The Bush mandate: Save the economy!

By Alan Caruba
web posted January 1, 2001

First of all, there is no "recession." We have passed through one, slow quarter. It takes two quarters of low-to-no profits to make it official. One of the primary reasons we're in a slowdown is because the bill has come due for the Clinton Administration's deliberate attack on the nation's energy needs and other sectors of the economy. A thriving economy uses more energy, needs less regulation, and government interference.

We are still importing too much energy resources from other nations, rather than having access to our own vast reserves of coal, oil and natural gas. We are not mining it, extracting and refining it, or building pipelines to move it. The Clinton Administration discouraged the building of new refineries and new utilities. In addition, this nation lags behind other industrial nations in utilizing nuclear energy. Instead of referring to the "China Syndrome", we will be referring soon to the "California Syndrome" where a huge state fails to provide energy to its citizens.

Other factors damped down the economy. The Clinton Administration attacked Microsoft, sending a signal that all high tech industries could suffer governmental investigations and regulation.

On December 22, the Associated Press reported, "Departing with a flurry of activity, the Clinton Administration is rushing out a stream of regulations---roping off millions of acres of federal land from developers (and) requiring less polluting trucks." They have, in fact, imposed 29,000 new pages of government regulations on business and every other aspect of our lives. The regulations insure no logging, no mining, no fishing, no grazing, no recreational or other uses of the vast land holdings of the federal government. Their environmental policies thwarted development everywhere, claiming it contributes to "urban sprawl".

The new regulations affecting truck emissions will drive up the cost of delivering everything in America. Those costs will cut into profit margins and make life more expensive for everyone. In addition, they're seeking to impose insanely costly and undefined "ergonomics" requirements on businesses large and small.

As Clinton leaves, Reuters reported on December 21 that he "unveiled hotly-contested rules designed to keep federal agencies from awarding contracts to firms that breach labor and environmental laws." This affects $200 billion a year in government contracts.

Does anyone doubt that Clinton has conspired to end our economic boom?

Our economy is still strong and it will get stronger if Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve cut interest rates and encourage the money to flow into new investments. If he doesn't, he should be replaced. Nothing, absolutely nothing, prevents this action.

Bush comes into office with a clear mandate to keep the economy going and to pursue to the conservative initiatives that were resisted by the previous administration and the Democrats in Congress. Here's what the Conservative News Service reported on December 21. "Now that the election's over, how do Americans feel about taxes, partial birth abortion, gun control, school vouchers, the defense buildup, Social Security and the minimum wage? A new Zogby American Values poll offers some answers.

The poll of 1,005 likely voters, conducted December 15-17, shows that 71 percent of "likely voters" consider the estate tax unfair and want it abolished. Fifty-four percent of those surveyed favored eliminating the marriage penalty for all married couples. A majority (55 per cent) of those polled support a gradual $1 increase in the minimum wage over three years.

On gun control, 70 percent of those contacted in the Zogby poll favored better enforcement of current laws instead of creating new laws; 58 per cent want the president to sign a bill banning partial birth abortion; 59 per cent want to be able to invest up to 2 per cent of their Social Security payroll taxes in stocks and bonds; 56 per cent said the U.S. should immediately begin an effort to shore up a depleted military; and 51 per cent said it is okay for government vouchers to be used at private schools run by religious organizations. The survey, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.2, is conducted quarterly as a means of gauging American's fundamental values."

This is no time to panic. It's time to demand that Congress act on the wishes of a clear majority of Americans. It is time for Congress to take bold steps to reverse the deluge of damage imposed on Americans by the Clinton Administration. ESR

Alan Caruba writes "Warning Signs", a weekly commentary at The National Anxiety Center website.

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