The Legacy Of George W Bush’s Presidency
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,
Posted: 6 February, 2008 in Knowledge/News.
Comments
Comment from Maureen
Posted: February 6, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Love both this blog and Qeeper but I agree with Scott wholeheartedly.
Comment from Diane J Standiford
Posted: February 7, 2008 at 12:32 am
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 from Hakushaku
Posted: February 7, 2008 at 5:00 pm
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 from kristen
Posted: February 11, 2008 at 4:43 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 from Scott Armitage
Posted: February 6, 2008 at 8:40 pm
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.