George Bush is making a mockery of what the USA represents. Every day, as I'm browsing the net, I read about his attempts to do various things in the USA that even Nigerians will recognize as absolutely ridiculous and evil. And yet Americans re-elected this guy. I don't get it! Thanks to him, we can't really look up to America anymore.

@Seun,

Can you please list the many things that George Bush is 'trying to do' in the US? that is way different than what other presidents did?

No we did not re elect him, he stole the election and Kerry should have stood his grounds and fought like a man. the evidence is there for people to see, Bush is the worst president in history, his economic and international policies are outrageous and he is only circumventing plans to divert attention from the FAILED IRAQ WAR

How can a president success rating be 18% ? and still retain his job? Democrates are week, and need to be proactive in getting this guy out

here is a good analogy on his administration


http://hnn.us/articles/5019.html

Seun:

George Bush is making a mockery of what the USA represents. Every day, as I'm browsing the net, I read about his attempts to do various things in the USA that even Nigerians will recognize as absolutely ridiculous and evil. And yet Americans re-elected this guy. I don't get it! Thanks to him, we can't really look up to America anymore.

What does America represent which Bush has made a mockery of?

What are these things that even Nigerians will recognize as absolutely ridiculous and evil?

How can a president success rating be 18% ? and still retain his job?

You mean approval rating, right? Imagine having a president that only 18% of the population approves of.

@Seun, can you please list the many things that [George Bush is 'trying to do' in the US?]

WASHINGTON -- President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.

Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ''whistle-blower" protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/04/30/bush_challenges_hundreds_of_laws/

What does America represent which Bush has made a mockery of?

Democracy (basically), respect for civil liberty, progressive capitalism, common sense, a respected constitution.

Seun:

WASHINGTON -- President Bush has quietly claimed the authority to disobey more than 750 laws enacted since he took office, asserting that he has the power to set aside any statute passed by Congress when it conflicts with his interpretation of the Constitution.

Among the laws Bush said he can ignore are military rules and regulations, affirmative-action provisions, requirements that Congress be told about immigration services problems, ''whistle-blower" protections for nuclear regulatory officials, and safeguards against political interference in federally funded research.

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2006/04/30/bush_challenges_hundreds_of_laws/

There is a simple rebuttal.The above is an opinion not a fact depending on each lawyer's perspective.Throughout American history,there has been tensions between the various branches of Government as to where Executive powers stop and legislative powers begin.This happened during the Clinton,Reagan,Carter Adminstrations,e.t.c.

Whether each particular action represents a usurpation of power depends on who you ask.If it was patently clear that he disobeyed 750 laws,why do you think the Democrat controlled Congress is not hyperventillating over it in the same manner as you?

Seun:

Democracy (basically), respect for civil liberty, progressive capitalism, common sense, a respected constitution.

Carefully elaborate how Bush has made a mockery of each of the above.

This is hypocrisy and finger pointing at best.

Seun:

George Bush is making a mockery of what the USA represents. Every day, as I'm browsing the net, I read about his attempts to do various things in the USA that even Nigerians will recognize as absolutely ridiculous and evil. And yet Americans re-elected this guy. I don't get it! Thanks to him, we can't really look up to America anymore.

what does Nigeria or the PDP represent? Can tiny Togo look up to us?

Seun:

You mean approval rating, right? Imagine having a president that only 18% of the population approves of.

What are you attempting to "imagine"? How many people approved of Obasanjo's two terms in office? I'm sure Obj's rating could not have been better than Bush's. Everyone dey complain Nigerians too are doing the same.

Seun:

Democracy (basically), respect for civil liberty, progressive capitalism, common sense, a respected constitution.

Is democracy alive in Nigeria? Did the PDP respect the judiciary, constitution and civil liberty for the last 8 years? Where is the progressive capitalism in Nigeria's mono-economy? Where is the common sense in the governance of our own nation today?

Seun:

George Bush is making a mockery of what the USA represents. Every day, as I'm browsing the net, I read about his attempts to do various things in the USA that even Nigerians will recognize as absolutely ridiculous and evil. And yet Americans re-elected this guy. I don't get it! Thanks to him, we can't really look up to America anymore.

