Posted on 07/28/2004 8:21:36 PM PDT by RWR8189
"We saw John Kerry's running mate tonight portray America as a nation in decline, but the American people know we are strong and overcoming the challenges of the past three years. John Kerry's extreme makeover of adding a smile to his pessimistic rhetoric cannot change his out of the mainstream record."
-Steve Schmidt, Bush-Cheney '04 Spokesman
The Facts On Health Care
All Seniors Will Be Guaranteed Access To Affordable Prescription Drug Coverage Under Medicare. In December 2003, President Bush signed into law legislation that will make Medicare prescription drug coverage available to 40 million seniors and people with disabilities. (Health Care In Focus, The White House, http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/healthcare/, Accessed 5/27/04)
All Americans Will Benefit From Lower Prescription Drug Prices. The President has implemented a new rule to strengthen competition between generic and brand-name drugs, which is expected to save American consumers more than $35 billion in drug costs over the next 10 years. The Medicare legislation that he signed into law last December includes generic drug provisions that will further benefit consumers. (Health Care In Focus, The White House, http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/healthcare/, Accessed 5/27/04)
Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) Will Improve The Way Americans Get Help With Out-Of-Pocket Medical Expenses. The Medicare bill President Bush signed into law establishes new tax-free savings accounts for individuals and groups who purchase low-premium, high-deductible health plans. These tax-free, portable accounts will help families pay routine medical expenses and provide a tax-preferred means of saving for future health care needs. (Health Care In Focus, The White House, http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/healthcare/, Accessed 5/27/04)
The Facts On Education
Elementary and Secondary Education up 49%: Spending has risen from $24.745 billion in 2001 to $38.7 billion in 2005, an increase of $12.2 billion (49.3%).
Pell Grant Funding Up 47%: Spending has risen from $8.756 billion in 2001 to $12.863 billion in 2005, an increase of $4.107 billion (47%).
States Collectively Have $16.8 Billion In Unspent Federal Education Funds, All Of Which Has Been Available To Them For At Least A Year. ("New Government Data Confirms Federal Education Funding is Increasing More Quickly than States Can Spend It," House Committee on Education and The Workforce Press Release, 6/29/04)
States Have More Than $500 Million In Unspent Federal Education Funds Carried Over From Clinton Administration. States are collectively sitting on more than half a billion dollars ($526.9 million) in unspent federal education funds appropriated for their use during the final years of the Clinton administration (FY 2000, FY 2001) - before NCLB was even enacted. Ninety-two percent of these unspent funds are federal school improvement, special education, Title I funds, and other programs for economically disadvantaged students. ("New Government Data Confirms Federal Education Funding is Increasing More Quickly than States Can Spend It," House Committee on Education and The Workforce Press Release, 6/29/04)
Biggest Education Funding Increase Since Johnson Administration. "Since George W. Bush took office in 2001, federal spending on elementary, secondary and vocational education has risen by nearly $15 billion (based on the president's proposed 2005 budget), or 65.5%. That's the largest gain under any president, and it's the highest percentage gain for a single presidential term since 1965-69, when school aid was sharply expanded under Lyndon B. Johnson." (Editorial, "Can't Buy Love," Investors Business Daily, 7/1/04)
The Facts On The Economy
Consumer Confidence Hits Two-Year High. "Consumer confidence in the U.S. rose for the fourth straight month in July to reach a two-year high, thanks to a stronger job market, the Conference Board said. The private research group's index of consumer confidence in July moved to a better-than-expected 106.1, after having risen to a revised 102.8 a month earlier. The July reading was the strongest since June 2002." ("Consumer Confidence Keeps Rising," The Wall Street Journal, 7/28/04)
BusinessWeek: Economy Creating More High-Paying Jobs Than Low-Paying Jobs. "According to BusinessWeek's analysis, 40% of American workers belong to occupation/industry groups where the median pay is $559 a week or more. Yet employment growth in those higher-paying groups accounted for well over half of total job growth during the past year. Average monthly employment in the higher-paying groups was 744,000 higher in the 12 months ended in June, 2004, than in the previous 12-month period. By contrast, only 408,000 jobs were added in groups whose median pay was $553 a week or less, even though they account for 52% of total jobs." ("Another Look At Those Job Numbers," BusinessWeek, 7/26/04)
FactCheck.Org: Employment Increasing In Higher-Paying Jobs. "As we sort out the raw data, employment has recently increased by more than 1 million in categories that on average paid above the median earnings of $541 per week, while employment was virtually unchanged in categories paying below the median. That's comparing the most recent 12 months with the same period a year earlier. By that measure, the jobs gained are overwhelmingly good jobs -- the very opposite of the claim made by Kerry and his allies." ("Economy Producing Mostly Bad Jobs? Not so fast," FactCheck.org, http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=208#, 7/9/04)
Higher-Paying Jobs Being Added Now And Over Last Three Years. "The pattern shows even more dramatically going back three years, over which lower-paying categories lost more than half a million while higher-paying categories gained 1.6 million." ("Economy Producing Mostly Bad Jobs? Not so fast," FactCheck.org, http://www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docID=208#, 7/9/04)
The Facts On Veterans
Increased VA Funding 40%. The President's FY 2005 budget proposes to increase funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs to $68 billion from the 2001 level of $48 billion. The President's budget requests $29.5 billion for VA's medical care for next year, more that 40 percent above the 2001 level. The past four straight VA budget increases have provided more than a 40 percent increase in VA health care alone since 2001-- enabling a million more patients to receive treatment.
