What would the next 4 years look like if BUSH2 gets the nod?

[Jason600]

What would the next 4 years look like if BUSH2 gets the nod?

- Looking for specifics in all areas
- Please, don't put things like, sh** or F****ed up
- What could be done to counter this in the event it took place
- What would be the three top concerns




While this may not happen (hopefully), treat it as it did. So in other words, dont paste your favorite canidates pic or info.



Thanks

[Media_Lies_Daily]

1. Think what it was like during Nixon's second term.

[CoffeePlease1947]

2. It would look like 1932

Lots of people out of work, little rights or programs for the poor and minorities.

We would see courts being filled with conservatives slashing away at abortion, gay, and minority rights.

We would see another war or maybe 2 or 3.

We would see more terrorist attacks.

Other than that, things would be the way they are now.

Mike

[Swede]

3. Well he'd need the draft for the endless war thing.

Britain would join Canada,France,Germany,etc as being former allies.

[7th_Sephiroth]

4. in 2005

Under the U.S.A.V.I.C.T.O.R.Y. act, all elections will be suspended and george bush be declaired king, but seriously, the second united states civil war

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Then end of the Ameircan Republic

And I am not kidding...

Most do not realize that this is now a real posibility.

Now if Bush should loose we may be staring at a civil war...many righties are now pushing articles stating that the left is pushing for civil war... in context this is what the confederates also did
in 1858-60 period

In fact, in mid to long term, we may see a civil war any way... becuae the extremes are salivating for one, and right now the extreme right is truly salivating for one...

that could also mean the balkanization of the United States.

I know not happy thoughts...

[Jason600]

6. interesting......

do you think a civil war may truly come? If so, how would the battle lines be drawn. It would be fought in the streets because there would be no "north and South". would the left be way outnumbered?

[ErasureAcer]

7. war with Iran for sure

I'd say in early 2005

[Resistance Is Futile]

8. Weimar republic

A repeat of what happened in Germany during the last years of the Weimar republic and the first few years of Hitler's reign.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

9. hmm...

A lot of it would be dependent upon the makeup of Congress... But anyway:

1) Temporary tax cuts will become permanent
2) Existing tax cuts will be expanded.
3) Expect more tax cuts, especially for businesses. Doubly so if the economy hasn't recovered by then
4) Judging by the horrible debacle that Iraq has become, I would expect more caution on the use of military force - not because it's a bad idea, oh no... Because the economic and political ramifications are getting hard to deal with.
5) The end of the EPA as we know it.
6) Kind of related to #5... expect defunding of a lot of agencies that deal with safety/social/environmental issues.
7) Massive expenditures on SDI. This seems to have fallen through the cracks around here recently.
8) Greatly expanded powers for the FBI, above and beyond the Patriot Act

[DuctapeFatwa]

10. When internment of Muslims and "Middle Eastern looking" people begins

There will be a small flurry of mild protest on sites such as this, and a few will confess feeling a little uncomfortable as neighbors and co-workers are led away, but most will allow that it is really for the best, and that everyone should think of it as more of a protective thing, and that the camps are not at all like the ones used for the Japanese.

No one will want to discuss the topic too much though, as there will be a great deal of pressure from several quarters, to grant the same protective custody to suspected Muslim sympathizers...

[cliss]

11. Hypothetical scenario

We are now fast-forwarding ourselves to November 1, 2004.

Please note I'm ignoring whoever will be chosen president next November. There are many trends which have been set into motion, which have to be dealt with, regardless of who takes office.

#1 - The budget deficit. The deficit is staggering, hard to even comprehend. I've read figures as high as $660, at this juncture alone. We have to assume that 2004 will bring more deficits. The ramifications will affect the economy in every area. Interest rates are expected to rise. This will strike a blow to home mortgages (many of which are on ARM-rates). I've read that if the interst rate goes up to 7%, then properties will lost 30% of their value.

#2 - Loss of jobs/continuing layoffs. This is a trend which is continuing. Americans who still have their jobs maybe haven't comprehended the seriousness of this. A lost job is a double drain on our economy = income taxes not paid + unemployment benefits handed out. This is going to cause mortgage defaults + foreclosures. Think of all the young people, sitting in desks at Community Colleges right now, with no job to come to when they're done.

#3 - Lack of ethics in government/business. We all know BushInc is rotten to the core. But I believe it's more prevalent than just them. There is corruption at every level of government, including the Democrats. I believe there is a lot of cheating going on in businesses. My company is involved in dishonest activity. Yet, the president (of the company) continues on his jet-setting, buying $84 bottles of wine with his dinner, oblivious to the dangers. In a word, WE as americans have become unethical.

Which one will hit first? Or be the most serious of them all?
who knows.

[Octafish]

12. Global Depression. Global War. BFEE Wins.

The earth's resources and treasures are looted. That part of humanity which survives is enslaved. Here's me then:

[Dissenting_Prole]

13. Slavery, eventually

MIx the all-powerful Bush junta with Global Oil Depletion, and it's effect on the economy, and watch what happens.

Sure, we have enough coal for another 200 years but who wants to mine the stuff? Better get some of those poor, unemployed workers down there to get it out of the ground.

Each of us has about 50 energy slaves working for us each day. Cheap energy aided the end of slavery in North America. But somebody has to do the work for the rich once the cheap oil is gone.

And probably it'll be you and me.

