Bush (Prescription Drugs, Aristocracy, Lies, Enron, Tax Cut) 06/2002

FACT: In Bush's prescription drug plan, you don't get any prescription drug help if you're a senior citizen who lives on more than $17,000 a year. 

COMMENT: From Paul Begala, "So that in George Bush's America, if you're an old couple, retired, living on $17,000 a year, you're so rich you can't get prescription drug help. But if you're an Enron executive living on $17 million a year, you're so poor that you get a tax cut and a bailout." Thanks Paul.

George W. Bush (Tax Cut, Fiscal Irresponsibility, War on Terror, Budget Deficit) 06/2002

FACT: According to the Bush Administration's own report, the federal budget deficit for the month of May 2002 was $80.63 billion, the worst monthly deficit ever in the history of the United States. The previous record was from August of 2001, exactly eleven days before the "War on Terror" even started. 

COMMENT: This is clearly the result of the fiscally, grossly irresponsible Bush tax-cut and not the "War on Terror" as the administration would have you believe, since deficits began prior to September 11.

George W. Bush (Punish the Impoverished/Children, Tax cuts for the rich) 

FACT: During the campaign, George W. Bush liked to say that he would "Leave no child behind." Soon after these proclamations, he announced that he was cutting spending on childcare and support for abused children by $200 million, in order to pay for his tax cut for the rich. In addition, those who actually need government support for childcare aren't getting a tax cut, even though they pay federal payroll tax. 

Bush (Tax Cut, Recession) 02/2001

FACT: Republican Greenspan testified that the "Tax Stimulus" argument to stimulate the economy is nonsense. Alan Greenspan tells the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee that tax cuts will be no help in staving off a recession. "In other words, if a recession is going to happen -- and I must say to you, it's not happened yet -- it's very unlikely to be affected one way or the other by what tax policy is going to be."

COMMENT: The reason the tax cut will have no effect on the recession is because it largely does not take effect for several years. Even then, the overwhelming bulk of the cut will go to the wealthiest Americans. In fact, the poorest members of our nation will receive NO tax releif since they currently pay only payroll taxes. (Bush was well aware of this when he proposed cutting only income taxes, death taxes and capital gains taxes, but not payroll taxes) From a fiscal stimulus perspective, this is useless, since these people already spend all the money that they want. A further influx to them will NOT increase their personal consumption. It will merely inflate their coffers, a useless action to the economy at large as a stimulus. In reality, the actual effect will be a negative impact on the economy since these trillions of dollars that will now be stashed away in the vaults of the super-wealthy would otherwise have gone into various programs such as education and other investments in the future of our nation and its economy. Of course the people who really need these funds are SOL and so is America.

Bush (Tax Cuts, Fiscal Irresponsibility) 

FACT: Texas legislators are forced to confront a $1 billion shortfall caused by tax cuts under then-governor Bush in 1998. 

Republicans (Social Security, Tax Cut, Fiscal Irresponsibility) 06/2002

FACT: Republicans have stolen $2 trillion out of Social Security surplus via the Tax cut and various other breaks, subsidies and corporate wellfare. 

COMMENT: This comes after the administration vowed throughout the campaign and afterward not to touch the Social Security surplus. To top it off, the people who benefitted most from this taxpayer giveaway were none other than the  criminals of Enron, Ken Lay and the like received hundreds of millions of dollars. Dozens of other companies that have either avoided taxes over the last few years or laid off thousands of American workers despit high profitability. As you can plainly see, It pays to be a member of the GOP Crony Contributors Club.