Jimmy Carter

George H. W. Bush, “Voodoo Economics”, And Republican Economics In 2010!

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The Republican Party is famous, or rather infamous, for creating a vast majority of the national debt, and yet they keep on acting as if the Democratic Party are the villains in this regard!

George H. W. Bush, competing for the GOP Presidential nomination in 1980, attacked candidate Ronald Reagan’s claim that tax cuts would NOT cause an increase in the national debt! Bush called it “voodoo economics”! Of course, that is exactly what happened under Reagan, with a tripling of the national debt from one to three trillion dollars!

The first President Bush was more cautious on tax cuts, and actually increased taxes and was bitterly criticized by conservatives, which helped to cause his defeat in 1992!

His son, George W. Bush, managed to almost double the national debt from 5 to 10 trillion dollars, meaning just Reagan and the second Bush created nearly a 7 trillion dollar increase in the debt, much of it because of Reaganomics and Bushonomics, meaning tax cuts for the wealthy who had no need for it, as many themselves would admit!

Meanwhile, the national debt went up much more slowly under Jimmy Carter, often considered stingy in his desire to cut government spending and avoid major tax cuts! Under Bill Clinton, there was also a rise in taxes on the wealthy, and a more careful handling of the budget so as to add far less debt!

So under the first Bush, Carter and Clinton, only about 2 trillion dollars was added to the national debt, which was one trillion when Carter left office!

So the two Democratic Presidents were better at managing the national budget and avoiding major debt growth, while the two Republican Presidents added most of it, and father Bush added more than Carter and Clinton, but also kept the idea of “voodoo economics” in mind during his Presidency!

But now, in the midst of propaganda that giving the unemployed extra months of compensation in the worst economic climate since the 1930s will bust the budget and add to the debt, leading conservatives in the GOP argue that major tax cuts must continue to the wealthy!

Are these Republicans living in the real world, or are they just so lacking in concern about what they claim to be a major problem only when it affects average Americans? 🙁

Is this country to be run for the top two or three percent, or for the American people at large? 🙁

This is what Americans must consider as they go and vote this November in the midterm elections! Will they vote out of ignorance and fear, and allow name calling to determine their decision; or out of reality, common sense, and realization that they are being fed propaganda to manipulate them?

The future of this country, and getting out of this economic mess we call the Great Recession, is up for grabs, a terrifying scenario! 🙁

Barack Obama’s Record Greater After 18 Months Than 12 Years Of Jimmy Carter And Bill Clinton!

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Lately, the public opinion polls have been showing growing discontent with President Obama, not surprising considering the many problem that exist and have not been possible to solve anytime soon!

But as Peter Beinart has demonstrated on THE DAILY BEAST website, in actuality, Obama has had a more successful record of accomplishment, in many ways, than both Jimmy Carter in his four years, and Bill Clinton in his eight years in the Presidency!

Obama has been able to gain passage of the economic stimulus package, the health care reform, and now financial regulatory reform seems about to pass. He is also seeking to gain environmental and immigration reform, and one should not bet against these ideas eventually occurring!

Obama also has been able to put two women on the Supreme Court, with the likelihood that they will promote a view of the Constitution that most progressives and liberals will be happy with! And while foreign policy is very complex, he has been seen as making major changes in relations with the rest of the world!

For his first 18 months in office, Obama has achieved more than all Presidents except Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson!

It seems, as Beinart states, that Obama will be seen as a transformational President for the promotion of larger government, as much as Ronald Reagan was transformational for the promotion of conservative views in the 1980s! Despite any gains by the GOP this year in the midterm elections, Beinart believes that we are witnessing a major shift leftward that will continue despite the Tea Party Movement!

Time For Banning Off Shore Oil Drilling Permanently!

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If the recent disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, with the leak from the British Petroleum oil rig, leading to what will probably be the greatest environmental disaster in American history, is not enough information to tell us that off shore oil drilling around our coast lines must be banned, then nothing will! 🙁

It is time that senators such as Mary Landrieu of Louisiana stop catering to oil companies, and start representing the many struggling poor and middle class people of her state, many of whom will be impacted by the environmental disaster now taking place!