Except George Bush does the extra-ordinary, there is very little he can do to surpass the evil Nigerians are capable of.
- Fuel prices are hiked more than 100% less than 2 days to a handover of power.
- Electricity is non-existent
- Theodore Orji wins governorship elections while on bail for criminal charges.
- a sitting governor is kidnapped, the kidnapper openly tells the president he rigged governorship elections for the victim and deserves to be repaid back by obtaining unrestricted access to the state treasury. The governor merely slaps his wrist and proclaims to have reprimanded him as a father does a son! Even G Bush would not descend that low!

Let those of us who live in glass houses throw stones with caution

At least as bad as G Bush is i can still go home and expect to meet electricity, water and gas.

This has nothing to do with George Bush. It takes more than one bad president to completely destroy a country.
However, George Bush is trying his best. How can we criticize our leaders when the US president is even worse?

Seun:

You mean approval rating, right?  Imagine having a president that only 18% of the population approves of.

Its hard to imagine that because President Bush's approval rating hover in the 30s-http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/political_updates/president_bush_job_approval

http://www.pollingreport.com/BushJob.htm

His approval ratings are very bad by American standards.No President has had such approval ratings since Jimmy Carter and Truman.

However compared to other leaders in other countries who  stayed long in power-Chirac,Schroder,John Howard,e.t.c.His approval ratings are not bad.Chirac was below 10% towards the end of his tenure

Are they not using torture In GUATALAMO BAY to get confession from people?  The president approved that method.

Seun:

This has nothing to do with George Bush. It takes more than one bad president to completely destroy a country.
However, George Bush is trying his best. How can we criticize our leaders when the US president is even worse?

When did the president of the US become the yardstick for measuring the perfomance or non-perfomance of our presidents. So if Bush is a criminal, our leaders are excused to be criminals too?
Are we supposed to keep silent in the face of PDP's massive rape of our ever nascent democracy because Bush was so accused of rigging in 2003?

It supposedly takes more than one bad president to completely destroy a country but where we ever any better than this? All the facilities we enjoy today had their foundations in the colonial era! Obasanjo has been behind the scene since 1966. . . can we really say he is a new leader?

What really is the point here? That siince G Bush is bad we can excuse vice-presidents who go home and sleep all day, stretch their legs in the comfort of their American homes and tell us to go fight for democracy, leaders who tell us they are not hungry?

MAMAJAMA:

Are they not using torture In GUATALAMO BAY to get confession from people? The president approved that method.

Obasanjo approved the complete massacre of the town of Odi. I didnt hear you condemn that.

Bush will be forever remember for going to war in IRAQ, corruption in the justice department. CIA leak secrete. Mass unemployment. out soursing of jobs and giving big corporation tax break. Nothing good is synonymous with this administration, even gas prices are at a record high

davidylan you are in UK, we are hear experiencing the hardship, stop comparing apple to oranges, and where is ODI town. give me more scoop on that story pleasee. do you know what interrest rates are now trying to buy a house or refinance your car in the state?

Thanks, guys. I think we should allow others to contribute to the discussion at this point, so it will be interesting.

e this hypocrites!

MAMAJAMA:

corruption in the justice department.

Nigeria is the most corrupt nation on earth!

MAMAJAMA:

Mass unemployment.

If the US is this bad please try a certain country called Nigeria. I hear they now call it the favour market!  

MAMAJAMA:

out soursing of jobs and giving big corporation tax break.

Wow! What a very bad idea! We dont do that in Nigeria, there are no jobs to citizens not to talk of trying to outsource. The only big corporations in Nigeria are busy stealing our oil and polluting our environment.

MAMAJAMA:

Nothing good is synonymous with this administration, even gas prices are at a record high

Very true, i heard prices had risen to N85/litre now.  

MAMAJAMA:

davidylan you are in UK, we are hear experiencing the hardship, stop comparing apple to oranges,

I live in the US oga. Very true, comparing hardship in the US to that in Nigeria is worse than comparing oranges to apples. More like comparing heaven to earth. If what we experience in Nigeria is called hardship, no american is authorised to complain about hardship.

MAMAJAMA:

and where is ODI town. give me more scoop on that story pleasee.

And you know about guatanamo bay?  

MAMAJAMA:

do you know what interrest rates are now trying to buy a house or refinance your car in the state?

You are lucky at least in the US you have avenues to finance a house or car. Please come to Nigeria and go borrow money to buy a house.

