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Five Reasons Why Bush Is One of the Most Important Presidents of All-Time
by Justin Hartfield, on politics

President George W. Bush will be a shining example for all future Presidents in the 21st century of what not to do when you are given the reins of the most powerful country in the world. Here's a list of some of his lessons:

1. Decreased taxes and increased spending is a recipe for fiscal disaster

How can a conservative President decrease taxes while increasing spending? I'm not entirely sure. Maybe the President is referencing different economists than the ones we are familiar with? Maybe he's just confusing his debits with his credits? Again, all we can do is speculate and hope the next guy (or gal) in charge can at least grasp the fundamentals of high school business math.

2. Prosecuting social ills does not cure society

Instead of making certain substances legal, or even just cutting back on the absolutely un-winnable 'war' America is waging on its own citizens, our President expanded the "War on Drugs." As he stated, "Illegal drugs are the enemies of ambition and hope and when we fight against drugs we fight for the souls of our fellow Americans." But Mr. Bush's well-documented drug and alcohol penchant clearly didn't rob him of his ambition to become President of the United States, did it?

Thoughts?

3. Federal education policy is out-of-touch, and leaves everyone behind

Standardized testing only teaches kids to pass a test- it does not ensure a quality education nor does it even ensure our students are getting the same education throughout the country. "Standardized" testing is a misnomer, as each state can make their test as easy or difficult as they see fit (which makes it likely that politicians will manipulate the test to achieve the highest results and the most funding). Undoubtedly, Mr. Bush is right: our public school systems do need reform. However, a school voucher program would alleviate most of the sources behind the problem by giving parents power to exercise choice, thus solving the root of the problem and not just the symptoms.

4. The federal government is extremely poor at responding to disasters or emergencies

If the immediate aftermath of 9/11 didn't convince you that the federal government is slow moving and wholly ineffective when it comes to relief efforts, Hurricane Katrina surely did. Let's use the dollars we put into our relief effort system to instead pay a 3rd party to perform the same service. That way, we at least get some competition between the already well-funded and well-organized non-profits, which will naturally lead to an increase of quality overall. If we even had the states contract out for their own humanitarians-for-hire services, we could provide faster response time and more knowledgeable staff.

5. Sacrificing much liberty for very little safety helps no one

The Patriot Act, the denial of habeas corpus, and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp are all excellent examples of what not to do when trying preserve the limited government ideals upheld in the Constitution. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security is especially baffling. We already have the CIA, the FBI, the NSA, the five branches of the US Military, state and local PDs, as well as a host of other less well known organizations designed specifically to counteract destructive agents to the United States. Yet bewilderingly, the President decided we needed another bloated, ineffective government agency to protect the country against terrorists. So far the Department's main contribution has been in the form of an adorable multi-colored chart, conveniently providing a gauge to how terrified we should feel when we wake up in the morning.

http://www.prometheusinstitute.net/blog/06_26_2007_post.htm

Transeat In Exemplum: Let this stand as the example.