The Americans with Disabilities Act was the most important piece of legislation in my lifetime

[Recursion]

The GHWB White House co-wrote it with Harkin, and Bush stumped among Republicans speaking against Evangelical scaremongering talking points against it.

When you travel abroad a lot, you pretty quickly see this is one of the cases where the US is absolutely exceptional. Particularly if you travel with a mobility impairment. Even the Western Europe social democracies are light-years behind us here.

I know he did evil things. So did Obama. But he got this law passed, and it made the country better for tens of millions of people.

[BlueWI]

1. This was a signature and historic legislative accomplishment.

While I am not down with bothsiderism and do not conflate the Bush and Obama records, this signature accomplishment should be appreciated as a positively enduring part of the Bush legacy.

[dalton99a]

2. What evil things did Obama do?

[Recursion]

3. Srsly? I'm as big an Obama stan as there is, and I can list them

The war in Yemen. The drone war in Pakistan. The war in Libya. The war in Syria.

I think Obama was a President on par with Lincoln and FDR, and I also think his willingness to use US military force is a permanent mar on his record.

[nycbos]

4. I have learning disabilities and I am grateful for the ADA.

But I was only four when the legislation was passed.


What was the "evangelical scaremongering?"

[Recursion]

5. Christian schools were claiming it was an attempt to put them out of business

This was a really, really ugly fight at the time. In many ways the start of the civil war in the Republican Party that led to Trump.

[nycbos]

8. Got it

Thanks

[Hoyt]

6. Interesting that we are "advanced" in that respect. It's a good thing.

[cyclonefence]

7. The ADA happened because the doctor who cared for the Bush daughter who died

asked Bush for it, after Bush, in gratitude for his daughter's care, said "If I can do anything for you..." IOW It wasn't Bush's idea and he probably hated signing it.

[lark]

9. Major difference between us and Europe in this area.

The buildings there are so very old and none of them have been modified for the mobility impaired folks. I don't even remember seeing this in the new buildings. We asked our friend in France about this, what did people in wheelchairs do, he said they got first floor apts. and people did their shopping for them since they couldn't get into most buildings, or beyond the first floor if there were no steps at the entry.

OK, so HW did do something very good, on top of the very bad things he did. The ADA is extremely important and really sets us off from most of Europe and South America at least. Haven't been to other parts of the world than those so can't comment on them.