Public Figures

‘IT is a fair bet that when White House speechwriters are putting the finishing touches to President Bush’s State Of The Union address today, they won’t be looking to this morning’s Independent for inspiration.

1 – Number of pages Bush read of Presidency For Dummies

Inspired perhaps by a similar editorial in last month’s Vanity Fair magazine, the paper presents ‘the real state of the Union’, a report card of Bush’s first term in office.

And, although the words ‘could try harder’ do not appear, it is clear that Bush will not be leaving the White House summa cum laude either.

Among the significant figures picked out by the Independent, we choose to highlight but a few.

2.4 million – Number of Americans who have lost their jobs in the first three years of the Bush administration.

$42,228 – Median household income in the USA in 2001; $42,000 average savings that members of Bush’s cabinet are expected to enjoy this year as a result of tax cuts.

$300 million – Amount cut from the federal programme that provides subsidies so that the poorest people can heat their homes.

58 million – The number of acres of public land Bush has opened up to road building, logging and drilling.

0 – The number of pretzels the President can safely eat while attempting to watch a game of college football on TV.

However, it is not all bad. President Bush can also come to the front of the class and collect his prize for coming first in the following categories.

As governor of Texas, Bush executed more prisoners (152) than any other governor on modern US history.

He became the first President in 40 years to order the execution of a federal prisoner.

Under the Bush administration, in 2002 the record for the most bankruptcies filed in a single year (1.57m) was set.

The Bush administration is well on its way to becoming the first since 1929 to preside over an overall loss of jobs in its first term of office.

In addition, this year’s deficit is on course to be the biggest in US history.

And still 54% of American think the President is doing a good job. Go figure…’

Posted: 20th, January 2004 | In: Broadsheets Comment | TrackBack | Permalink