|
|
|
|
|
Thursday, November 2, 2000
|
Gore Offers Experience The Country Can't Afford
|
Gore's New Attack Distorts Texas Record -- Again!
Austin - Building on the most negative campaign in American history, Al Gore unveiled yet another attack ad that distorts Governor Bush’s record. The Gore-Lieberman ticket have now run the most negative campaign in American history through the use of a record-breaking $60 million in negative attack ads.
“Al Gore is running more than $60 million in attack ads, making his campaign the most negative in history," said Bush spokesman Dan Bartlett. "When it comes to experience, America can't afford Al Gore's experience of raising taxes, increasing the size of government, opposing bipartisan medicare and social security reform, and not making education a priority."
Gore's Distorts The Texas Record -- Again:
Gore Attack: “Gave big oil a tax break while opposing health care for 220,000 kids.
The Facts:
Governor Bush signed legislation giving 423,000 more children health care in Texas and expanded coverage program to include immigrant children. Under Governor Bush, the percentage of Texans without health coverage has gone down while it has increased nationally and there are more uninsured children in the United States while the number of children uninsured in Texas has decreased.
Temporary tax relief for small oil companies aided Texas schools. An important reason for this temporary relief was to help out Texas school districts where a significant percentage of local property value comes from oil and gas reserves. According to an analysis by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts office, total school district losses across the state would be approximately $150 to $160 million due to the lower oil and gas prices. At least 30 districts were projected to sustain losses of more than a million dollars. (http://cpa.state.tx.us/taxinfo/proptax/levyloss.html)
Democrats agreed that relief to oil companies was needed to help schools.
“Other Democrats agreed with the Republican sponsors that the tax cuts would prevent oil well shutdowns that could prove costly to the hundreds of school districts that rely on oil and gas operations for property taxes.
“‘We've had the debate about who gets what,’ said Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus. ‘If you plug a well, you lower the property value for that school district.’” (Fort-Worth Star Telegram; 3/11/99)
Gore Attack: Texas now ranks 50th in family health care.
The Facts:
Under Governor Bush, the percentage of Texans without health coverage has gone down while it has increased nationally.
Since 1994, the percentage of uninsured in the U.S. has grown while the percentage of uninsured in Texas has gone down. (U.S. Census Bureau, 9/28/00)
There are almost 43 million uninsured in the U.S. - up 4 million since Clinton/Gore were elected in 1992. (U.S. Census Bureau, 9/28/00)
Gore Attack: “He's left the minimum wage at $3.35 an hour.”
The Facts:
Texas journalist refutes Gore's attack. “There were bills introduced -- none of them ever came to the floor. To say that the Governor had anything to do with that, it, it's just bogus.” (Paul Burka, Executive Editor of Texas Monthly magazine, 10/9/00, Fox News Channel's Special Report with Brit Hume)
CNN Reports that Gore's Ad is wrong. “Actually, state minimum wage legislation never got out of committee in the Texas legislature, even where Democrats were in the majority. And anyway, well over 90 percent of Texas workers are covered by the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour, according to the Texas Work force Commission.” (Brooks Jackson, CNN’s Inside Politics, 10/23/00)
More than 96% of all Texas workers are covered by the Federal Minimum Wage law. The minimum wage law in Texas has gone unchanged since 1987, including during the terms of Democrat Governor Ann Richards and Democrat-controlled legislatures.
Gore Attack: “Lets polluters police themselves. Today Texas ranks last in air quality.”
The Facts:
Governor Bush signed some of the toughest environmental laws in the nation. Governor Bush supported and signed legislation that requires older, grandfathered utilities to reduced emissions of nitrogen oxide by 50% and sulfur dioxide by 25% by 2003. Texas is only the third state in the country to mandate reductions from “grandfathered” utilities, and Environmental Defense has called this Texas law “the strongest in the nation.” (Senate Bill 7, 76th Legislature)
Texas air has improved under Governor Bush. According to the 1998 Toxic Releases Inventory (TRI), the latest data available from the EPA, Texas is not ranked number one in air pollution. Under Governor Bush, Texas’ rank has improved.
