Question:
What did George W. Bush do to ruin the economy?
2008-11-03 12:22:58 UTC
I have heard a lot of finger poking but no good reason. The war on terror is on borrowed money from China so that isn't the reason. aI always thought that the economy downturn was caused by the housing crisis. Anyways, why do people blame Bush. Isn't this just part of the business cycle.
23 answers:
2008-11-03 12:28:39 UTC
Forget the hype, pretty much everyone can still get jobs and qualify for credit. I know some people have always had problems and that will always be the case. Things are NOT as bad as the Democrats would have us believe and we won't DIE if we don't elect Obama.



You're right, Bush didn't cause the down-turn in the economy. He inherited the mess from Bill Clinton who had a major part in the housing crisis.
Peg B
2008-11-03 20:32:08 UTC
I don't think it is part of the business cycle at this time. The housing crisis has brought down a house of cards that George Bush didn't build. Our Congress in their wisdom deemed "this time it's different" and overturned laws on banks written during the depression to avoid this type mess. President Bush asked a Democratic Congress to tighten up the rules on credit. They

ignored him. John McCain introduced a bill to do the same thing and the Democratic Congress voted against it. The past two years have caused a snowball effect.

Previously there were Republicans that weren't blameless. But look at who got the big bucks from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Barney Frank got the most followed by Barack Obama. Now they are complaining about the situation they helped bring about.
Mike S
2008-11-03 20:41:15 UTC
Deregulation of business made our current "cycle" much worse than it ever needed to be & that's been the cornerstone of his administration, along with removing all transparency as to what business interests have been doing.

Basically, when it comes to money you have to force people to behave or they don't, & it's a sad commentary on the present when you look back & notice that our country's latest economic boom time was also when business was regulated the most.

Th list of the damage that's been done is to extensive to cover in this forum but there's plenty of info out there
Steve S
2008-11-03 20:31:42 UTC
Even if it were true that the war was financed by China, imagine what a war would mean for a private company if it so chose to wage one.



A large fraction of the youngest and most ambitious programmers at IBM leave to fight a war instead of working at the company. How would investors feel about the extra liabilities with China? Maybe they'd be more interested in investing in Intel or Apple or Microsoft. On top of this, a large fraction of your employees are facing foreclosure of their homes (unlike your competitors).
2008-11-03 20:58:29 UTC
Okay. Here you go by the numbers.

GWB started a prolonged war without raising taxes to pay for it. The cost of the war was a major concern for congress. GWB told congress he expected the war to cost about $60 billion total, an amount easily absorbed by the federal budget.

Due to a number of blunders, the major being disbanding the Iraqi army rather than putting them on the payroll to keep order in Iraq, the Iraqi war has dragged on for years and cost trillions of dollars.

The trillions of dollars of federal deficit spending circulated trillions of dollars that were not earned by the economy. This circulation of worthless dollars flooded the international currency market with dollars, which brought the value of the dollar down. From 2002 to 2005, the dollar lost over 40% of its value on the currency exchange.

The devalued dollar increased the cost of imports, most notably oil.

In reaction to inflationary pressure caused by the federal deficit, the FOMC started raising interest rates to stop inflation. Mortgages rates started to rise.

As a result of increased mortgage rates, buyers started to leave the housing market and home sales started to slow.



Normally this would not have been a problem. BUT, banks had been issuing homes loans to many people who should not have had these loans. These low income people depended on a brisk housing market to sell their house for a profit before their ARMs kicked in and the payments rose beyond their means.



THe high number of foreclosure soon followed which put a great number of foreclosed homes on the market, which started a downward spiral in home values.



The downward spiral of home values put bank balance sheets in jepardy. Banks became unstable and the financial collapse soon followed.



So, GWB failure to control the federal budget and his screwing up in Iraq are responsible the problems we have today.
2008-11-03 20:36:10 UTC
Many would say he sat back and allowed banks to make insane loans on unprecedented levels and then pocket obscene bonus payments with ran into $millions.

Some people think giving a man a $60,000,000 BONUS after he drives a bank into bankruptcy is not a good thing.

The government has a duty to stop bank robberies.

