What money and friends can do for a man… Growing up I was very much a republican. In November of 1980, as my mother was dropping me of one morning before going to the polls, at Kindergarten, I asked her to vote for Ronald Reagan, no kidding it really happened. I’m not sure why I wanted Ronny to win, but my whole family was voting for him and I was on that bandwagon. I have become a big boy now and I have my own thoughts on how the world is supposed to work and what qualities I think that our leaders should have. I have, as stated before, become a whinny, crying, pissy liberal. I know that I could never hold office (I have skeletons in the ol’ closet that I’m taking with me to the grave) and I don’t know that I would want to. I expect our leaders, however, to measure up to a greater standard.

Along those lines, I make it a point not to discuss my personal politics or religious beliefs with friends, family or co-workers it just leads to strife. But, since this is my own personal forum to express my opinion here goes:

George W. Bush

- Our president was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the
influence of alcohol. Pled guilty, paid a fine, and had his driver's
license suspended for 30 days. Amazingly, his Texas driving record has been "lost"
and is not available.

- George W. joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL, refused to take a
drug test or answer any questions about drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, President Bush was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

- He began his career in the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975. The company
went bankrupt shortly after he sold all his stock. (?!). His purchase of the Texas
Rangers baseball team took land using taxpayer money.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS:

- Changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making
Texas one of the potentially most polluted state in the Union.

- During his tenure, Houston (the city of my birth) replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America.

- He cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.

- All records concerning Bush during his tenure as governor of Texas are now in his father's Presidential library, sealed and unavailable for public view. All records of SEC investigations into his insider trading and the bankrupt companies our president was involved in are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:

- George W. Bush became President of The United States after losing by
over 500,000 popular votes.

- President Bush is the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

- Invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.

- Spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.

- The record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history has been set during This Presidency.

- The economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period and most foreclosures in a 12-month period was set in 2001.

- The all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the
U.S. stock market was not in 1929 but during The Bush Presidency.

- George W. has more members of his cabinet that are Millionaire than of any
administration in U.S. history. The "poorest millionaire," Condoleezza
Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

- While Campaigning, President Bush, set the record for most campaign fundraising trips by a U.S. President, making him the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

- During this administration the Artic Wildlife Refuge has been opened up for oil exploration and our President refused to sign the Kyoto Treaty, a pact that would have significantly lowered greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.

- Bush presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to
intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed, leading to the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history I don't know about you but I'm paying $2.20 right noe per gallon and I'm not real happy about it...).

- President Bush changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted felons to be awarded
government contracts and has appointed more convicted criminals to his administration than any President in U.S. history.

- Bush has broken more international treaties than any President in U.S.
history and is the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations
remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.

- In addition to withdrawing the U.S. from the World Court of Law our President refused to allow inspectors access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees and thereby have refused to abide by the Geneva Conventions.

- Bush has set the record for fewest number of press conferences of any President
since the advent of television and the record for the most vacation days in a 1-year period taken by any sitting U.S. President in history. George W. took off the entire month of August 2001, just before the worst attack on U.S. soil in history.

- President Bush set the all-time record for most people worldwide to
simultaneously protest a U.S. President in public venues (15 million people),
shattering the record for protest against any person in the history of
mankind.

- George W. Bush is the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked,
preemptive attack against -- and the military occupation of -- a
sovereign nation, doing so against the will of the United Nations, a large percentage of U.S. citizens, and the world community. As of February 11, 2004, 536 Americans have been killed in Iraq.

- Bush has cut health care benefits for war veterans and currently supports a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families-in war time.

- President Bush is the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans
(71% in a 2003 survey) view his presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

George W. supports the development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a
weapon of mass destruction. What were we looking for in Iraq again???

No one is perfect and we all make mistakes and bad choices, but as I look at all that have happened it the first four years of the current administration I get the an uneasy feeling about another 4 years. FEAR, that is what that feeling is, fear…

Make up your own mind, though, and no matter what VOTE in the next election!!