ThinkingBlue: Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Finally Over

Entire article Below or at this link: THE NIGHTMARE OF PEACE AND PROSPERITY OVER

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'

Yup, the nightmare Of Peace & Prosperity is finally over.

I love these tongue-in-cheek articles from The Onion because with all their sarcasm and cynicism there are also many grains of truth.

This particular article of January 17, 2001 is distinctively grandiose. Imagine, a newly selected (he wasn't elected) President, the most powerful man on Earth, telling the world that the USA's 8 year stint of Clinton prosperity and peace will end because he, Little Lord Bush, has been given the reins of power.

Beyond a doubt, the writer of this piece was a prophet. His/her fictional
forecast of an 8 year tenure with George W. Bush at the helm has come true. The Peace & Prosperity we've grown accustomed to and loved has finally ended. Nostradamus, is probably turning over in his grave. thinkingblue

Entire article Below or at this link: http://www.theonion.com/content/node/28784

Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'

January 17, 2001 Issue 37•01

WASHINGTON, DC–Mere days from assuming the presidency and closing the door on eight years of Bill Clinton, president-elect George W. Bush assured the nation in a televised address Tuesday that "our long national nightmare of peace and prosperity is finally over."

President-elect Bush vows that "together, we can put the triumphs of the recent past behind us."

"My fellow Americans," Bush said, "at long last, we have reached the end of the dark period in American history that will come to be known as the Clinton Era, eight long years characterized by unprecedented economic expansion, a sharp decrease in crime, and sustained peace overseas. The time has come to put all of that behind us."

Bush swore to do "everything in [his] power" to undo the damage wrought by
Clinton's two terms in office, including selling off the national parks to
developers, going into massive debt to develop expensive and impractical weapons
technologies, and passing sweeping budget cuts that drive the mentally ill out
of hospitals and onto the street.

During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe
war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the
U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four
years.

"You better believe we're going to mix it up with somebody at some point during
my administration," said Bush, who plans a 250 percent boost in military
spending. "Unlike my predecessor, I am fully committed to putting soldiers in
battle situations. Otherwise, what is the point of even having a military?"

On the economic side, Bush vowed to bring back economic stagnation by
implementing substantial tax cuts, which would lead to a recession, which would
necessitate a tax hike, which would lead to a drop in consumer spending, which
would lead to layoffs, which would deepen the recession even further.

Wall Street responded strongly to the Bush speech, with the Dow Jones industrial
fluctuating wildly before closing at an 18-month low. The NASDAQ composite
index, rattled by a gloomy outlook for tech stocks in 2001, also fell sharply,
losing 4.4 percent of its total value between 3 p.m. and the closing bell.

Asked for comment about the cooling technology sector, Bush said: "That's hardly
my area of expertise."

Turning to the subject of the environment, Bush said he will do whatever it
takes to undo the tremendous damage not done by the Clinton Administration to
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He assured citizens that he will follow
through on his campaign promise to open the 1.5 million acre refuge's coastal
plain to oil drilling. As a sign of his commitment to bringing about a change in
the environment, he pointed to his choice of Gale Norton for Secretary of the
Interior. Norton, Bush noted, has "extensive experience" fighting environmental
causes, working as a lobbyist for lead-paint manufacturers and as an attorney
for loggers and miners, in addition to suing the EPA to overturn clean-air
standards.

Bush had equally high praise for Attorney General nominee John Ashcroft, whom he
praised as "a tireless champion in the battle to protect a woman's right to give
birth."

"Soon, with John Ashcroft's help, we will move out of the Dark Ages and into a
more enlightened time when a woman will be free to think long and hard before
trying to fight her way past throngs of protesters blocking her entrance to an
abortion clinic," Bush said. "We as a nation can look forward to lots and lots
of babies."
Continued Bush: "John Ashcroft will be invaluable in healing the terrible wedge President Clinton drove between church and state."

The speech was met with overwhelming approval from Republican leaders.

"Finally, the horrific misrule of the Democrats has been brought to a close, Click For Article "House Majority Leader Dennis Hastert (R-IL) told reporters. "Under Bush, we can all look forward to military aggression, deregulation of dangerous, greedy industries, and the defunding of vital domestic social-service programs upon which millions depend. Mercifully, we can now say goodbye to the awful nightmare that was Clinton's America."

"For years, I tirelessly preached the message that Clinton must be stopped," conservative talk-radio host Rush Limbaugh said. "And yet, in 1996, the American public failed to heed my urgent warnings, re-electing Clinton despite the fact that the nation was prosperous and at peace under his regime. But now, thank God, that's all done with. Once again, we will enjoy mounting debt, jingoism, nuclear paranoia, mass deficit, and a massive military build-up."

An overwhelming 49.9 percent of Americans responded enthusiastically to the Bush speech.

"After eight years of relatively sane fiscal policy under the Democrats, we have
reached a point where, just a few weeks ago, President Clinton said that the
national debt could be paid off by as early as 2012," Rahway, NJ, machinist and
father of three Bud Crandall said. "That's not the kind of world I want my
children to grow up in."

"You have no idea what it's like to be black and enfranchised," said Marlon
Hastings, one of thousands of Miami-Dade County residents whose votes were not
counted in the 2000 presidential election. "George W. Bush understands the pain
of enfranchisement, and ever since Election Day, he has fought tirelessly to
make sure it never happens to my people again."

Bush concluded his speech on a note of healing and redemption.

"We as a people must stand united, banding together to tear this nation in two,"
Bush said. "Much work lies ahead of us: The gap between the rich and the poor
may be wide, be there's much more widening left to do. We must squander our
nation's hard-won budget surplus on tax breaks for the wealthiest 15 percent.
And, on the foreign front, we must find an enemy and defeat it."

"The insanity is over," Bush said. "After a long, dark night of peace and
stability, the sun is finally rising again over America. We look forward to a
bright new dawn not seen since the glory days of my dad."