To the Editor:
After reading the editorial entitled "Democrats vs. Republicans" I am simply astounded that someone could so blatantly brandish inaccurate statements as facts, and top it off with "Wake up people." Well, I believe it is time that the Democrats wake up and take just a small dose of reality.
I will first start with the Clinton administration which Mrs. Henry praised as being "the good years." If ANYONE considers these good years, I would like to hear their definition of bad. During these eight years of hell, as Teresa Heinz would say (thought I would put in something you could relate to since obviously you believe everything she says as gospel), we had a president who couldn’t even conduct himself in a manner fitting of the leader of the free world. Now I know what you are saying right now, "His personal life has nothing to do with it", well, yes it does. When you are on a stage in front of the WORLD you are representing the people of the United States of America and your actions directly affect how our country is viewed as a whole.
Secondly, let me take you back to a September day in 2001 when our country suffered its greatest attack in history. Over three thousand people died that day and who was responsible? I won’t say who but I will offer some intriguing evidence as to why it happened:
During his eight years in office, Clinton decimated America's military. Our forces were cut almost in half under his stewardship.
Research and development on all new weapons systems were brought almost to a halt as other nations continued to build. Clinton destroyed nearly our entire arsenal of tactical nuclear weapons. Monsters like Saddam flourished as Clinton bombed aspirin factories, tent cities in Afghanistan and worthless radar stations in the Iraqi desert.
The government of Sudan offered to arrest Osama bin Laden in 1996 and turn him over to the Clinton administration
Are the eight years of the Clinton administration starting to sour in your stomach yet? If so, good, if not let’s look at the economy from 1992-2000. Supposedly Clinton inherited "The worst economy in 40 years" and "A decade of greed" from President George H. W. Bush, this is simply stated, lies. In actual fact, the Reagan years produced the strongest economic growth since the roaring 20's, saw more people jump UP income brackets than at ANY time in our history, and created more jobs than in ANY 8 year cycle EVER. Yes, the federal debt did triple, but actually dropped as a percentage of GDP, and don't forget, Reagan WAS handed one of the worst economies in our history, with 20% interest rates, gas lines, and rabid inflation.
Yet in just 8 years he reversed it, all while defeating the threat of Communist nuclear obliteration to our country, and having to deal with a Democratic Congress that just couldn't stop spending the poor American workers' hard-earned dollars. Now that's MR. REAGAN'S legacy, but unfortunately, Clinton’s is more along the lines of scandal, lies, draft-dodging, losing the House and Senate on your first watch, Monica, and of course, ...IMPEACHMENT.
Here's what you'll NEVER hear from the liberal media: The first 2 years of Clinton/Gore DOUBLED the federal debt, even though they were handed a growing economy, a peacetime dividend, and an information revolution that would dramatically increase worker productivity, and therefore, corporate profits and GDP.
It's not a "Clinton boom" we enjoyed, but a continuation of President Ronald Reagan's boom. Even George H.W. Bush endorsed what he had previously called "Voodoo economics" after President Reagan proved to the entire universe that it worked. President Reagan's historic economy actually continues to grow with us to this day, only briefly interrupted by two large tax increases, oh, and an economic policy disaster named Bill & Hillary Clinton. In fact, Clinton would never match the economic growth President Bush left him until the Republicans took over Congress and started reversing his liberal tax-and-spend policies.
That bears repeating: Clinton would NEVER match the economic growth President Bush left him until the Republicans took over Congress and started reversing his liberal tax-and-spend policies. The incredible economy Clinton was handed (that HE claimed, and the liberal media parroted, was "The worst in forty years") slowed dramatically under the first two years of the Clinton administration, due to the largest tax increase in history, and the first one that was ever retroactive.
Next, let’s look at the Iraq war which Mrs. Henry you stated, "Bush sent us to war with false pretenses?"