[DuctapeFatwa]

14. Don't think of it as slavery, think of it as an "employment covenant"

Everything has tradeoffs, and just as the maquiladora workers have to give up a few things like being able to have or live with their families, submit to corporal punishment or a little sexual contact now and again, they have job security, and enough food to get them back to their machine the next day, and most companies provide medical care for immediate job-related injuries of a life-threatening nature, and just take the cost out of the employees paycheck if he recovers, all the while providing a place to sleep and the same food.

Considering that the globally competitive wage is right around fifty cents a day, once savings accounts are exhausted, IRA's cashed out, houses sold and proceeds spent, that employment covenant will start to look a lot better than it does today!

[Emperor_Norton_II]

15. Shares in agrressive paranoia will go up 500%

Aside from that...

Economics: Things will continue in a steady-state shitty. The rich will get richer, the poor will get poorer, the middle class will be increasingly squeezed just by outside conditions.

National Politics: Democratic majorities in both houses in '06 despite gerrymandering rigamarole. The Republican Revolution Mk 2 will be kneecaped completely by '07.

International Politics: The War on Terra will peter out and become a sort of low-level hostility towards, well, everybody. Kim Il Jung may snap and try for forcible reunification, thus catching himself between the US hammer and the Chinese anvil, and going out in a blaze of glory. Blair will get his no-confidence vote and be turned out to write his memoirs.

Judicial Concerns: The most egregious of Bush's court nominees will continue to be fillibustered. At least one Supreme Court justice will either retire or croak (not Rhenquist - he'll hold on out of sheer spite if nothing else) and Bush will be stuck appointing an utter nonentity in order to make it through the confirmation proceedings.

Social Concerns: Things will be ugly, but they will not descend into an orgy of Nazi madness. (Message to the doomed romantics: Sorry.) Probably one, maybe two more restrictions on abortion and/or gay rights.

Terra!: There will be no more major terrorist attacks on US soil. There will, however, be at least one major attack on US citizens abroad, my cracked crystal ball suggests a cruise liner. The culprits will not be al-Quaeda, and they will not be caught.

Iraq: Things will worsen until Bush finally abandons Iraq in the general in favor of an ad-hoc UN Peacekeeper force in an attempt to curry favor for the midterm elections.

The Media: Will do what it usually does, chase that bottom line and not really give a crap for much else. A liberal mirror of FNC will arrive, flourish briefly, and then die unless it attracts a backer with the financial strength of Murdoch the Mighty.

Out-There Media Speculation: Murdoch, sensing the winds of fortune abandoning the GOP, sends fire and death through the FNC offices and tilts the balance from the right to the left.

Stuff That Only A Small Minority Of DUers Really Care About: China will begin building a space station. ISS will be completed. Some form of functional nanomachine will be built in the lab, although real-world functionality will not be available until the next decade. The Internet will reach an apotheosis of porn and become self-aware, an artificial intelligence with the brain of Dirk Diggler. The Yankees will continue to go to the World Series, and people will continue to not give a shit.

And Finally, The End: Bush's annointed successor will be hounded out of the country by a Democrat to be named later.

I think I covered everything.

[DemNoir]

16. Listen to the song

"The Future" by leonard Cohen. It will be just like that.

[maggrwaggr]

17. I think it would get really really ugly, there would be near revolution

and possibly some kind of coup either by the CIA or the military.

I think BFEE would start another war, and someone might finally gang up on the US, perhaps NATO.

There would be martial law declared in the United States.

And that's the optimistic view.

[buckanear7]

18. Not so much the next four but 2008

Between 2004 and 2008 what should happen will not happen and thus have to happen after 2008.

1) Major cuts to the Defense Budget

2) Major cuts to entitlements except Social Security and Medicare.

3) Repeal of Bush Tax cuts

4) Increase of FICA and Medicare Taxs.

To solve the oncoming train startign in 2008 will require action that no politician really wants to do and really hopes goes away with a booming economy. The problem is that in 2008 the bulk of baby boomers will start to retire and demand their social security checks. The so called social security surplus that has not existed since 1958. All surpluses have been borrowed to balance the federal budget. The problem will be that the excess from current FICA deductions will no longer be sufficient to pay out the demand after 2008.

By 2008 we could and most likely will see:

1) Inflation in the 6% to 9% range
2) Fed rates near 9%
3) Mortage rate between 12% and 15%
4) Unemployment rate near 9% reported, true will be closer to 12%.
5) The Dow under 5000
6) Gold over $2000 per ounce.
7) FICA Tax near 25%, Medicare 5%

This will be regardless of who is elected in 2004. Our economy will rebound in 2004 and 2005 and start a slow but steady decline starting 2006 and reaching bottom somewhere in 2012 to 2014.

Now if that is not depressing enough I might be able to give you more rosy numbers but it is too depressing.

ed

[PeriRies]

20. Gloom and Doom

I'm guessing that your post was a joke, but in the odd case that you are serious....

Mortgage Rates 12-15%? Where do you get that?

The Dow below 5,000? That's a bit harsh.

Just explain why this country is headed for the complete economic collapse that you predict?

[newyawker99]

25. Hi PeriRies!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[newyawker99]

24. Hi buckanear7!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Padraig18]

19. I would look like Gitmo...

... but with lace doilies and chintz curtains.

[arcos]

21. he would have nothing to lose...

since he can't run again, he would probably be several times worse. That, assuming the 22nd ammendment is NOT repealed... otherwise, he could continue running and buying elections.

[ScreamingMeemie]

22. Our daughters will become the slaves of the abortion debate.

More women and young girls will die, more brain dead babies will be born...and suffer, all for the sake of control by a few twisted minds.

[qanda]

23. I'll write and tell you from whatever country

Will let me in!