This is the moment finally to start promoting wind power and solar power and other alternative sources of energy, and get away from the pollution caused by both oil and coal!

This is the opportunity,  when the “iron is hot”, to promote the permanent banning of off shore oil drilling, while the Democrats have the opportunity to push the issue, which should be a winning issue with the American people, particularly in the crisis atmosphere now existing!

Jimmy Carter, much maligned in many ways, still stands out as the courageous President who was willing, over 30 years ago, to push the idea of alternative sources of energy,and it is time we started to listen and follow his lead on this issue! In the long run, it will make us finally NOT dependent on foreign oil, which affects our national security in a threatening way!

40th Anniversary Of Earth Day! Environmental Celebration!

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Today, April 22, represents the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day, and later that year, the signing into law of the Environmental Protection Agency by President Richard Nixon!

Nixon proved to be quite a surprise! His Secretary of the Interior, Walter Hickel, former Governor of Alaska, proved to be one of the very best Interior Secretaries in American history! Nixon, himself, was easily the best environmental Republican President other than Theodore Roosevelt. Nixon cannot be given enough credit for what he did on this issue, despite many other negatives that can be visited on this controversial President.

We were fortunate that we had President Jimmy Carter further promote the environment during his administration, and President Bill Clinton as well, whose Vice President, Al Gore, pushed him in the direction of great environmental action.

Unfortunately, however, we had President Ronald Reagan compile the worst environmental record of any President; his successor, George H. W. Bush, only slightly better; and George W. Bush compiled the second worst environmental record behind Reagan! 🙁

Thankfully, President Barack Obama is cooperating in many ways on the issue of the environment, and recognizing the reality of climate change and global warming, while sadly, very few Republicans, and none of the conservative talk show hosts are doing anything to deal with this issue, other than to denounce, deny, lie, deceive, and fabricate the concept that we need not be concerned about the environment!

That is the reason why those who believe in the significance of the environmental movement MUST continue to fight the good fight for the future of our planet! But let’s celebrate Earth Day and acknowledge the role of Richard Nixon on this special day!

Auto Industry Revival Proof That Obama Administration Was Correct In Giving Aid!

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It has now been proved that the Obama Administration was correct in deciding to assist the auto industry from complete collapse by giving financial aid.

General Motors is paying back already $8.2 billion in aid to the government, and Chrysler is also on the road to recovery.

This idea of aiding business through loan guarantees to keep a company afloat are nothing new, as Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter, and George W. Bush all did it before Barack Obama.

The naysayers who said that the government should allow the auto companies to fail were absolutely wrong in that view, as by assisting them toward their recovery, millions of workers in auto and related industries, and many Midwestern and Southern cities, were able to avoid even greater unemployment and what would have been a depression, rather than a severe recession!

This whole concept that it is improper for the government to intervene when the economy is in trouble has again been proved to be totally false! The Tea Party, Republican, and conservative attacks on Obama over this are totally wrong, but of course none of these critics will dare to give Obama any credit. But those cities and workers, who have benefited from his wise decision to follow what other Presidents have done in economic crisis, know that they can give thanks that we had a President who did the absolutely right thing!

And there are many signs that the economy is recovering, and that will further prove that the critics are just that, critics, who do not care about the truth, but rather simply wish to divide and stir up trouble for the sake of partisan gain! Hopefully, the American people will prove in November that the politics of deception and lies will not be rewarded!

Bill Clinton To Oversee Haiti Reconstruction: A Good Move By The UN!

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Former President Bill Clinton, already the UN Special Envoy to Haiti, has agreed to head the reconstruction effort in that earthquake ravaged nation.

Clinton will coordinate work of relief agencies and the activities of donors, investors, international activities, and non government organizations.

Bill Clinton may have his faults and shortcomings, but like Jimmy Carter, he has dedicated himself to doing good deeds around the world, and he should be applauded and commended for his willingness to make this major commitment of his time and labors to a nation which desperately needs the attention and focus of the international community.

Barack Obama And The Space Program: Don’t Cut Out Government Involvement!

