Not to mention the damage Bush and Republicans have done. We wouldn't have Obama without them.

Bush is worse than stupid, even without Obama.

"...the ever-maligned George W. Bush" I hope he's ever-maligned for good. He gave us Obama and he and his party are thus mainly to blame for the economic disruptions we've had for several years now. We're about to get Romney and I don't see how he's going to improve things, given how Republicans behaved under Bush.

"What is causing continued slow economic growth and high unemployment in America?" A federal government that has gotten fatter under both Bush and Obama, financed through inflation.

""Out of ideas; out of excuses." That’s Mitt Romney’s critique of Barack Obama. I’d like to second that indictment." Be prepared to second it again after about two years of President Romney.

Rubbish. Americans have been paying higher taxes already, in the form of inflation. Too much money has been spent since 2003 for taxes not to have been raised in some fashion. Four dollar a gallon gas is the result of inflation, not a shortage of oil.

Deficit reduction? Yeah, perhaps they can get a deal whereby taxes are raised, while they proclaim they had to do it to get Democrats on board. Why not advocate abolishing things? Like the prescription drug benefit they passed, not to mention, many other things. You'll never get that from them. Just phoney-baloney gimmicks about reducing the deficit.

"That is, if the feds can create an exchange at all. The Obama administration has admitted it doesn't have the money..." They will just print the money up, as they've been doing for all this excess spending the nine years.

"Yes, coercive altruism is wrong. Indeed, it’s not even altruism, particularly if you think (like Michael Gerson or Barack Obama) it’s noble or selfless to forcibly give away other people’s money." Watch it Daniel, Gerson's columns appear on this site too! I don't know why, other than he worked for Bush.

"As America re-examines its military, entitlements, energy sources and popular culture, it will learn that our "decline" is not due to material shortages, but rather arises from moral confusion over how to master, rather than being mastered by, the vast riches we have created." Just keep thinking that Hanson. America is in decline, under the weight of encroaching government and a culture that reveres government as a problem solver or dominant moral authority. You seem to think that freedom is at fault, for "moral confusion". That's typical of most intellectuals and writers - even conservative ones like yourself.