<p>Sorry xiggi, but kluge is right on this one… Best not to dig a deeper hole.</p>
<p>“I hope that you can believe I am being genuine when I tell you that I fear losing my health insurance and coming down with cancer, or, alternatively, losing my savings in a period of hyper inflation more than I fear any possible terrorist attack. To me the odds of the first two are much higher than the latter.”</p>
<p>You may not perceive the threat of another terrorist attack because you haven’t studied it and don’t have a feel for what the probabilities are. You also may be equating “terrorist attack” with another 9/11 or something as relatively small as a subway bombing. However, there are those who actually do study such probabilities and have made conclusions such as that of Grahm Allison from Harvard’s Kennedy School:
<a href=“http://www.inthenationalinterest.com/Articles/Vol1Issue7/Vol1Issue7Allison.html[/url]”>http://www.inthenationalinterest.com/Articles/Vol1Issue7/Vol1Issue7Allison.html</a>
Professor Allison’s position are consistent with other experts who have concluded a very high probability of a nuclear, chemical or biological attack in the not so distant future.</p>
<p>Aside from underestimating the probability and severity of a future terrorist attack, your premise is wrong in that you imply that Bush supporters are a single-position block - that security is the only issue. While security is a major issue, there is also a fear that Democratic economic principles will result in all of the bad things that you also fear from an economic perspective.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>An increasing number of Bush/Republican supporters are totally disillusioned with at least one aspect of the economic principles being practiced - namely, the spending policies that this Administration and Republican controlled Congress have been pursuing.</p>
<p>Democrats have been accused of “tax and spend”; perhaps the mantra to be ascribed to the Republicans is “borrow and spend”.</p>
<p>An excerpt from the article below:</p>
<p>The Gallup polling organization recorded a 13-percentage-point drop in Republican support for Bush in the past couple of weeks. These usually reliable voters are telling pollsters and lawmakers they are fed up with what they see as out-of-control spending by Washington and, more generally, an abandonment of core conservative principles.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/10/AR2006051002040.html[/url]”>http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/10/AR2006051002040.html</a></p>
<p>From the same article:</p>
<p>"Karl Rove, Bush’s top political adviser, and GOP leaders are well aware of the problem and are planning a summer offensive to win back conservatives with a mix of policy fights and warnings of how a Democratic Congress would govern. The plan includes votes on tax cuts, a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex marriage, new abortion restrictions, and measures to restrain government spending.</p>
<p>…policy fights…? …warnings…? winning people back…?</p>
<p>Tax cuts…? Wow, let’s go DEEPER into debt to shore up poll numbers!</p>
<p>Same sex marriage…? Wow, let’s ignore the REAL issues and harp on emotional ones!</p>
<p>Measures to restrain government spending…? Hahahahahahahahahaha! So let’s win them over with sarcastic humor!</p>
<p>{{{{still shaking head}}}}</p>
<p>OD, that may well be true, but the alternative is a lot worse if you look at the “free lunch” promises coming from the Democratic party.</p>
<p>Looks like the GOP will lose its majority, unless there are some major changes before the midterms. The discontent among the party is palpable.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>The alternative existed in the form of divided government through much of the nineties when spending was much more restrained despite having a Democratic president. </p>
<p>Ahh, but of course, that was attributable to the Republican controlled Congress who we all know to be the paragon of fiscal responsibility!</p>
<p>Can you imagine what the Bush/Republican supporters would have had to say if a Democratic administration/ Democratic controlled Congress had produced the track record of the last 6 years? Take your pick whether it is foreign policy, budget deficits, the Iraq war, nation building, wire tapping, a president who sat frozen for several minutes in front of school kids while the nation was under attack, leaking the name of a covert agent for political advantage, Katrina - well, you can get the general idea!</p>
<p>Hey, I’m a flaming, liberal left-wing Democrat, but I really don’t think you can blame the republicans for Katrina… it was long-term corruption in Louisiana (Huey Long was only the beginning, and he was Democrat) that allowed substandard construction of the levees, and the lack of coordination between R’s and D’s and Fema and local was really the issue. I would say EVERYONE is responsible for that mess. </p>
<p>Besides, even Bush can’t control the weather. He may think he can, but he can’t.</p>
<p>I personally would have applauded a Democratic administration if they would have the conviction to do much of what you are critical of in terms of foreign policy. As to the wiretapping - I would have applauded that as well. In fact we have proof that the Democrats could perform national security based wiretapping without setting off a furor with the Echelon program that was discussed on 60 Minutes during Clinton’s presidency. Were there outraged Republicans demanding investigations and impeachment over it? Nope. Most Republicans saw it as an effort to keep us safe and let it go at that.</p>
