State of Disunion Address: no extra charge for the snake oil

In his SOU speech, Bush lifted the Democrat’s agenda items and stuffed them with GOP solutions nearly all of which are loaded with a largess for big business. Let’s enumerate the deficiencies of these solutions and GOP’s record of undermining them.

1. Balance the Federal Budget without raising taxes.
GOP has done everything to prevent this by tax cuts for the rich and off books Iraq spending. Only rising tax revenues from a strong economy has kept deficits from worsening even more, but with the economy slowing through 08 and no tax increases even if Iraq is phased out quickly will cause the deficit to balloon. Eliminating earmarks, a DC institution, is a pipedream. Entitlement cuts were wrapped in the false Rosemary baby trick (KissWeb’s metaphor for the doomsday assessment bias of the Social Security fund condition by public officials) which offered no solutions other than the useless health care proposals below.

2. Education
Trotted out the shopworn voucher system proven to destroy the public education system

3. Health Care “for all”
The tax deduction proposal is nonsense as demonstrated by Waldon’s previous blog. It is the substitution of one regressive scheme for another that would destroy the risk pool. Those who could afford it would not use it. Those who need it can’t afford it. On the 1/15/07 PBS News Hours, a George Washington University health care policy expert estimated that only 3 mil. of the 46 mil. uninsured would be covered. Under the new proposal, workers would lose their employer based benefits in exchange for the dubious option a $7500 tax deduction that would replace it equivalently. It would not as pointed out by Waldon. A reality defying contention was made on the 1/25/07 PBS New Hour that employers would raise wages by an amount equivalent to their foregone under the new plan benefits as an incentive to attract quality workers. How about buying a bridge in Brooklyn? Providing states grants has no foundation. HAS’s trotted out again is flawed. Small business health care pools are already on as is IT innovation. Limited legal liability is a red herring.

4. Immigration
Temporary worker plan is nothing new with no policy simulations to support its efficacy.

5. Energy
Clean coal as KissWeb counsels despite my suspicion there is a hidden big business largess therein should be given a chance to see if extended over a sufficient period of time, this option will also meet environmental needs. Touting of hybrid cars rings hollow given no administration pressure on car makers to push these cars. Ethanol production to be up 4X by 2017. Useful alternative but less than ambitious timetable. While a lot of pork for red states (and blue states) corn farmers, incentives are a necessary part of operative policy. The claim ethanol fuel would cut oil imports 75% by 2017 is doubtful. Higher mpg requirements nothing but lip service. GOP has fought this for 50 years,

6. Judicial appointments-up or down vote
Trojan horse to increase right wing judicial appointments.

7. Homeland Security
Same old red herring of taking fight to terrorists with evidence mounting that it has the opposite effect as in Iraq where this democracy-creation policy via contrived puppet gov’t though claimed to be best tool v. terrorists has spawned terrorists according to intelligence agencies. The claim that surge will chase down death squads, but puppet gov’t is populated with death squad members and surrogates. The enemy is us. Claim surge plan will make Iraq meet standards, but haven’t in three years other than some oil reserve sharing. Claim that without surge terrorists will over run Iraq (they have anyway), conflict will suck in Syria (already has) and make a more dangerous enemy (already has, surge only make it worse). Phony claims of progress in Afghanistan and Lebanon with Taliban recovering and Hezbollah dominating, respectively. Disrupting terrorist communication, weapons supply, and financing is Trojan horse for more encroachments on constitutional rights of privacy. Launching another smoke screen, he proposes an Iraq Advisory Council which will be the same lackeys that advise Bush now, and, a Civilian Corps which is mere window dressing. Claims a coalition of Saudi and UAE (which has done nothing to help) will be better than Iran and Syria involvement. Claims there will be a Palestine peace treaty, but no chance given loss of ground for six years.

There is no substance to any of this. Bush lifted the Democrats agenda plugging in his ineffective solutions. When the Democrats impose their solutions and they work, Bush will claim credit for it. For those thinking (much less critically) this claim will only conclusively confirm that Bush is the worst President in the history of the country.

I am indebted to KissWeb for his suggestions on the energy portion of this blog.