# Did Bush tax cuts avert a recession?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-tax-cuts-avert-a-recession/695199>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [August 10, 2014, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-tax-cuts-avert-a-recession/695199 "2014-08-10T00:26:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-tax-cuts-avert-a-recession/695199/41 "2014-08-12T19:28:54Z")

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> [@Dan\_Shielding](#):
>
> First of all government acquires money by committing crimes.

Oh joy, a “taxques r theift” advocate.

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**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-tax-cuts-avert-a-recession/695199/42 "2014-08-12T22:40:14Z")

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> [@Steve\_MB](#):
>
> We’re talking about decisions made in early 2001. At the time, the debt was shrinking daily thanks to the Clinton surplus; the sensible thing to do was leave that process basically alone, tweaking it as necessary to prevent the surpluses from becoming too large.

What would “too large” have been? Clearing a lot of red ink from government books seems like would have been a good idea. The budget at the time, considering the level of the debt service, was nowhere near being in the black.

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**Author:** ![JEngelman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e79b87/32.png) [@JEngelman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JEngelman)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bush-tax-cuts-avert-a-recession/695199/43 "2014-08-14T16:09:30Z")

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> [@Stringbean](#):
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> Whatever gave you the impression Bush was conservative? Or that Bush’s problem was that he cut taxes too much, and not too little?

It has something to do with the fact that Bush turned the Clinton surplus into a chronic deficit.

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