Illustration by Arnie Bermudez

Ah, the things that Bush promises: Better prescription coverage! Environmental protection! And, while we're at it, let's go to Mars!

Rub the dust out of your eyes - it's an election year.

It may seem like Bush is simply demonstrating his unique brand of compassionate conservatism.

Yeah, sure. Despite his sugarcoated rhetoric, G.W. hasn't lived up to his promises.

He has said one thing and done another.

As the race for the general election gathers steam, Bush has quickened the pace, spewing out proposals that cannot be funded (given the record deficit he's accumulated) and bills that seem odd compared to the past three years' priorities.

One of the most infuriating incidences of hypocrisy occurred when Bush waxed eloquently on community service and its power to strengthen the United States after Sept. 11, 2001.

In his 2002 State of the Union address, Bush pledged to unite America by creating a "USA Freedom Corps." It sounded like a glittery, idealistic dream, but reality revealed Bush's commitment to volunteerism was only a smokescreen.

Last year, Bush drastically severed funding for AmeriCorps branches across the nation; nearly half of AmeriCorps' programs were obliterated. In Michigan, the AmeriCorps budget was cut by 85 percent.

Service advocates and AmeriCorps representatives around the nation rallied together, begging Bush to rescue the program from death.

Jennifer Kursman Columnist

They even created a Web site, saveamericorps.org.

If Bush can't squeeze enough pennies from his gargantuan defense budget to rescue AmeriCorps, advocates argued, how else will America's youth learn the importance of giving back to their communities?

Good point. After months of pleading advertisements and public appeals, relief finally came on Jan. 23, when the Bush administration signed a bill granting AmeriCorps the money it so desperately needed.

Well, it's about time - time for the election, I mean.

The landmark Medicare bill is another attempt to impress November's voters.

According to The New York Times, the administration admitted on Sunday to "grossly underestimating the cost for prescription drug benefits and private health insurance plans that would be offered to elderly people."

Bush cast a figure of $395 billion when he signed the bill last month; last week, the White House released the correct tab: $534 billion. Oops - must be that fuzzy math again.

Sadly, Bush made headlines in newspapers across the country with his initial proposal, but the grim reality is not being widely publicized.

The most ludicrous election-year gifts are the appropriations for environmental projects in swing states.

The Great Lakes area was recently slated for a cleanup, the Northwest was promised "salmon restoration," and Florida's Everglades protection programs were bolstered.

It is doubtful anyone other than an environmental activist would be aware that these projects have been neglected for the past three years; the general public is likely to be positively influenced by the new funding, increasing Bush's chance of being re-elected.

What about environmentally needy regions that fall outside of Bush's political agenda?

No such luck. In Grist Magazine, Phil Clapp, president of the National Environmental Trust said, "God help you if you're waiting for the Environmental Protection Agency to clean up a toxic waste site outside of a swing state."

Don't get me wrong - it's great that Bush is suddenly taking an interest in these long neglected domestic issues (which should be his priority, rather than digging America into a deeper deficit hole in Iraq).

But his campaign rhetoric rings hollow; it's only a matter of time before it's discovered that the U.S. lacks the funds to commit.

Just look at the Medicare bill.

So don't be fooled.

Ask yourself, "Would Bush still be appropriating money for (fill in the blank) if the election weren't a mere nine months away?"

In politics, timing is everything.

Besides, his track record shows that once he's re-elected - and let's face it, that nightmare could come true - he'll just slash funding all over again.

Jennifer Kursman would like to remind voters of George Bush's own definition of trustworthiness: "Well, I think if you say you're going to do something and don't do it, that's trustworthiness."

She can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu.