Part V: Conservative Republican Presidents: Unfit To Govern: The George W. Bush Years

George W. Bush became President in January of 2001 with the nation at an all time high employment, record budget surpluses, a paydown on the national debt, a record economy and a projected $5 trillion surplus for the next 10 years which Bush campaigned on for a reduction in taxes that benefited the wealthy over the middle class. Bush's lack of a fiscal and economic policy turned the previous four straight years of federal surpluses into deficit spending in his first fiscal year budget. President Clinton's last fiscal year budget ended in a surplus of $128 billion. President Bush's first fiscal year budget ended with a deficit of $157.8 billion. A horrific turnaround in the nations fiscal house. Bush's continuation of Reagan's trickle down economics had the same negative affect for the nation's fiscal health as Reagan's did, only this time it was much worse. Trickle down economics is no match against a economic and fiscal policy that Clinton had and that was approved by the democratic controlled congress. Bush ended his eight years in office with out balancing one federal budget and his total deficit spending over that time period which ended 9/30/09 in his last fiscal year budget was $3.53 trillion. In just 8 short years Bush turned the country's fiscal house into a fiscal nightmare. Total federal spending at the end of Bush's first term in office, fiscal year ending 9/30/05 was $8.936 trillion, up $1.929 trillion or 28% from the previous four years. Total federal spending for Bush's second term in office ending with fiscal budget 9/30/09 was $11.883 trillion, up $2.947 or 33% from his first term in office. The national debt stood at $5.807 trillion at the end of Clinton's last budget 9/30/01. The national debt stood at $11.909 trillion at the end of Bush's last fiscal year budget that ended 9/30/09, an increase of $6.1 trillion or 105% from the previous administration. A fatal turnaround for a so called conservative President who really stuck it to the country and its people. The above numbers speak for themselves and is proof that President George W. Bush was unfit to fiscally govern the nation and its people. Stay tuned for part VI, The administration of President Barack Obama. Note l: All numbers above taken from the CBO and Treasury Departments.