<p>safe…safe…safe…ahhhh! Who needs freedom, if we can have security? Just keep me safe…</p>
<p>Did you feel your freedom’s were being infringed under Clinton’s program? I didn’t. I also don’t feel that my freedoms are being infringed under the Bush program and neither do the majority of the US public.</p>
<p>FF, for you to cite the Echelon program is disingenuous. The big difference is that it was done with the approval of the FISA court. You have the testimony before Congress by George Tenet to that effect:</p>
<p>*There is a rigorous regime of checks and balances which wethe CIA, the NSA and the FBIscrupulously adhere to whenever the conversations of US persons are involveddirectly or indirectly.</p>
<p>We do not collect against US persons unless they are agents of a foreign power, as that term is defined in law. We do not target their conversations for collection in the United States unless a FISA [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] warrant has been obtained from the FISA court by the Justice Department. And we do not target their conversations for collection overseas unless Executive Order 12333 has been followed and the Attorney General has personally approved collection.*</p>
<p><a href=“http://odci.gov/cia/public_affairs/speeches/2000/dci_speech_041200.html[/url]”>http://odci.gov/cia/public_affairs/speeches/2000/dci_speech_041200.html</a></p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No, they decided to impeach Clinton because he lied about a sexual indiscretion.</p>
<p>dmd, I agree that there was blame to go around with regard to Katrina.</p>
<p>But, let’s face it, FEMA dropped the ball - and this was with regard to a hurricane that was widely predicted for days before it hit New Orleans. Just imagine the response that would be forthcoming if there were a surprise terrorist attack involving the use of WMD given FEMA’s abysmal response to a forecasted event like Katrina.</p>
<p>I certainly don’t blame Bush or the Republicans because the levees were breached.</p>
<p>FEMA being blended into “Homeland Security” was a screw-up of major proportions. That’s where many problems originated. Of course, “Homeland Security” is a ■■■■■■■ formation in any event and the very name evokes a Soviet outlook.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Simba:
Are you saying Bush caused 9/11 ?</p>
<p>“Of course, “Homeland Security” is a ■■■■■■■ formation in any event and the very name evokes a Soviet outlook.”</p>
<p>I just LOL’ed at that.</p>
<p>Teacher shortage search turned this up for this past week</p>
<p><a href=“Satellite almost on empty gets new life after space docking | WNCT”>http://www.wnct.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WNCT/MGArticle/NCT_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137835806761</a>
North Carolina</p>
<p><a href=“http://kstatecollegian.com/article.php?a=10137[/url]”>http://kstatecollegian.com/article.php?a=10137</a>
<a href=“http://kstatecollegian.com/article.php?a=10122[/url]”>http://kstatecollegian.com/article.php?a=10122</a></p>
<p>Kansas (This article also discusses elementary surplus in some areas)</p>
<p><a href=“Detroit Local News - Michigan News - Breaking News - detroitnews.com”>Detroit Local News - Michigan News - Breaking News - detroitnews.com;
Detroit</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_3722252[/url]”>http://www.insidebayarea.com/argus/localnews/ci_3722252</a>
California</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060511/OPINION/605110374/1015[/url]”>http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060511/OPINION/605110374/1015</a>
Florida</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.lufkindailynews.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2006/05/11/20060511LDNeddy.html[/url]”>http://www.lufkindailynews.com/opin/content/news/opinion/stories/2006/05/11/20060511LDNeddy.html</a>
Texas</p>
<p><a href=“http://news.newstimeslive.com/story.php?id=83972&category=Local[/url]”>http://news.newstimeslive.com/story.php?id=83972&category=Local</a>
Connecticut</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2006-05-08-voa35.cfm[/url]”>http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2006-05-08-voa35.cfm</a>
New York City
I will let you read these at your own leisure.</p>
<p>The people who people who still support Bush are the best evidence that we need to improve education in America. Impeach Bush</p>
<p>“The people who people who still support Bush are the best evidence that we need to improve education in America.”</p>
<p>Nice, very nice coming from an “educator.”</p>
<p>Just who is the “majority” of the US public, FF. Perhaps some of the majority do believe that some freedoms are being infringe upon. </p>
<h1>271. “I also don’t feel that my freedoms are being infringed under the Bush program and neither do the majority of the US public.”</h1>
<p>Well it turns out that several of the companies that I own, has been turning over tens of millions of phone records to the NSA. I wonder how many households are there in the US. I wonder how many “tens of millions” is that. Your “majority of the US public” is now being monitored by the NSA. </p>
<p>I do feel safer. But freedoms have been infringed upon.</p>
<p>misterbee</p>
<p>What will impeaching President Bush accompish for you? Even if he were impeached, he’s never going to be removed from office…and even if he were, then you’ll have Dick Cheney as your President. I can’t imagine that somehow that would be acceptable to you. Other than some pleasure that you might get by his impeachment what difference is it going to make to you.</p>
<p>George Bush is going to be your President for the next 2 1/2 years…enjoy it.</p>