Compassionate conservatism. It is a pleasant slogan; it makes the right-wing sound less scary to moderate voters. The slogan even led Bush to victory and 2000 and gave GOP complete control of the Senate in 2002. However, the State of the Union address was full of conservative policies and goals with little compassion of actual value. There was plenty of "compassion" in the speech, but Bush's dedication to social programs pales in comparison to his determination to pass a conservative agenda.
In his speech, Bush recognized the importance of fixing the ailing economy. He claims to desire to give money back to all Americans and to pump taxpayer money back into the economy to eventually raise tax revenues. Not a bad theory -- too bad the main part of his tax break does little to benefit the average American. Bush dedicates about $364 billion of his $674 billion proposal to the dividend tax cut. Almost half of the cut is dedicated to help, as Bush claims, the ten million senior citizens who receive dividends. However, as much as Bush would like the American public to believe that the tax plan is for the over-taxed elderly, the truth is the tax cut primarily benefits the rich. According to Gov. Gary Locke (WA) in the Democratic response to the President's speech, the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans would receive more of a tax break than the bottom 95 percent. The wealthy, of course, pay higher taxes than the middle class, but an across-the-board tax of a set percentage would still give more money back to the wealthy while benefiting the working and middle class as well. This is the reality of the tax cut -- most senior citizens and most of the middle class have their corporate dividends in already tax-free pensions. Bush demonstrated his compassion to the rich, but the rest of America, when it comes to the economy, just feels his conservatism.
Perhaps the most obvious example of Bush using rhetoric and demagoguery to demonstrate his "compassion" was his energy policy. He claims he ordered power plants to cut air pollution by 70 percent over the next 15 years. He sent Congress a bill that he calls a "healthy forest initiative." Finally, in an attempt to appeal to voters that believe he has too many oil ties, he proposed to spend $1.2 billion on research for developing a hydrogen car.
Unfortunately, despite his attempt to appeal to America's environmental side, his record proves that his concern is far from green. His executive order to cut air pollution happens over a long period of time -- much longer than most compassionate liberals were hoping for. He might have proposed saving forests, but throughout his term he has pushed for destroying the Alaskan Wildlife Reserve to discover oil. Apparently, forests deserve compassion -- national wildlife reserves deserve destruction. Finally, his funding towards developing a hydrogen car is admirable. However, $1.2 billion pales in comparison to the $364 billion tax cut to the rich. Apparently, the dividend tax break for the rich is about 150 times more important to Bush than cleaning the air -- there is clearly a lack of sincere compassion for the environment.
Another part of the speech focused on charity at home and abroad. Bush has worked to encourage Americans to act upon their civic duty and for that he deserves praise. His U.S.A. Freedom Corps has empowered many Americans to volunteer and improve the lives of many fellow Americans. His proposed $450 million to bring mentors to disadvantaged junior high school students is a worthy cause, but its place in the speech was simply to convince Americans that he is not a hawkish conservative, whose primary concerns are tax cuts and war. Americans should not fall for the President's ploy. $450 million is chump change for the federal government and such programs are solely P.R. moves to improve the president's status among moderates and liberals.
In Africa, Bush proposes to spend $10 billion to fight AIDS in Africa. Bush's charity to the continent of Africa is laudable -- America's dedication to fighting AIDS will save many lives. Nevertheless, the lives saved must be put in context. According to Medcat, an organization of British healthcare officials, up to half a million people could die in an urban war against Iraq. Bush, of course, believes that preemptively striking Iraq will save lives in the long run. However, he still has not convinced many Americans that there is enough evidence to go to war. Americans should not let his compassion in Africa muddle their opinion of his foreign policy. His compassion in Africa does not merit our trust in his rhetoric to convince America to go to war. Only concrete evidence against Saddam Hussein can bring America to arms.
Bush's State of the Union address, especially concerning domestic issues, truly lacked serious, dedicated compassion. He will push his conservative policies through Congress, but most of the compassionate ideas suggested were just appeals to the moderate voters and a gossamer cover to hide the reality of true conservative policies. Perhaps Bush should change his slogan to "conservative policies, compassionate ideas."
(Patrick Harvey is a Cavalier Daily
associate editor. He can be reached at
pharvey@cavalierdaily.com)
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