http://politics.theatlantic.com/2009...ush_legacy.php

Thursday's annual Census Bureau report on income, poverty and access
to health care-the Bureau's principal report card on the well-being of
average Americans-closes the books on the economic record of George W.
Bush.

It's not a record many Republicans are likely to point to with pride.

On every major measurement, the Census Bureau report shows that the
country lost ground during Bush's two terms. While Bush was in office,
the median household income declined, poverty increased, childhood
poverty increased even more, and the number of Americans without
health insurance spiked. By contrast, the country's condition improved
on each of those measures during Bill Clinton's two terms, often
substantially.

The Census' final report card on Bush's record presents an intriguing
backdrop to today's economic debate. Bush built his economic strategy
around tax cuts, passing large reductions both in 2001 and 2003.
Congressional Republicans are insisting that a similar agenda focused
on tax cuts offers better prospects of reviving the economy than
President Obama's combination of some tax cuts with heavy government
spending. But the bleak economic results from Bush's two terms,
tarnish, to put it mildly, the idea that tax cuts represent an
economic silver bullet.