Did President Bush Cause the Economic Crisis?

I realize that this post can be very controversial, but I want to know what real people think. I hear in the news what Americans think, what Canadians think, from the politicians perspective, but what do real people think? Is it possible to have a non partisan discussion on this issue?

Even Republicans agree that there were blunders, or mistakes, that have, at least, contributed to the crisis. Did it all start with the housing crisis? Is Bush to blame for mortgages going out to people who could never afford them? Was it a lack of government regulations that caused the housing crisis, that fueled the current global economic crisis? What about the war... most would agree that the war in Iraq did not play out as originally intended. Could the financial investment made there have been better spent elsewhere?

Geoff Canada, President/CEO, Harlem Children's Zone, Inc. believes that the current and previous administrations have been misguided in their investments. Take the recent economic bailout provided for Wall Street... what if that money, or even a small portion of it, was invested in a strategic bailout for impoverished youth? What returns would that kind of investment yield?

I have been accused of being too liberal in my thinking... for opposing "free market" capitalism, but my opposition is not based in a welfare mentality. I believe strongly in personal responsiblilty and accountability. I don't actually favor any political party, but I do believe in social responsibility - in the strong and able being responsible for the weak and unable. I further believe that "free markets" are a breeding ground for greed and corruption. Unfortunately, someone has to be a watchdog. We cannot rely on the good of human kind.

You may be thinking that I am leaning toward "blaming" President Bush for the current state of the global economy, but I am not. I think that we all need to take some personal responsibility. We need to examine what we really believe, in our core... and not whatever political view we have taken a "side" on. Do we really believe that Wall Street CEOs are more deserving of a "bailout" than a child born into poverty? If we believe that government has a responsibility to care for that child, does that really make us a "socialist"?

If you think of me as being too "liberal", don't apologize. (seriously, I've had people apologize for using that "L" word LOL), I am not insulted by the term, but I really view myself as being a humanist - I believe in social responsibility tempered by fiscal conservatism... and I believe that most people in the free world are.

But... what do YOU really think?