Thank Goodness That President Bush Trusts the People

We are so lucky to have a Republican as president. I hope that those of us who believe in freedom, small government, and personal responsibility will help reelect President Bush, whose recent fundraising e-mail lets us know he believes in "trusting people over government," and whose recent speech at the Washington Convention Center presents the "clear choice" voters face in November.

The choice is indeed clear. Either we elect President Bush, or America regresses back to the days of Bill Clinton. Bush’s speech highlights the very significant ways in which he and the Democrats hold "two visions of government: a government that encourages ownership and opportunity and responsibility, or a government that takes your money and makes your choices."

Oh how very true! If a socialist Democrat had won in November, the federal government would have surely expanded all sorts of unconstitutional Nanny State programs that compromise the delicate balance of the free market. They would have probably greatly increased farm subsidies, and put new restrictions on campaign donations. Those liberal Democrats would have sent billions of dollars in foreign aid to corrupt regimes in Africa and the Middle East, and pumped up funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. The Department of Education may have grown by seventy percent by now, with programs designed to appeal to emotion rather than reason, carrying such patronizing names as "No Child Left Behind" or some other name that only a condescending Democrat could contrive.

Al Gore would probably be on the record for never having vetoed a single spending increase, encouraging Congress to pass whatever their big-spending hearts desire.

Thank God for the Republicans and George W. Bush, who explains:

"On issue after issue, the American people have a clear choice…. [Democrats] seem to be against every idea that gives Americans more authority, and more choices, and more control over their own lives."

Without a doubt! A Democrat in the White House would have enervated the ability of the average American to make all sorts of personal choices in his or her life. Al Gore would have supported the reinstitution of the Assault Weapons Ban, stripping Americans of the right to self-defense, to the delight of anti-gun crusaders such as Senators Feinstein and Schumer. He might have forced Americans to pay higher prices for steel, all to benefit special interests – even though doing so would have crippled the economy and alienated foreigners. He might have aggrandized the War on Drugs to the absurd point of locking up "paraphernalia" manufacturers and shutting down medical marijuana clinics in states that legalized the controversial drug for medicinal purposes – all in disregard of states’ rights. Also, in contempt for limits on federal power and the choices of individuals and families, he might have worked to socially engineer families according to his vision, or even to create a national definition of what "marriage" is.

There would have been no federal intervention that Al Gore would have opposed.

Thank God for the Republicans and George W. Bush, who assures us:

"I trust the people, not Washington politicians, to make the best decisions for their own money, their own health, their own retirement, and their own lives."

Amen to that! We can’t trust a Democrat with our money! Al Gore would have probably racked up a seven trillion dollar debt, increased the budget to $2.4 trillion or so, and given us a deficit of five hundred billion dollars.

And who wants lousy collectivist Democrats sticking the government’s nose into our health care and retirement? Al Gore and a Democratic legislature would have probably signed on to a gargantuan prescription drug subsidy for the elderly, costing hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars, bankrupting our future, driving up treatment costs, and exploiting seniors in a game of vote pandering.

Trust a Democrat to accelerate government spending to rates unseen since the Great Society.

Thank God for the Republicans and George W. Bush, who is unafraid to confront white-collar criminals:

"We passed the strongest corporate reforms since Franklin Roosevelt, and made it clear we will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms of America."

It’s a little strange that Bush would favorably invoke the name of FDR – a president, who, unlike Bush, always openly advocated big government – but he’s got a good point here, too. Al Gore would let the actual corporate crooks off the hook, because of their political ties to him. He would hand out no-bid contracts, stage perfunctory hearings for his offending corporate friends, and then have his Justice Department go after high-profile celebrity personalities for pretended offenses, like "insider trading," just to appear "tough" on corporate crime.

Thank God for the Republicans and George W. Bush, for the honesty and integrity they have brought back to the U.S. government, and for their understanding of the terrorist threat against America:

"It is a choice between an America that leads the world with strength and confidence, or an America that is uncertain in the face of danger."

How perfectly he puts it! A Democrat in office would probably mislead and confuse the American people about where the threats are coming from in the world. He would probably wage war on a defenseless country completely without fault for 9/11, waste hundreds of billions of tax dollars cleaning up the mess, and yet drag his feet on apprehending the principal maniacs who actually engineered that massacre on American soil – all the while creating an atmosphere of uncertainty in a fog of nationalized airport security; clumsy bureaucratic expansion; unreasonable searches and seizures and unlawful detentions; and confusing, meaningless terror alerts.

Thank God the world has George W. Bush, who wants to spread his vision of freedom throughout America and all over the globe:

"We have a war to win, and the world is counting on us to lead the cause of freedom. We have a duty to spread compassion and opportunity to every part of America."

Thank God the world has George W. Bush. Al Gore would have continued politics as usual in Washington, increasing government spending and meddling in our lives, all the while patronizing us by telling us it was for our own good.

George W. Bush has indeed kept government limited as president, keeping the socialists at bay and never succumbing to the temptations and political expediency of ever-increasing government. I have no doubts in my mind that the rosy situation in Iraq is just as accurately described by the Bush Administration as is the picture he paints of the personal liberty and responsibility he has so vigilantly guarded here at home.

God forbid that John Kerry win in November. As Bush points out, all the Democrats have to offer is "that same old Washington mind-set – they’ll give the orders, and you’ll pay the bills." But, as Bush says, "I’ve got news for them: America has gone beyond that way of thinking, and we’re not going back."

Take that, Democrats! Bush and the Republicans are leading the nation and world toward a free, peaceful future in which independent and responsible individuals control their own lives.

And, assuming they win in November, there’s nothing you, or any of us, can do to stop them.

March 12, 2004

Anthony Gregory [send him mail] is a writer and musician who lives in Berkeley, California. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history at UC Berkeley, where he was president of the Cal Libertarians. He is an intern at the Independent Institute and has written for Rational Review, the Libertarian Enterprise, and Antiwar.com. See his webpage for more articles and personal information.

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