G. Bush, the Spendthrift

George Bush has been declared a spendthrift. The "Cato" Research Institute has found that President Bush is the most prodigal of all US presidents for the last 40 years.

Under President Bush the federal budget spending rose by 8 percent. G. Bush has by far outstripped other prodigal presidents. During Lyndon Johnson's term of office (1963-1969) the budget spending rose, because of the Vietnam war, by 4.6 percent. Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) was also lavish with defense spending, under him the federal budget spending rose by 1.9 percent.

Gerald Ford (1974-1977) who cut the defense spending, but significantly increased peaceful programs funds, raised the federal budget spending by 3 percent. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981) preferred to spend federal money on targeted subsidies to various US industries, which increased the spending by 2.4 percent.

Under George Bush the spending rose in all fields – the defense spending rose by 8.8 percent, target subsidies by 4.7 percent, allocations for the various domestic economic and humanitarian projects by 7.7 percent.