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ALLEN'S CONVENTION REPORT
( Day One )
" WHEN YOU MISLEAD ~ YOU CANNOT LEAD "
With those words ex- President and Nobel Prize winner Jimmy Carter set the tone for the 2000 Democratic convention in Boston, Massachusetts.
Certainly our most respected and beloved former president ~ Carter concentrated on the loss of respect and prestige America has suffered under the Bush Administration.
As such, Carter correctly identified Bush's achilles heel which is and always has been CREDIBILITY .
PBS easily had the most extensive Convention coverage and scored a coup when Jim Lehrer interviewed Carter after his speech. Carter minced no words in his indictment of the Bush administration pursuant to the deterioration of
respect and admiration from our former allies and other countries throughout the world.
Gore, Hillary and Bill Clinton were all effective and all have their baggage but Carter , at 81, carries the lightness of vindication and the credibility of a former nuclear Sub commander and a highly honored international statesman.
There was no need to directly attack Bush for the Democrats have rightly stategized that this election is both a referendum on Bush's performance and the need for a positive change in line with our common shared values of equality and national unity.
In regards to the economy , the Center for American Progress summarizes today the extent of damage wrought by the Bush administration;
Bush League Economy
As President Bill Clinton addresses the Democratic National Convention tonight, many Americans find themselves nostalgic for the strong economy experienced under his leadership. From unemployment to poverty to bankruptcies, the country was on a strong economic track that has eroded since the Bush Administration took over. A recent CBS News poll showed that, "65% of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track" – the lowest confidence level in a decade. Here's a look at changes in key indicators of economic well-being.
COMPARING POVERTY: Under President Clinton, poverty fell by 25.2 percent since 1992. According to the most recent data from the Census Bureau, under President Bush poverty has risen by 7.1 percent. For the first time in 13 years, the poverty rate grew two years in a row, jumping nearly a percentage point from 2000 to 2002 (from 11.3 percent to 12.1 percent). The number of poor grew to 34.6 million people in 2002, including 12.1 million children.
COMPARING TAXES: The Washington Post reports, "many Americans feel they have lost ground since 2001, and a solid 71 percent are convinced they have received no tax cuts at all. A poll by CBS News and the New York Times in March found that only 22 percent believe the policies of the Bush administration made their taxes go down; 25 percent said their taxes actually went up."
COMPARING UNEMPLOYMENT: There are more people unable to find work than four years ago. The current unemployment rate is 5.6 percent. Four years ago, the national unemployment average was 4.0 percent. Clinton created 22.7 million jobs. Under President Bush, 1.1 million jobs have disappeared.
COMPARING WAGES: Wage growth has fallen dramatically over the past four years. In 2000, median weekly wages grew by 4.9 percent. This fell to a mere 2.0 percent in 2003. Adjusted for inflation that means "that wages fell slightly in real terms in 2003 for the first time since 1996." For those who have found work, the recovery is of questionable value in an "upside down" economy where profits have soared yet families' benefits are nullified by the rapidly rising costs of housing, education, and medical care – all of which jumped at double digit rates.
COMPARING DEFICITS: For the fiscal year 2000, the U.S. government had a surplus of $23 billion, which brought the total budget surplus to $176 billion. This past January, the Congressional Budget Office estimated the government will be $477 billion in the red this year.
COMPARING BANKRUPTCIES: Personal bankruptcies are at an all-time high. AP reports, "Personal bankruptcies rose 2.8 percent in the 12 months ending March 31," with 1,618,062 new bankruptcy filings.
In summary , our self-proclaimed War President or Emperor is rapidly finding himself without any clothes but still, of course, has his Weapons of Mass Deception.
Allen L Roland
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