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President Obama has included dropping the space program from the government budget, and privatizing it, as part of his plans to cut “unnecessary” spending in his Fiscal 2011 Budget proposal.

It is perfectly understandable that the President wants to cut spending wherever he can, a very difficult task in any case.

But taking the National Aeronautics and Space Administration out of government funding will likely kill off major elements of the astronaut program and the proposal to return to the moon by the end of the decade and eventual space travel to Mars.

It is an issue of science and an issue of defense that intertwine, and it would be a tragedy if the government withdraws from the space business, just as it was a tragedy that Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter held back on space investments, only finally to be reversed by Ronald Reagan’s promotion of the space shuttle program, which has made many wise technological contributions to this country.

A country that loses its vision of the future is a country that will later regret what it has wrought. The space program should NOT be cut back, as we must have a sense of our future always present as we face the challenges of the present!

Barack Obama, Other Presidents, And Polls: Not To Be Taken Seriously!

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In all of the discussions about President Obama’s first year in the White House, it is pointed out that his public opinion ratings have declined since he was inaugurated. Should that be a surprise? Can any President’s “honeymoon” or any person’s real honeymoon last forever? Of course not!

But, interestingly, when compared to former Presidents, it turns out that Obama’s ratings, about 50 percent, match those of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. The two Bushes were more lucky, as the first Bush saw a higher rating because of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, and the second Bush had higher grades because of the response to September 11.

So not much can be put into these ratings, as Reagan and Clinton won reelection despite lower ratings after one year, and Bush I lost reelection despite his high ratings after one year.

The President cannot allow public opinion polls to determine his agenda. He must fight for his agenda, and let the chips fall where they may!

Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Pat Robertson And Their Ilk: Despicable Human Beings! :(

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Here we are in the midst of the greatest human crisis caused by nature–the Haitian Earthquake–and the hate mongers, the right wing religious and ideological conservatives–are doing nothing but make the situation worse by their rhetoric.

Pat Robertson’s earlier reported comment about Haiti having made a pact with the devil was already commented upon by the author a few days ago. Rush Limbaugh exploits the situation by claiming it is a way for Barack Obama to consolidate support among darker skinned blacks! Now most recently, Ann Coulter, who loves to issue outrageous statements with a smirk, says that she wonders why Bill Clinton, who she insults with sexual innuendo, has to be involved in Haiti relief. Indeed, it would be better to send Jimmy Carter, since there are next to no Jews in Haiti that he could insult, according to her statement!

So rather than contribute to the Haiti relief, these three despicable human beings instead exploit it, with Limbaugh and Coulter using it as an opportunity to trash Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter, all of whom are involved in active efforts to help the needy and the poor. This is particularly the case for Carter and Clinton in their private lives in the years after the White House. Instead of applauding this, Coulter ridicules it!

There is an old saying, that what goes around comes around, and somehow one has to believe that God will punish these despicable human beings for their outrageous lack of concern for the Haitian victims, and willingness to exploit the issue for their own advantage!

Jimmy Carter, Israel, And The American Jewish Community

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Jimmy Carter, on the eve of Christmas and the New Year, has issued an apology to American Jews for any past statements or actions that angered and caused a breach between them and the former President.

In a surprise move, Carter expressed his apologies and request for forgiveness. He upset the Jewish community with his comparison three years ago of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians to the South Africa apartheid system that lasted until the mid 1990s. Also, his visit this past year to Gaza to meet with Hamas, the terrorist group that runs that territory, angered the United States, the European Union, and Israel.

The head of the Anti Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, accepted the apology for the Jewish community in a spirit of foregiveness, with the understanding that Carter’s future actions and words will be crucial to full acceptance of his apology.

Carter has expressed his hope that bloodshed and hatred would over time be replaced by mutual respect and understanding between Israel and its Arab neighbors, as it is his greatest wish to see peace in the area in his lifetime.

My feeling is the same as Abraham Foxman, and I think most Jews will accept the apology and hope for better relations between President Carter and the Jewish community, as there is a lot of Carter’s record during and after his Presidency to admire and praise!