A Washington Post report highlights how the George W. Bush administration transformed a federal budget surplus of $236 billion into a deficit of $454.8 billion by 2008. The administration prioritized tax cuts for the wealthy and financial deregulation while neglecting fiscal discipline, ultimately leading to economic collapse and military strain from the Iraq War. The document questions the Republican Party's credibility in fiscal matters, suggesting they mismanaged the economy and failed to uphold core conservative principles.

1. Report shows how Bush destroyed the American economy -
Rochester Independent
A new report in the Washington Post details exactly how the Bush Administration destroyed the
American economy.
According to the Bush Administration's own
records, when Bush was elected in 2000, he
inherited a federal budget surplus of $236 billion
from the Clinton Administration.
In 1998, the Federal budget reported its first
surplus ($69 billion) since 1969. In 1999, the
surplus nearly doubled to $125 billion, and then
again in 2000 to $236 billion."
Office of Management and Budget
Fiscal Year 2002 Guide
The Budget Surplus and Fiscal Discipline
But in 2008, after eight years of George W. Bush, the federal budget deficit soared to $454.8 billion
almost triple the $161.5 billion recorded in fiscal year 2007.
How did Bush squander the huge budget surplus, when he had a Republican controlled House and a
Republican controlled Senate?
There were many factors involved in creating the Bush Deficits, including the normal ebb and flow of
the economy, but presidential mismanagement was by far the biggest factor.
Bush Republicans abandoned three key conservative principles: a balanced budget, a strong
military, and service to country. Instead Republicans implemented several other conservative ideas,
including lower taxes for the rich and deregulation of the financial industry. The result was a fiscal
disaster.
The first to go was the call to make sacrifices for your country. After the 9/11 attacks, the entire
country was united behind the President. But instead of asking Americans to make sacrifices for
their country in a time of war, Bush told us to go on vacation.
Get down to Disney World in Florida. Take your families and enjoy life, the way we want it to be
enjoyed."
President George W. Bush
Chicago, Illinois

2. September 27, 2001
Instead of asking Americans to pay higher taxes to pay for the War On Terror, Bush threw away the
balanced budget and choose to borrow money instead. Americans understood why taxes needed to
be raised for the war effort, but Bush and the Republicans didn't.
Republicans thought that holding down taxes was more important than paying for the war.
Republicans thought that lowering taxes on the wealthy and deregulating the financial industry
would spark the economy.
Exactly the opposite happened. The wheels came off.
Bush's greatest mistake was gutting the military by illegally invading Iraq, instead of crushing Al
Qaeda and killing or capturing Osama bin Laden. The war in Iraq stretched the military to the
breaking point, shattered the budget, and divided the country in a time of war.
No matter what you think of Bill Clinton (draft dodger, philanderer, cheat), you have to admit that he
is highly intelligent and that he did a great job with the economy. George W. Bush, on the other
hand, is a man of average intelligence who presided over a historic collapse of the American
economy.
For those of us who staunchly believe in conservative principles such as a balance budget, a strong
military, and service to our country, the question is simple.
Why would you ever vote for a Republican again? The Republicans are the ones who got us into this
mess. Why would you trust them to get us out of it?