That Was Then...This Is Now! The Bush Years

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Wednesday January 07, 2009 · 1:46 PM PST

2009/01/07 · 13:46

What a sad history of "accomplishment". One has to wonder how the "Legacy Project" being instituted by Bush sycophants and apologists is coming along. This disastrous list of "accomplishment" has been established even before the dreaded list of Presidential pardons is released on January 19, 2009, which will excuse the horrendous behavior and deeds of those who helped Bush break the laws of our Constitution.

Here's a "Then and Now" to show what the United States looked like when Bush was entering office and what it looks like now as he's leaving. The "Then" is the best-available figure as Bush was taking office in 2001. The "Now" is the most recent figure.

Partially compiled by NBC News:

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
Then: 4.2% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, January 2001)
Now: 6.7% (Bureau of Labor Statistics, November 2008)

DOW JONES INDUSTRIAL AVERAGE
Then: 10,587 (close of Friday, Jan. 19, 2001)
Now: 8769 (close of Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009)

BUSH FAVORABILITY RATING
Then: 50% (1/01 NBC/WSJ poll)
Now: 27% (12/19 CNN Opinion Research poll)

CHENEY FAVORABILITY RATING
Then: 49% (1/01 NBC/WSJ poll)
Now: 21% (12/08 NBC/WSJ poll)

CONGRESS APPROVAL RATING
Then: 48% (1/01 NBC/WSJ poll)
Now: 21% (12/08 NBC/WSJ poll)

SATISFIED WITH THE NATION'S DIRECTION
Then: 45% (1/01 NBC/WSJ poll)
Now: 26% (12/08 NBC/WSJ poll)

CONSUMER CONFIDENCE (1985=100)
Then: 115.7 (Conference Board, January 2001)
Now: 38.0, which is an all-time low (Conference Board, December 2008)
http://www.conference-board.org/...

FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY
Then: 6.4 million (Census numbers for 2000)
Now: 7.6 million (Census numbers for 2007 -- most recent numbers available)
http://www.brookings.edu/...

AMERICANS WITHOUT HEALTH INSURANCE
Then: 39.8 million (Census numbers for 2000)
Now: 45.7 million (Census numbers for 2007 -- most recent available)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/...

U.S. BUDGET
Then: +236.2 billion (2000, Congressional Budget Office)
Now: -$1.2 trillion (projected figure for 2009, Congressional Budget Office)
http://news.yahoo.com/...

9/11 happened on George W Bush's watch
It remains the worst act of terrorism against the US
Bush ignored a PDB calling for action and resisted warnings by former NSA officials that danger was imminent.

Bush strummed his fake guitar and ate birthday cake with John McCain on an Air Force tarmac while New Orleans drowned ...
Then he insisted: "You're doing a heckuva job, Brownie"
Bush abandoned his responsibility to protect US citizens from harm

Bush/Cheney abandoned environmental laws for the benefit of their corporate buddies

Bush lied about WMDs and Iraq
He led us into an illegal war of aggression for the first time in American history

Bush approved torture, rendition, illegal wire tapping and abolished Haebeus Corpus

Bush presided over the "W"orst economic and financial disaster since the Great Depression

Bush protected those involved (including Vice President Dick Cheney) for the outing of a covert CIA agent...something his own father and past president once said was "treasonous" behavior

Bush became president as a result of cheating. His campaign stifled the votes of Americans in Florida in 2000 and most probably did the same thing in Ohio in 2004.

There are no rewards for "ill-gotten gains" and Bush has proven to be the poster boy for that age old axiom.

This content was created by a Daily Kos Community member.

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