over the Previous Three Budget Years NEW PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS CREATED4 1.76 Million Jobs Per Year Over Previous 8 Years 369,000 Jobs Per Year Over Previous 7 Years AMERICANS IN POVERTY 5 31.6 Million 36.5 Million QUALITY OF LIFE JANUARY 20, 2001 TODAY UNDER BUSH AMERICANS UNINSURED & CHANGE IN UNINSURED LEVEL6 38 Million Uninsured 4.5 Million Less in 2 Years 47 Million Uninsured 8.5 Million More in 6 Years ANNUAL TOTAL PREMIUM COST7 $6,230 for Family Premium $12,106 for Family Premium MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME & CHANGE IN MEDIAN INCOME8 $49,163 $6,000 Increase in 8 Years $48,023 $1,100 Decrease in 6 Years PRICE OF GAS9 $1.39/Gallon $3.07/Gallon COST OF COLLEGE10 $3,164 per year $5,192 per year PERSONAL SAVINGS RATE11 +2.3% -0.5% CONSUMER CREDIT DEBT12
$7.65 Trillion $12.8 Trillion UNITED STATES & THE WORLD JANUARY 20, 2001 TODAY UNDER BUSH $380 Billion $759 Billion STRENGTH OF U.S. DOLLAR14 1.07 Euros per Dollar 0.68 Euros Per Dollar COMBAT READINESS15 All Active Duty Army Divisions Were Rated At The Highest Readiness Levels Not A Single Active Duty Or Reserve Brigade In The FOREIGN OIL DEPENDENCY16 52.75% of U.S. Liquid Fuel Consumption is Imported 60.38% of U.S. Liquid Fuel Consumption is Imported VIEW OF PEW POLL OF TEN NATIONS 58.3% Viewed 39.2% Viewed 83% Favorable 56% Favorable 75% Favorable 30% Favorable 52% Favorable 12% Favorable 78% Favorable 37% Favorable 1 Bureau of Economic Analysis 2 Department of Treasury 3 Congressional Budget Office 4 Bureau of Labor Statistics 5 6 7 Kaiser Study of Employer Health Care Benefits 8 9 Energy Information Administration 10 Higher Education Coordinating Board of 11 Bureau of Economic Analysis 12 Insurance Information Institute 13 14 OANDA.com: The Currency Website 15 Speaker of the House Fact Sheet, 11/29/07 16 Energy Information Administration 17 Testimony of Andrew Kohut; President,
While I cannot say I have supported many of the decisions made by President Bush during his tenure, I feel I have to point out that a lot of the points listed above, sensational as they may be, imply nothing more than correlation, and certainly don’t go so far as to claim causation.
Comment by Scott Armitage — February 6, 2008 @ 8:40 pm
Love both this blog and Qeeper but I agree with Scott wholeheartedly.
Comment by Maureen — February 6, 2008 @ 9:19 pm
Uh, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck—–DUCK!!!!!!! The “causation,” as Bush’s role therein, would be too vast to post.
Comment by Diane J Standiford — February 7, 2008 @ 12:32 am
Oh please, Bush and his cabal of world-ruining buffoons played major roles in accelerating most, if not all, of the factors listed above. You obviosly can’t draw black and white causational conclusions on an engine as complex and poorly understood as the national economy, but you’d be a fool not to link a great deal of them to this administration.
Comment by Hakushaku — February 7, 2008 @ 5:00 pm
I agree w/ Hakushaku. It can’t be a mere coinky dink. I love the blank & confused look Bush has all the time.
Comment by kristen — February 11, 2008 @ 4:43 pm