Flawed president responds to housing crisis in typical fashion
Roger Ray
What is the Bush legacy? The 43rd president will leave office having demonstrated the most heartless form of leadership since Marie Antoinette uttered the words, “Let them eat cake.” The irony of this monarchical view of government that has taken over our democracy is that these despicable character traits, this unashamed preferential treatment of the rich at the expense of the poor, was just as obvious in 2004 as it is today. Americans have the right to vote, but one is forced to wonder if they have the ability to do so having re-elected (don’t get me started on the 2000 vote count) this tragically flawed president.
In the final weeks of President George W. Bush’s eight years in office, we could expect to see the president groping about for something of a legacy by which his administration can be fondly remembered. It appears that what he is going to give us, however, is a legacy of stubborn consistency in spite of eight years of horrible failure.
 The weak economy is no longer a matter for speculation among academic economists. The price of gasoline has doubled in the past eight years, dragging the costs of groceries and airline travel along with it. The stock market has now fallen into bear territory, and the housing market is still moving downward.
The family-owned home has been the middle class’s hedge against inflation and a golden nest egg in the asset column as we move toward retirement. Dubious mortgage lending practices taking place on top of the thin ice of the American economy which had been recklessly bankrupted by an expensive and unnecessary war coupled with an inexcusable tax break for the rich has sent this core American asset’s value crashing down. Stories of evictions, foreclosures and the obvious shift from home ownership to more and more people being forced to stay in, or to return to, apartment dwelling herald an even greater looming economic crisis for a generation that now moves toward retirement without this crucial investment.
Faced with this housing crisis and all of the economic and personal hardships it represents, President Bush and his staff sat down to draft their last proposed budget, which is intended to guide the country through the first year of the next administration. How does “W” propose to help the most vulnerable victims of this mess he created?
Here is the “411”:
Bush’s 2009 proposed budget cuts 100,000 people off the housing voucher system which helps the poorest Americans remain in their homes. He has proposed to cut housing assistance for the poor who are elderly by 27 percent. Even crueler, in light of the numbers of returning injured veterans, the budget includes a 32 percent cut in housing support for the disabled. And, as if our nation’s public housing were not already overburdened and an embarrassment to the nation, Bush has asked to cut the funds used to repair and maintain public housing by 17 percent. Can’t get help paying your utility bills when you are in an emergency? Our president is also proposing that we cut low-income energy assistance by 20 percent when the utility costs will be going up.
What is the Bush legacy? The 43rd president will leave office having demonstrated the most heartless form of leadership since Marie Antoinette uttered the words, “Let them eat cake.” The irony of this monarchical view of government that has taken over our democracy is that these despicable character traits, this unashamed preferential treatment of the rich at the expense of the poor, was just as obvious in 2004 as it is today. Americans have the right to vote, but one is forced to wonder if they have the ability to do so having re-elected (don’t get me started on the 2000 vote count) this tragically flawed president.
If I thought that voters were really paying attention to how they were being treated by their government, I would advise Republican lawmakers to immediately take the lead in impeachment procedures. If voters are paying attention, only a thorough going repudiation of the Bush administration could preserve any future for the Republican Party. If nothing else, Bush’s eight years in the White House should be of some comfort to the surviving members of Richard Nixon’s family. Now, at least, the Nixon administration doesn’t look all that bad.
