Republicans have made a tranformation I don't fully understand, from rock-ribbed Bush backers to embarrassed by Bush's big-spending ways. To help me understand this change, I am inviting local conservatives to submit essays in response to the question below.

I will award prizes for Most Charming entry and for Firmest Grip on Reality. Contest starts at sundown and ends at sunrise on July 14.

The Contest
The purpose of the contest is to help out-of-touch elitists understand how hard-working Republicans went from voting for Bush in 2000 and even 2004 to being embarrassed by his big-spending ways. We are all embarrassed by Bush, no explanation needed for that, welcome aboard. But you were fine with all the big spending when it was being proposed and voted on by Republican Congresses, so slow-witted, wine-addled liberals can't understand why you are disgusted by it now. Should this be a math contest instead of an essay contest? Wait, that's not the question.

The Question

What have you learned from the Bush White House about corruption and how it leads to out-of-control government spending?

The ground rules...

57-word minimum, 1776-word maximum. 'Essay' just means the sort of expository writing normally seen on blogs. This contest is not open to Democrats or loose nuts like myself, only to people who voted for Bush either time. It is not necessary to disclose which time nor why, just respond to the question. Submit your entry as a post on this thread or, if you were a victim of the Stalinist purge or are otherwise boycotting knoxviews, post it on your blog or a blog you have not been banished from and get someone to post a link to it. Feel free to announce this contest on other blogs and forums.

The contest concludes at sunrise July 14. Cheaters will be given retroactive immunity from all contest rules.

Please refrain from replying to entries until the contest ends! This thread should be used only for posting entries or handling administrative matters.