Saddam Hussein was a threat, hands down (common sense call there)
He had the ability to construct WMDs (plants, factories, and storage centers that were built specifically to be able to stop production of medicine, clothing, etc. and convert over to chemical and biological weapons production)
He has used them in the past (Chemical attacks killing over 5,000 Kurds in Northern Iraq)
Saddam was a madman, a second Hitler, if left in power there is no telling what he would have developed and done. The President made the correct call in launching an offensive against Iraq, but I guess if WWII happened today you would be against it as well. Not to mention the Iraqi people are now free, and not living in fear of there former insane leader, and no matter how well they do in the Olympics the Iraq team has already won as they can come home, medals or no medals and not have to worry about Saddam’s sons raping their wives and children or killing them and their entire family.
As for the economy under Bush, it is doing quite well considering what he inherited from the Clinton administration:
New jobs figures released on August 6, 2004 and other recent indicators show that President Bush's economic policies continue to move the economy forward - but there is more work to do.
The economy has posted job gains for each of the last eleven months - creating 1.5 million jobs since August 2003, including 32,000 new jobs in July according to payroll survey statistics released on August 6, 2004 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS also released new household survey data showing a much larger gain of 629,000 new jobs in July, with a total of 2.3 million jobs added since August 2003.
The national unemployment rate declined to 5.5% in July - down 0.8 percentage point from a peak of 6.3% in June 2003 and the lowest rate since October 2001. At 5.5%, the unemployment rate is below the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.
Employment over the last year was up in 46 of the 50 states and the unemployment rate was down in all regions and in 47 of the 50 states.
The manufacturing sector, which started to decline in mid-2000, has added 91,000 jobs since its low in January.
The labor market has improved considerably since shortly after the President's Jobs and Growth bill took effect last May, but there is still more work to be done. Factories are busier, families are earning more, homeownership remains at record levels, and people are returning to the labor market and finding work.
America's standard of living is on the rise. Real after-tax incomes are up by 10% since December 2000 - substantially better than the gains following the last recession. Since the President's 2001 and 2003 tax cuts, personal consumption levels have risen substantially.
Consumer confidence is at its highest level in 2 years. The Conference Board's index of consumer confidence increased nearly 30 index points in the past 12 months, from 77 last July to 106.1 this July.
The national homeownership rate, in the second quarter of 2004, was at an all time high of 69.2 percent. Minority homeownership set a new record of 51% in the second quarter, up 0.2 percentage point from the first quarter and up 2.1 percentage points from a year ago.
Core inflation remains low by historical standards.
Mortgage rates remain near historic lows, making home buying easier and more affordable.
President Bush is bringing our economy back to a level it hasn’t been in years, with substantial growth and employment gains. His continued policies will help to strengthen our nation’s economic policies:
Tax relief for families by lowering tax rates for all taxpayers, increasing the child credit, and reducing the marriage penalty.
Phased out the death tax, helping to preserve family farms and businesses.
Encouraged business growth by providing incentives for small businesses to invest.
Made the stock market stronger by cutting taxes on dividends and capital gains.
Passed the strongest corporate governance reforms since FDR was President.
Proposed his Jobs for the 21st Century initiative to improve education for high school students and train workers for industries creating the most new jobs.
Given these FACTS one cannot say that our economy is "terrible" when in all reality it is doing quite well.
This brings me to the statement "People can't afford insurance" which is once again just another statement without any kind of backing what so ever. Yes, insurance rates have gone up but they are still very affordable. It is simply a matter of whether you will pay your monthly premium and skip a few nights of eating out or stand back and complain when something isn’t going exactly the way you like it. Also, if you do any research into the fact, the reason insurance rates are going up is because of the TRIAL LAWYERS who look to sue at the drop of a hat, and what do you know, look at the Democrat vice presidential candidate. John Edwards, a trial lawyer who made his millions off of junk science lawsuits. Edwards won record jury verdicts and settlements in cases alleging that the botched treatment of women in labor and their deliveries caused infants to develop the brain disorder cerebral palsy. Edwards specialized in these cases, which he characterized in his presidential campaign as battles on behalf of the common man against insurance companies. Interestingly enough CNSNews.com reported.
