The
Bush administration's use of Orwellian speech
"Axis of evil"
Identified by Bush
as consisting of Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. Unlike most other evil
Axes, these three countries lacked any formal or informal alliance
(or even good relations), compatible ideology, genocidal dream, or
means or intention of conquering empires.
"Class
warfare "
What you were accused of waging if you dared point out that Bush budget
and tax policies disproportionately favored the rich. Pursuing such
policies was called "job creation," "economic stimulus,"
etc.
"Clear
Skies Initiative"
A program to gut the Clean Air Act and substitute weaker anti-pollution
regulations.
"Clinton
recession"
The recession that began in 2001 under Bush and continued for at least
the next two years.
"Compassionate
conservatism "
The liberal- sounding cloak beneath which the Bushies smuggled themselves
and their hard-right agenda into the White House.
"Double
taxation"
The right's war cry for abolishing taxes on dividends and on estates.
In practice, neither taxation was "double," and tax on dividends
was barely half-taxation.
"Economic
stimulus"
Massive tax cuts for corporations and the rich that failed, in theory
and practice, to stimulate.
"Energy
security"
The barely lessened dependence on Mideast oil to be achieved by drilling
in U.S. national parks and wilderness preserves.
"Free
speech"
1) The constitutional right of pharmaceutical and other companies
to make exaggerated or false advertising claims for their products;
2) the right to raise and spend as much campaign money as you want,
in any way you want.
"Healthy
Forests Initiative"
A policy of blaming forest fires on tree-hugging environmentalists
and letting logging companies cut down the forests to save them.
"Sound
science"
The kind that shows that the "economic" costs (to corporations)
of health, safety, and environmental regulations outweigh the benefits
to the public. (See Science policy.)
"Special
interests"
Unions and environmentalists. (But not, say, the oil, gas, or coal
industry, HMOs, the gun lobby, or right-wing Protestant fundamentalists.)
"Reform"
of
A euphemism for attack on, destruction of, privatization of-as in
"reform of' public education,
Medicare, Social Security, etc. (as embodied in Bush's "Commission
to Strengthen Social Security"-i.e., privatize it)
Tort
"reform"
Making it harder for citizens to sue corporate wrongdoers for harm
they've caused.
Welfare "reform"
Raising work requirements to force states to throw more people off welfare.
In the midst of the worst job slump in decades, and while cutting funding
for job training, Bush called for "Empowering states to seek new
and innovative solutions to help welfare recipients achieve independence."
He announced the plan standing before a backdrop emblazoned with slogans
like "Opportunity," "Work," "Family,"
"Responsibility," and "Working toward independence"-whose
hollowness elevated them, too, to the exalted realm of BushSpeak.
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A
great source for this page:
The
Bush Hater's Handbook by Jack Huberman, a canadian who became a U.S.
citizen just so he could vote against George W. Bush in 2000.
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