Annenberg Public Policy Center: Kerry's Claims About Veterans Health Cuts Are Not True. The University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Center stated in a FactCheck, "[F]unding for veterans is going up twice as fast under Bush as it did under Clinton. And the number of veterans getting health benefits is going up 25% under Bush's budgets. That's hardly a cut. -- FactCheck.org twice contacted the Kerry campaign asking how he justified his claim that the VA budget is being cut, but we've received no response." (FactCheck.org Website, www.factcheck.org/article.aspx?docid=144, Accessed 2/18/04)
24 Medal Of Honor Receipients Have Signed A Letter In Support Of The President's Work For Veterans. "We have listened to Senator Kerry falsely attack President Bush for months over funding for veterans, and it's time to set the record straight. The truth is President Bush has led the way on improving veterans' benefits, supporting our troops and restoring honor and dignity to the White House."
The Facts On Nonproliferation
The President And The G-8 Leaders Declared That The Spread Of WMD And International Terrorism Constitutes "The Pre-Eminent Threat To International Security."
G-8 Declaration On Nonproliferation. "We recognise that the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their means of delivery poses a growing danger to us all. Together with the spread of international terrorism, it is the pre-eminent threat to international security." ("G-8 Nations Declare Support for WMD Nonproliferation Regime; North Korea, Iran specifically identified as problem countries," State Department, 6/2/03)
G-8 Nations Back The President's View On Proliferation. "Bush won G8 backing for his view that the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and terrorism are 'the pre-eminent threat to international security (and) a growing threat to all of us.' The leaders of the United States, Russia, Japan, Germany, France, Britain, Italy and Canada explicitly urged North Korea and Iran to curb their nuclear programmes, accept tougher U.N. inspections and renounce atomic weapons." (Paul Taylor, "Analysis: G8 summit -- a Franco-American draw," Reuters, 6/3/03)
I like the President and feel in general he's doing a good job. I'm almost certain to vote for him in November. But he's not perfect, and the biggest flaw in his administration has been profligate spending. Education isn't the job of the federal government. That's for the states and communities. And a huge increase in federal spending on education is nothing to cheer about.
GreatCampaigners win election contests. If Edwards were a better camapaigner than Kerry, Edwards would have won the nomination.
What part of, to determine how good a campaigner Edwards is, read the primary election returns, escapes both Kerry and the media?
We may think we can mandate certain standards or programs without helping pay for them, but the reality is that education is THE single most important step on the ladder out of poverty and dead end jobs.
IMO, we have a moral imperative to force the adherence to No Child Left Behind and then fund it to a large degree.
It's tough medicine but I think the return might be worthwhile.
I don't vote for Big Stupid Government politicians who exist to squander more and more loot every damn year.
Oh my.
Your opinion is that it is morally imperative that education be dictated by politicans in DC???
Egads.
Where to start?
listening to these #$%^* is like eating tofu. It looks like food, but it isn't.
The dims- the party of homos, veggies the disabled and the morons.
grrrrrrrrrrrr... must ... not ... blow ... top ... happy ... place ... jack ... daniels ...
New York, for instance, thought they could continue with the failed 'whole language' reading program and still get the money. Federal government made it clear, PHONICS, or no money. Lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth but in the end, the program was changed to PHONICS, and whole language dropped.
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