Four years ago, gearing up for the 2004 campaign

Four years ago about this time I was complaining about our President:

But I do wish George Bush would stop spending money like a drunken Democrat (no name, but you know who I mean). In fact, his spending increases are far greater than Clinton’s on domestic programs for the same time period in office. This makes it difficult for Democrats to criticize him on domestic policy, since those are their pet programs, resulting in a fractured and lack luster campaign. Also, it is hard for Republicans to rein him in, since he is their guy. A responder to a Cato Institute paper says he “has become the "Mother of All Big Spenders."

Nothing's changed. He's a Republican, but not a Conservative. No one will soak the rich the way GWB has--the tax coffers are now around 60% supplied by the richest, compared to about 54% under Clinton. The Democrats' tax increases will be to punish success, not to grease any economic squeaky wheels. And they'll hit all of us who live on investments in our retirement. So where does that leave Edwards and his "two Americas" theme--the man who made his fortune suing the very companies we need we for surgeries and cancers, driving up the insurance costs of doctors, all the while promoting universal health care to dumb down the whole system. Want universal health care in a disaster like an epidemic or terrorist attack? Look to FEMA and Katrina for results. Want cheaper health care? You won't find it in Washington. In addition to what I pay for Medicare coverage (a lot), I'm paying $132 a month for Medi-gap.