Not to be unkind, but how did Bush have Iraq, China and Tsunamis thrown at him?

Iraq did nothing. China lent him all the money he wanted to give tax cuts AND go to war. Very few Americans died in the Tsunami that I can recall.

9/11 was tough, to be sure, and any president would have had his work cut out for him.

Katrina was the kind of major national disaster that the Feds should be called in to. And he had so little regard for FEMA that he decimated the experienced leadership and the Gulf Coast paid dearly.

Rich,

Evidently the tax increase that Clinton passed did not affect the tech investment boom in the mid to late nineties. And when the economy did turn around, the revenue increase helped balance the budget.

Unfortunately, the tech bubble burst since so much was dependent upon “the new business model” of no sales, no assets, just a promise and a lot of stock issues.

The subsequent turnaround after the turn of the century was funded mainly by the middle class credit card, home equity and mortgage scams. Not much in the way of investment in manufacture or products and services for export, even with the new found money from China (actually the tax cuts, but they were paid by loans).

We reached a GDP that was 70% retail on credit cards. It was one of the greatest transfers of wealth from the working and middle class to the upper income levels in history.
And not much was done with that money except to send it overseas or gamble it away on worthless and abstruse “investments”.

The rest, as we say, is history.

I think the moral of this tale as regards to Clinton, is that investors don’t really care about taxes unless they are exorbitant (like before Reagan, when the top rates were close to 90%). If an investment can make money, investors will be drawn. Entrepreneurs are like that.

A reminder of that is Germany. In 2008 they were the largest exporter of goods in the world. More than China or us.

And they did that with a tax system that is higher on income, with universal health care, and additional taxes to support municipalities and the reunification costs of East and West.

Oh, and they have only about 90 million people.

As a Democrat and Clinton voter, I am still angered by his inability to keep his zipper closed. But not nearly as angered as I, and most of the country, was when 50 million dollars was spent by Starr to confirm his relationship with a stained dress.

But, I digress.

To be fair Reagan did a great job, but he also had the benefit of the PC/database revolution in the 80s.

Clinton did one thing right. He stayed out of it! Yes, he did not regulate the Internet, he did not Tax the Internet and for the most part let it grow like a Conservative would.. Naturally, organically, free market! The 90′s is a good example of how our country can operate successfully. No the Dems didn’t cooperate with the Repubs, but since there was a balance between the Pres, Senate and house everyone needed to bargain with each other. Today, that is not the case and terrible legislation is beeing passed/forced upon us.

GW had the worst of luck of all. Tsunami’s, Hurricanes, floods, 911, China, Iraq. Not saying I’m his biggest fan, but he had more thrown at him, FASTER than any president in history.

Now that BHO is in the house I kind of miss Slick Willy.