Some domestic lowlights of the Bush Administration

National Review, Nov 30, 1992 by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.

In the past, consumers and producers determined what went on product labels. But under George Bush's HHS Secretary, Louis Sullivan, more than twenty thousand food items had to have expensive new nutritional labeling.

Several natural disasters took place under Bush (as distinguished from the artificial disaster of his Administration), including Hurricanes Hugo and Andrew. His response was always the same: send in the bureaucrats from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to bungle everything, and spend billions.

There was also the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound. Even though Exxon was the victim, losing billions of dollars, the Bush Administration pursued the company as if the spill were deliberate. Exxon cannot be allowed to get away with an "environmental crime," said Bush's attorney general. But the disaster, though real, was temporary. As with all spills, the oil disappeared, since it is, if you will excuse the expression, natural, organic, and biodegradable.

John Pozsgai is another case in point. An emigrant from Communist Hungary, he bought a former junkyard and cleaned it up, covering it with clean topsoil. Because cattails grew on it, his dry land was "wetlands" to the Feds, and for improving it, he was jailed and fined $200,000. The U.S. Attorney said he wanted to "send a message to the private landowners, corporations, and developers of this country about President Bush's wetlands policy." Pozsgai got the message. "I thought this was a free country," he said.

Finally, Mr. Bush violated a campaign promise and banned importation of most semi-automatic rifles. He also promised to support the Brady bill, which requires a waiting period--similar to the California law that prevented homeowners in Los Angeles from buying guns to protect themselves. The banned rifles are stigmatized as "assault weapons," but the only real assault is on the Second Amendment.

These are far from the only domestic lowlights of the Bush Administration, but John O'Sullivan refused to allow me this entire issue of NR for a complete list. They are sufficient, however, to show that the President smoothed the way for Clintonian socialism. Thanks, George, we needed that.