Air pollution has decreased. Since 1994, industrial air emissions in Texas have fallen by 11%. (Toxics Release Inventory Program Press Release, Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission)
Gore’s plan would only be “voluntary.” Al Gore has proposed a ten-year, $68 billion plan to pay older, grandfathered utilities that voluntarily reduce their emissions by some unspecified amount. In contrast, Governor Bush has proposed federal legislation that will require older power plants to reduce emissions and significantly improve air quality. (www.algore.com; www.georgewbush.com)
Gore Attack: Now Bush promises the same $1 trillion from Social Security to two different groups.”
The Facts:
Wrong. Governor Bush’s Social Security plan would not decrease benefits for current or near-retirees. Governor Bush supports lock-boxing $2.4 trillion to save and strengthen Social Security.
The Wall Street Journal, which Gore and the attack cite as the source, have called this claim “nonsense.”
“Mr. Gore and spinners such as the Secretary of the Treasury and Ed Asner have been running around suggesting that Mr. Bush cannot both fund private retirement accounts for workers and give current retirees their benefits. The pitch is that the $l trillion over 10 years necessary to fund private retirement accounts would have to come out of benefits being paid to current retirees.”
“This is nonsense. Right now, today, taxation is pouring more money into the Social Security system than is needed to cover all promised benefits to current retirees. Indeed, Social Security has been generating a surplus since 1984 and will continue to have a surplus until 2025.” (Wall Street Journal, 10/26/00)
Robert Reishauer, "supporter of Gore's Social Security proposals" calls the attack "not correct." "The strain is showing not just between the two political camps but between each camp and some of its most durable allies. A recent Gore television ad accused Bush of promising to fund personal accounts with Social Security tax revenue 'needed to pay current benefits.' 'That's not correct,' said Robert D. Reischauer, president of the Urban Institute and usually a supporter of Gore's Social Security proposals." [LA Times, 10/26/00]
Gore Attack: “He squanders the surplus on a tax cut for those making over $300,000.''
The Facts:
Independent analysis finds that families benefit more under Bush plan. Deloitte & Touche, a leading independent accounting, tax, and consulting firm, released an analysis that concludes that middle-income families do better with the Bush plan. The study found that a family of four earning $50,000 will save $1,900 under Governor Bush’s plan but only $218 dollars under Al Gore’s plan - that is 8 times more savings through Governor Bush’s plan. The study also found that the Bush plan eliminates all income tax liability for a family of four earning $30,000, providing them with $718 in tax relief. (Deloitte & Touche, September 15, 2000)
According to the New York Times, Gore’s plan does not help all middle-class families:
“What Mr. Gore does not say is that his $500 billion tax relief plan would not help all middle-class families. It is intended to give tax relief for certain social goals; to benefit, a family must meet certain criteria, like having a parent in long-term care or a child in college or a child in day care.” -- NYT, 9/28/00
The Bush plan takes 6 million low-income families off the income tax rolls. Under the current tax code, a single mother with 2 kids starts paying income taxes at $21,300. Under the Bush code, she would start paying taxes at $31,300
Why America Can't Afford Gore's Experience:
Raised Taxes. Passed tie-breaking vote in Senate to increase taxes despite promises to cut taxes for the “working” and “middle class” in 1992, and opposed marriage penalty and death tax relief.
Failed to make education a priority. In 16 years in Congress, Gore introduced only four bills pertaining to education.
Supported higher energy prices. In 1993, Al Gore fought hard for higher gasoline and BTU taxes, but Congress rejected his proposals.
Signed secret deal to sell advanced weapons to terrosist nations. In 1995, Al Gore signed a secret deal with then Russian Prime Minister Victor Chernymerdon to allow Russia to sell advanced weapons (including a submarine) to Iran -- which the State Department lists as terrorist nation.
Opposed bipartisan Medicare reform. Gore rejected the hard work of a bipartisan committee to reform Medicare.
Opposed bipartisan Social Security reform. Gore opposed the efforts of the bipartisan committee to reform Social Security.
Played politics with Gulf War vote. According to Senators involved in the negotiations, Al Gore asked how much television exposure he would receive in voting for the Gulf War resolution.
|
|
|
|
|
|
