What if George W. Bush had never been elected? What if in any one of those swing states enough people had voted so that the election never even got to the Supreme Court? Just how different might this country--the entire world--be?
If George W. Bush had not become President of the United States it is entirely believable that the whole 911 trajedy might have been avoided. Alito and Roberts would not be Supreme Court justices. If there had been no President Bush, government agencies would not have seen the "fox guarding the henhouse" type of regulatory appointments we saw for eight years. The government surplus would have been banked for a "rainy day" and we probably never would have heard of Sarah Palin.
So when you cast your vote, if you haven't already, or if you are thinking about not voting, consider just how much it matters. Read on...
911 Trajedy: Warnings were there. High level people in government were notified and they ignored all the warnings. Even if the Bush negligence over 911 was not intentional, it was certainly ignorant arrogance. And if there was no 911 there would be no war in Afghanistan. And without GWB there would definitely not have been any war in Iraq.
So what has been the cost for electing a war-mongering, corporate-suck-up-Republican?
"The United States will have spent a total of $3.7 trillion on wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, costing 225,000 lives and creating 7.8 million refugees, by the time the conflicts end, according to a report released on Wednesday by Brown University." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
But that barely touches on the actual costs. $3.7 trillion doesn't tell the whole story? How does $20 trillion sound?
Columbia University Economics Professor Joseph Stiglitz and Linda Bilmes, a lecturer at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government:Whatever the cost, some experts say that it wasn't what was financed in the Iraq War but how it was financed that is problematic..."It's really the decision of how to pay for it that has had such a negative effect on the U.S. economy. Because unlike any previous war in U.S. history, this was paid for entirely by debt at the same time that we cut taxes," says Bilmes. While entitlements and other mandatory spending make up a majority of annual federal budgets and contribute heavily to deficits and debt, the Iraq War also contributed significantly. The Center for Budget and Policy Priorities has estimated that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, together with the Bush tax cuts, will account for almost half of the projected $20 trillion debt in 2019.
(emphasis mine) http://www.usnews.com/...
Add to that another nearly trillion dollars for long term health care for veterans. That's right. Another trillion directly attributable to Bush. The 2000 election should have never been so close that they could steal it. Yes, your vote matters! Did you see the pictures of the voting lines in Florida? Don't let them steal it again. But I do digress...
Supreme Court Appointments: With no GWB there would have been no Roberts and no Alito. That means no Patriot Act, no Torture Rulings, no Guantanemo, no bench sanctioned erosion of women's rights or civil liberties, and no ruling that Corporations are People, too, opening the flood gates to the obscene spending in this election cycle by God only knows who. I could go on and on...
Fox Guarding the Henhouse: Without GWB we would have had a sensible energy plan for the nation. We would be less reliable on fossil fuels. We would have safer coal mines and may very well have averted the BP oil spill in the gulf. We would have had stronger regulations on bank and investment houses. We would have stopped Enron--remember Enron--and thousands of retirees would still have some savings in the bank. We would probably be enjoying the second decade of universal health care. And we would be so much farther along in our need to save the planet. Yes, your vote matters.
Bush Tax Cuts: Do you mean that rebate that the citizens got for overpayment of taxes brought about by a thriving economy at a time when tax rates were higher which by the way said higher tax rates likely contributed to the thriving economy that allowed for the rebate--temporary as it was or isn't.
Sarah Palin: 'nuff a that.
Consider how the world viewed America during the Bush years. Consider how the world views America currently. Then imagine how the world would view America under Romney. YES, your vote matters. It matters to everyone in the world. Really.
A Romney victory is unthinkable.