Even when its the management and CEOs robbing the banks.
Eddie B
2008-11-03 20:32:00 UTC
He just happened to be in office when a Clinton backed financial fiasco hit the fan. I was Clinton that passed legislation to give sub prime loans to people who couldn't afford them. It has just snowballed into a financial meltdown now. Way to go liberals screw things up and then blame the Republicans.
cajuninafrica
2008-11-03 20:28:43 UTC
Funny that the whole time Bush was president he had record low unemployment. And the economy was doing fairly well. It wasnt until the democrats took over the house and the senate that the unemployment rate went up and the economy went to crap.



McCain



I am voting for McCain because I cant support someone that refuses to place his hand over his heart in respect for our national anthem. I cant support someone that says that the constitution is outdated and he wants to do away with it.I cant support someone that says he is in favor of changing our national anthem knowing how many people gave their lives in service to this country and Obama wants to spit in their faces by changing the national anthem. I cant support Obama because of the radicals that he is friends with. Ayers, Wright, and a whole slew of others. I cant support Obama because he has said he wants to bankrupt coal mines and he is going to put the oil and gas companies out of business. I cant support someone that thinks that raising taxes is the way to go. I cant support someone that is saying that making me pay more taxes in order to give to people that don't work for a living in order to be fair. I don't think the govt should be in business to take away the money I earned by the sweat of my brow just to give it to someone else. I got that money the hard way. I went out there and got a job. I worked my way up the ladder and who the hell is he to say that I am being unfair by wanting to keep my check for myself? I am voting for McCain.
2008-11-03 20:32:06 UTC
The President has very little power himself. He should have vetoed spending bills passed by Congress. That was his big mistake.



He could have put pressure on the Security and Exchange Commission ( SEC ) to tighten investment policies.
Tad Dubious
2008-11-03 20:28:29 UTC
I don't know, and I agree with your theory. All the blaming of the President and calling him "stupid" is just a big display of hate and ignorance in my opinion. It's like saying gasoline (when prices are high) is "the arabs' fault." We in the US get most of our exported oil from Canada, not the Middle East. Peace.
2008-11-03 20:27:28 UTC
Most of the mess that we are in right now come from the fact that Obama, Dodd, and Barney Frank stalled any ability of Congress to do anything about Fannie Mae. Much better to get millions in campaign money than to fix a GSE that is bankrupting itself and the american people.
thunder2sys
2008-11-03 20:26:49 UTC
how about some blame being given to the Congress and its 9% approval rating. Economy started tanking after the Lib. run congress took over.../
help a baby stole my dingo
2008-11-03 20:28:52 UTC
because of inaction when this the housing crisis started 2 years ago but bush didnt listen or concerntrate on the economy he just wanted to be a war time president he is a selfish little man who has lied to you and other nations.
?
2008-11-03 20:28:25 UTC
Do you understand what the interest on a trillion dollars is?? Compounded daily? Five years of bottomless spending? Do you understand the repercussions of tax dollars being spent in Iraq for five years instead of INVESTED in this country?
neo-libs-can't-grasp-reality
2008-11-03 20:28:41 UTC
because Bush is the devil!!!!! just kidding, we all know it was citizens fault for borrowing money they can't pay back
just me
2008-11-03 20:27:16 UTC
If Obama becomes president eventually every deceived person who voted him in will be missing Bush!
River Euphrates
2008-11-03 20:27:52 UTC
Yeah, Bush had nothing to do with our economy going down the tubes.



And if you believe that, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you - extra cheap!!
Matt Y
2008-11-03 20:26:40 UTC
Go fill out a job application or apply for credit for a new car.



When neither works, ask the nice man why?
Sailon
2008-11-03 20:28:40 UTC
Oh Oh...He ah ah ah um um um um er er er er ....uuuummmmmmmoooooohhhhhhhhhhhh.....yeah!

(thevoiceofademorat)
southern belle
2008-11-03 20:28:07 UTC
Well just like John McCain he just let it slide...."Our economy is just fine"
2008-11-03 20:27:07 UTC
He spent money like a drunken sailor with the help of a rubberstamp republican congress.
Yes, I'm Dope
2008-11-03 20:27:32 UTC
ignore ignore ignore. You just explained it your self.
Joe M
2008-11-03 20:26:45 UTC
what didnt he do


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