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Numbers don't lie. The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened at 3,255.99 on the first day and closed at 10,587.59 on the last day of the Clinton presidency. Using the index as a broad barometer of the wealth contained in personal investments and 401(k) plans, American assets realized a gain of 325% after the eight years of his administration.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average opened at 10,587.59 on the first dayof the Bush (Junior) presidency and closed at 10,002.33 today. American assets saw a loss of 5% after nearly four years of Bush — because the only way to make money during this administration is simply to have lots of money already and to get an undeserved tax cut for it.

A purist might argue that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is too narrow an index for this purpose. If you go through the same calculation for the S&P 500 Index , a composite of 500 companies instead of just 30, the results are quite similar: a gain of 308% for Clinton's two terms in office, versus a loss of 17% for Bush's first term, now thankfully nearly over. Note that the loss of 5% for the very biggest companies is somewhat less than the loss of 17% for the next tier. In Bushworld, even the losses disproportionately play favorites.

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