Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Bingo

Good, succinct explanation in this letter from today's "Voice of the People" page in the Chicago Tribune on why people like me don't like Bush as president, and no, it's not because we hate him for the hell of it:
Unqualified Bush

S.E. Fisher
Published September 24, 2005

Chicago -- A message to all conservative Republicans who keep attacking liberals who criticize President Bush.

Contrary to your accusations, most of us liberals do not hate the president.

He would be harmless enough if he weren't the most powerful man in the world.

Our concern is that he is the poster child for the Peter Principle, which postulates that people will advance to a level in their organization where they are incompetent.

Since Bush is the most powerful man in the world, that's very scary. The strength of our feelings about the president would be mitigated if we felt he had done even one thing correctly since he was first elected, but he has failed in every arena:

- He created No Child Left Behind and then failed to support it.
- He has trashed laws protecting the environment, jeopardizing our and our children's health.
- His prescription drug program for the elderly will not help them much but will enrich drug companies.
- He gives campaign contributors plum jobs they are unqualified for.
- He continues to reward rich people at poor people's expense via his tax cuts.
- In cutting taxes, he has eviscerated key governmental programs.
- He has pushed our idebtedness to all-time highs.
- He declared war on a country that constituted no threat to us for completely bogus reasons.
- He continues to act as if global warming isn't a reality in the face of overwhelming evidence.
- He restricted our freedoms to improve our national security but has not accomplished this.
- He continues to undermine the traditional separation of church and state.

...
The truth is, our emperor-president isn't wearing any clothing and increasingly people are starting to recognize this. Unfortunately there are none so blind as the conservative Republicans who will not see.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have often thought that Bush exemplified the Peter Principle, something you probably have to be around 50 years old to remember.

Elaine said...

Actually, funny thing, but I remember one of my first classes at college, Intro to Soc., the Peter Principle was in our textbook. It certainly has merit (and is kind of the opposite of the idea that only the cream rise to the top through hard work, etc). Thanks for your comment!