Sandwiched between two President Bushs sat Bill Clinton, by comparison a very effective and respected American president. His management of the economy, on the surface, was a big success with economic initiatives that included solid economic growth and impressive job creation as he left office with a much vaulted federal budget surplus. In fact Clinton's term included the longest uninterrupted economic expansion in U.S. history so certainly from this perspective Bill Clinton was very successful. But was his economic policies short sited? Clinton's time in office included his disappointing embrace of right wing dogma -- such as allowing the unbridled growth of corporate interests that led to the decimation of much of the US manufacturing sector. It was during Clinton's watch that brought the SUV to our highways and the creation of NAFTA that inevitably led to massive displacement of skilled workers which led in turn to an expanded low-paid service industry which gave the illusion of full employment. It was the deregulation of Wall Street by Clinton and his advisers Robert Rubin and Larry Summers that greatly contributed to near market collapse under George Bush. One could argue, perhaps correctly, that Clinton -- saddled with a Republican congress for most of his eight years -- managed what was basically a Republican agenda. But how much did Clinton do to avoid that agenda? I think he embraced it -- and with gusto. Here is how it was stated on the web site of respected economist Nouriel Roubini: "To be sure, the Clinton administration shares responsibility for excessively deregulating financial institutions and derivatives – a point that even President Clinton now concedes". Then there was Clinton's sexual indiscretion with White House page Monica Lewinsky together with his failure to immediately own up to it. His reckless actions marred his final years in the white house as the self-righteous Republicans had a field day. You may say that Clinton's sex drive is no big concern -- if anything it adds to his image, not a great wrong. But then he lied about it in court -- that's serious and that's what nearly crashed his presidency. This was clearly bad judgement. Clinton must have learned something when David Letterman got caught doing the same sort of thing but admitted to it right away. It immediately became a non-issue. Clinton also showed poor judgement in regard to his handling of the political situation in Haiti which now he admits was a very big mistake. What topped it off for me though was Clinton's unprecedented list of pardons and clemency to nearly 600 people who were either convicted or waiting trial for serious crimes. The most infamous of these was Marc Rich who was convicted of tax evasion and illegal oil dealings with Iran. This gave the Republicans a good argument that the Democrats are corrupt which helped pave the way to a George Bush presidency. (By the way George Bush Sr and Jr only pardoned 278 in total). No, the best thing I can say about Bill Clinton is he's not a Bush.
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Here is a 'personal initiative' project I've been working on for Queen Street East, in the Beaches. This is barely a hint of what I have in mind to redevelop the street. I welcome your thoughts and/or suggestions. For more go to my City Planning Page HERE
Detail of the proposed Aylmer Square and a mock-up of a proposed mini-bus. This type of small bus is presently being used in Tokyo neighbourhoods right now. For more go to my City Planning Page HERE • Free Music: Is it theft?
• The End of Economic Growth • On Getting Into Bed With the USA • Julian Assange with Horowitz and Zizek • Not high on Bill Clinton • Revitalization of Queen Street • Survival Strategies • Can We Live Off The Land? • Is Warren Buffett For Real? • The Egyptian Revolution • American Xenophobia • Obama's Hypocracy • A Rush To War • The Problem With Cynicism • Killing Of Osama bin Laden |
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