"There are some cases where the brain damage did occur at the time of delivery. But it's really unusual. It's really quite unusual," Dr. Murray Goldstein, a neurologist and the medical director of the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Educational Foundation, told the news agency.
"The overwhelming majority of children that are born with developmental brain damage, the ob/gyn could not have done anything about it, could not have, not at this stage of what we know," Goldstein stated.
Medical science increasingly is exonerating doctors in cases of labor and delivery where cerebral palsy resulted, medical and legal experts told CNSNews.com.
So, if you want your insurance rates lower stop the bogus trial lawyers, but wait, that is the democrat vice presidential candidate. But I am sure you would rather not have to worry about insurance at all and have the government take care of that for you. If that is the case go to Canada for a month and TRY to get a doctor. This alone is a challenge and not to mention if you need a life saving operation, get ready to wait a few months.
Regarding the "George Bush doesn't care about the environment." Here are a few statements from the President’s election agenda.
Improving Our Nation’s Air Quality - President Bush’s Clear Skies legislation would dramatically improve air quality by reducing power plants’ emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx), and mercury by approximately 70 percent over the next 15 years, more than any other clean air initiative.
Improving The Quality of Our Waters and Wetlands, and Resolving Water Crises - On Earth Day 2004, the President announced an aggressive new national goal to create, improve, and protect at least three million wetland acres over the next five years in order to increase overall wetland acres and quality.
Cleaning and Redeveloping Hazardous Waste Sites - Fulfilling a commitment he made when he ran for President, President Bush signed historic bipartisan brownfields legislation in 2002, accelerating the cleanup of abandoned industrial sites, or brownfields, to better protect public health, create jobs, and revitalize communities.
Promoting Land Conservation and Stewardship - In December 2003, President Bush signed legislation implementing key provisions of his Healthy Forests Initiative. The President’s initiative is helping restore the health and vitality of forests and rangelands, and helping reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfires.
A Realistic, Growth-Oriented Approach to Global Climate Change - President Bush has committed America to meeting the challenge of long-term global climate change by reducing the ratio of greenhouse gas emissions to economic output, or greenhouse gas intensity, by 18 percent by 2012 compared to 2002.
In closing let me say this, look at the facts, not what is spoon fed to you by the liberal media. You’re statement speaks in bullet points without any evidence to collaborate your claims. I urge this to everyone, do your research look at the facts and then make your statement, don’t quote what you just heard on McEnroe, CNN, or Air America. Use your own free mind in your political decision. As for the 2000 election it was not stolen, our great country was salvaged and the office was taken over by a man with morals, dignity, and respect for the United States of America and all it stands for. As my hands are getting tired from all this typing let me leave you with one final quote as to the caliber of person running for the presidency on the Democrat nomination:
"I do not believe John Kerry is fit to be Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the United States. This is not a political issue. It is a matter of his judgment, truthfulness, reliability, loyalty and trust -- all absolute tenets of command. His biography, 'Tour of Duty,' by Douglas Brinkley, is replete with gross exaggerations, distortions of fact, contradictions and slanderous lies. His contempt for the military and authority is evident by even a most casual review of this biography. He arrived in-country with a strong anti-Vietnam War bias and a self-serving determination to build a foundation for his political future. He was aggressive, but vain and prone to impulsive judgment, often with disregard for specific tactical assignments. He was a 'loose cannon.' In an abbreviated tour of four months and 12 days, and with his specious medals secure, Lt.(jg) Kerry bugged out and began his infamous betrayal of all United States forces in the Vietnam War. That included our soldiers, our marines, our sailors, our coast guardsmen, our airmen, and our POWs. His leadership within the so-called Vietnam Veterans Against the War and testimony before Congress in 1971 charging us with unspeakable atrocities remain an undocumented but nevertheless meticulous stain on the men and women who honorably stayed the course. Senator Kerry is not fit for command."
-- Rear Admiral Roy Hoffmann, USN (retired), chairman, Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
William Tyson Lee Hall
Henderson, KY