@davidylan,

I have no comment, having explained everthing to Mr. mamajama.

davidylan you are in Rochester right? what is the average price of house in NYC now compare to 4 years ago?  do you watch CNN even MSNBC that is always bias when it comes to the republicans. we all agree Nigeria is not in the best of shape.  not sure how long you've been in the state, this guy bushed has totally messed this country up.  Even a freaking miss USA was booed just because of USA policies.  ill be back to give you more example later.

MAMAJAMA:

corruption in the justice department.  

Which corruption?

MAMAJAMA:

CIA leak secrete.  

Patrick Fitzgerald after 4 years of investigation and millions of dollars down the drain found no evidence that the Bush Adminstration leaked Valerie Plames' name

MAMAJAMA:

Mass unemployment.

Now,seriously,the above is ridiculous.The unemployment rate in the US is 4.5%-http://www.bls.gov/.At this point in the Clinton Adminstration it was 5.4%.This is one of the lowest unemployment rates in American history and one of the lowest in the OECD and the lowest in the G7

MAMAJAMA:

out soursing of jobs and giving big corporation tax break.  Nothing good is synonymous with this administration, even gas prices are at a record high

Outsourcing of jobs is a global phenomenon due to the rise of China and India.This has nothing to do with Bush

Corporation tax in the US is 40%,the highest in the OECD outside of Japan with 45%-http://www.us.kpmg.com/microsite/Global_Tax/CTR_Survey/2004CTRS.pdf(pages 3/4 of the link).In the UK its 30% and Ireland 12.5%.The Corporate Tax rate in the US compared to its rivals is too high  

As far gas prices go,the US is not Nigeria and Bush does not set gas prices.Gas prices in the US are one of the cheapest in the OECD.

MAMAJAMA:

davidylan you are in Rochester right? what is the average price of house in NYC now compare to 4 years ago? do you watch CNN even MSNBC that is always bias when it comes to the republicans. we all agree Nigeria is not in the best of shape. not sure how long you've been in the state, this guy bushed has totally messed this country up. Even a freaking miss USA was booed just because of USA policies. ill be back to give you more example later.

mr mamajama, you better thank God that you can at least buy a house in the USA. If you are complaining so much please find the nearest airport and return to the heaven that Nigeria is. Most of your colleagues can only dream of living in the most basic apartments here in the US and you are groaning over average prices of houses.

Do you know how much a bag of rice now costs in Nigeria? How many Nigerians can afford to buy a bag of cement?

(Actually, I don't see high corporate tax as a good thing. Fire on, guys.)

and your point is? do you know how many friends of my that left here and went to Nigeria and started a business? they are doing extremely well. take it from me, no matter where you go, there is no place like home. please come back in 20 years and tell me you are not home sick.

people are migrating for better job and better necessity, if we have this provision in Nigeria, no one will want to leave all their childhood friends and family to a COLD nation. lol

@mamajama,

Bush will be forever remember for going to war in IRAQ,

That may be true. He will also be remembered for toppling Saddam Hussein, getting rid of the Taleban, Getting Libya and North Korea to drop their nuclear programme, the most generous American President to Africa etc,

corruption in the justice department.

Since when did the Executive arm of Government become responsible for the corruption or otherwise of the Judiciary?

CIA leak secret.

I may have missed it, but which grand jury indicted Bush or Cheney?

Mass unemployment.

You have no clue what you are talking about.  I-man already provided you with answers so I will not belabor this issue.

out soursing of jobs

The only reason why this is happening is because of the high standard of living of Americans.  The entire world is having to deal with this and not the U.S. alone.

and giving big corporation tax break.

This is the policy of the Republican party and didn't start with Bush.  Your hidden agenda is very obvious considering the fact that personal income tax is also at its lowest in a long time.  Bush actually lowered the [ersonal income tax when he came in and it is the Democrats that are the obstacles to making the tax breaks permanent.

Nothing good is synonymous with this administration, even gas prices are at a record high

The first statement is just your subjective opinion. As for the later case, please tell me which country around the world is not feeling this gas pinch!

Seun:

(Actually, I don't see high corporate tax as a good thing. Fire on, guys.)

