Bush's Tax Cuts

Anybody who was paying good attention could—and many did—figure out that the Bush tax cuts enacted early in his Administration, and sold to the American people as a form of economic stimulus, were a complete crock of shit. The purpose of the tax cuts was to enrich the rich—i.e., pay back the well-to-do for supporting Bush's campaign—and the tax cuts did an excellent job at that. They sucked huge amounts of money out of government coffers and arguably were responsible for the economic catastrophe with which Bush exited the White House. I, at least, remember the arguments by Democrats and other skeptics that the tax cuts in particular, and the Bush budgets in general, were pushing large amounts of "accounts payable" down the road so that the full effects of the great, conservative financial plan for America would not manifest until Bush was safely out of office. (He almost made it.)

I opposed the tax cuts at the time, and considered pretty much everything the Bush Administration did on the financial front to be ill-advised and benefit-the-rich-first. I have seen and heard nothing to change my opinions in the intervening thirteen years.

But I'm a liberal Democrat, so of course I would hold these opinions, right? Very predictable, of course. 

So if you want the truth, I suppose you should listen to a Republican who helped shape and implement those policies. Right? How about a fellow named Bruce Bartlett, who held senior policy roles in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations and served on the staffs of Representatives Jack Kemp and Ron Paul. Is that Republican enough for you?

So here you go.

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