There are still some people in this country that delude themselves that they are somehow better off than they were before this President took office. We are now in an unnecessary war and are either hated or mistrusted by most of the world. None of the public justifications for the war were true (ie. WMD, links to Al Qaeda, make this country safer from terrorism). Even the most cynical and least public rationale of supplying our country with cheap oil did not pan out. Finally, the most noble reason of removing Sadam Hussein and bringing freedom to the Iraqi people is exploding into a possible civil war.
There are many people that think that the President's tax cuts have improved their financial lot. The extra few hundreds of dollars in their tax returns makes them feel that the President is returning their money back to them. Somehow they don't see their money going out the door in a myriad of ways. Their state and local taxes are are on the rise. Local muncipalities, faced with diminishing revenue from the Federal government, are forced to radically increase property, water and sewage and even sales taxes. College tuitions rise every year and are way beyond what an average family can afford even after saving for 15-18 years. Medical insurance costs are out of control and are a leading cause for offshoring of American jobs.
An article in today's NY Times Money section demonstrates how the President's financial policies have failed miserably. Canada, a country with many of the same characteristics as our country, has added nearly one million jobs since 2001 while the US is down nearly two million. A research group called the Center for American Progress has blamed the President's tax cuts as partly to blame for the nation's weak job performance. It noted that Canada's tax package in 2002, focused on rate reductions for the lower and middle class households while the President's cuts were primarily for the very wealthiest of individuals. They concluded that smaller tax cuts targeted toward middle income taxpayers is more stimulative than large tax cuts to upper income taxpayers.
The article also pointed out that the Administration has not done much to relieve the burden of the soaring cost of medical insurance. Employee health insurance costs have climbed at double digit rates the last few years, raising labor costs and disincenting companies from hiring. Canadians receive health care from the government not their employers. This health care certainly costs money but it does not affect a company's decision to hire or fire and it covers everyone not just those people with jobs.
I do think that a majority of people are awakening to the facts. More and more former supporters of the President are changing their minds. Many do not feel safer from terrorism and blame the President's policy in Iraq for diluting the effort to capture Bin Laden and destroy Al Qaeda. They worry about their financial future and feel that the President's domestic policies ignore them and their needs. Imagine if we used the $80-100B we will spend on Iraq to cover people without medical insurance? How many jobs could be created if we used this money for research on alternative fuel sources? Would we care as much about the Arab countries in the Middle East if they did not hold us hostage with their oil?