I posted it in rebuttal to his claim that Bush has given huge tax breaks.You are right,the reality is that he hasn't gone far enough given the extremely high rate of corporation tax in the US(its even higher than Nigeria's)

Direct Aid to Africa has tripled under Bush I have made this point so many times in this forum,I'm getting tired of it

-http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/30/AR2006123000941.html
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article2119042.ece
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/2995109.stm

@mamajama,

davidylan you are in Rochester right? what is the average price of house in NYC now compare to 4 years ago?

May I ask you to compare the cost of houses in Nigeria today with the cost 4 years ago?  I bought a piece of land in Abuja just before I came to the U.S. The asking price now is more than quadruple what I paid for it. That is just to tell you that real estate goes up everywhere in the world.

do you watch CNN even MSNBC that is always bias when it comes to the republicans.

This is news to me.  CNN and MSNBC are allies of the Republican Party?  Are you sure you live in the U.S.?

we all agree Nigeria is not in the best of shape.

 

It's more like Nigeria is in a very bad shape!

not sure how long you've been in the state, this guy bushed has totally messed this country up.

Again, a subjective opinion with no factual basis.

Even a freaking miss USA was booed just because of USA policies.

You are in the same boat with those who booed her! Prejudiced with no concrete evidence to back it up.

ill be back to give you more example later.

I hope those examplew will be backed up with facts.

MAMAJAMA:

and your point is? do you know how many friends of my that left here and went to Nigeria and started a business? they are doing extremely well. take it from me, no matter where you go, there is no place like home. please come back in 20 years and tell me you are not home sick.

people are migrating for better job and better necessity, if we have this provision in Nigeria, no one will want to leave all their childhood friends and family to a COLD nation. lol

your friends are probably in the lucky 1% of rich Nigerians. Even if they are not rich, If i saved $20,000 and went home, i'd have N2.8million at the exchange rate of 142 naira to $1. That is more than enough money to start off a good business. How many Nigerians can raise that amount of capital in the absence of bank loans and any form of government assistance?
There is no place like home and you are still digging your feet in the US? Go home and start a business, lets see how much profit you will make with increasing gas prices, no roads, no water, no electricity, no government incentives, high exchange rates e.t.c.

MAMAJAMA:

people are migrating for better job and better necessity, if we have this provision in Nigeria, no one will want to leave all their childhood friends and family to a COLD nation. lol

If there were better conditions of living in Nigeria as compared to the US why would people migrate in the first place? If the US is so messed up as you say then why is there a marathon queue at the US embassy as we speak?
Why are there better jobs and necessities in the US you claim has been messed up by Bush?

MAMAJAMA:

davidylan you are in Rochester right? what is the average price of house in NYC now compare to 4 years ago?  do you watch CNN even MSNBC that is always bias when it comes to the republicans. we all agree Nigeria is not in the best of shape.  not sure how long you've been in the state, this guy bushed has totally messed this country up.  

Hang on a sec.Is your point that rising house prices is proof of Bush's failure?   I find that incredibly bizzare[b].Rising house prices are a sign of economic prosperity[/b].First time buyers may not see it that way but home owners love it .

Household wealth in the US has risen to about $56 trillion.During the five years from 2000 to 2005, the US economy grew in size from $9.8 trillion to $11.2 trillion, an increase in real terms of 14%.By the end of  2006,GDP has increased to $13.6trillion-http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm(scroll down to Table 9 in the link)

Effectively,the US economy has added $3.8 trillon dollars in value since 2000.To put things in perspective,Africa's GDP at Purchasing Power Parity amounts to $1.8 trillon  http://politicalcalculations..com/2005/05/gdp-africa.html.The US economy has added an extra $2trillon to its GDP in a short space of time compared to the whole of Africa in its entire history.China's GDP at 2006 was estimated at $2.6 trillon(just Google "GDP of China)at Official Exchange Rate.

Seun noted earlier about Bush trying to "completely destroy the US".If one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world,one of the highest per capita income rates in the world(25% higher than the EU),an extra $3.8trillion to the GDP amounts to "completely destroying" a country.May Yar Adua try and completely destroy Nigeria

@I-man,

Thanks for those figures. I bought my home two years ago for $310,000.00. I am in the process of refinancing with the option to cash out and the house has been appraised for $360,000.00. Imagine if I cash out all the equity, I'll probably invest some in naija as well and Bush's seeming failure will be bringing more forex to Naija!