Diary of a Mad County

Tuesday, July 5
Sure, he can't fight a war, and sure, he sucks at foreign relations, and sure, he's not smart, and sure, he's horrible on the environment, and sure, he'll kill us all, but at least GeorgeBushis good at making the rich richer. Orishe?In an annual IRS study, it's revealed that for the first time in 25 years the number of high-income tax returns fell during the first two years of Bush's administration, commonly known as the salad days. High income returns are defined as those from people claiming adjusted gross incomes of more than $200,000. They grew every year under the likes of Gerald Ford. They grew under the first Bush! They grew under Jimmy Carter! But they fell 7 percent in 2001 and 6 percent in 2002—and these were the days before $2.50 gas, record unemployment, a slumping stock market and General Motors as a national punch line. On the bright side, I hear a deathcometis hurtling toward Earth.

slowery@ocweekly.com