Check those facts: >From factcheck.org (they admitted their mistake) "So Bush was wrong to suggest that he doesn't have ownership of a timber company. And Kerry was correct in saying that Bush's definition of "small business" is so broad that Bush himself would have qualified as a "small business" in 2001 by virtue of the $84 in business income.
Kerry got his information from an article we posted Sept. 23 stating that Bush on his 2001 federal income-tax returns "reported $84 of business income from his part ownership of a timber-growing enterprise." We should clarify: the $84 in Schedule C income was from Bush's Lone Star Trust, which is actually described on the 2001 income- tax returns as an "oil and gas production" business. The Lone Star Trust now owns 50% of the tree-growing company, but didn't get into that business until two years after the $84 in question. So we should have described the $84 as coming from an "oil and gas" business in 2001, and will amend that in our earlier article." > Hello everyone, > > thought this might be helpful: > > BUSH VS. REALITY > > > > KERRY: The President got $84 from a timber company that he owns that > he's counted as a small business... > > BUSH: I own a timber company? That's news to me. > > REALITY: > "President Bush himself would have qualified as a "small business > owner" under the Republican definition, based on his 2001 federal > income tax returns. He reported $84 of business income from his part > ownership of a timber-growing enterprise. However, 99.99% of Bush's > total > income came from other sources that year. (Bush also qualified as a > "small > business owner" in 2000 based on $314 of "business income," but not in > 2002 and 2003 when he reported his timber income as "royalties" on a > different tax schedule.)" [Factcheck.org; 9/23/04] > > > > BUSH SAID: We're going to train troops, and we are. We'll have 125,000 > trained by the end of December. > > REALITY: Back in February, they said 200,000 and Interim Prime Minister > Allawi recently told a joint session of Congress that only 50,000 are > ready. > And, according to documents provided by the Pentagon to Rep Obey, only > 22,700 security personnel have enough training to be "minimally > effective." > [Rumsfeld, Department of Defense Briefing, 9/7/04; Allawi, Address to > Joint > Session of Congress, 9/23/04; > Appropriations Committee, Democratic Staff; Rep. Obey; Fact Sheet, > 9/24/04] > > > > BUSH SAID: That's an odd thing to say, since we have tripled the > homeland security budget from 10 to 30 billion dollars. > > > > REALITY: The Bush administration's own estimates show that the > Department of Homeland Security did not even double its budget. [OMB, > Budget FY 2005, page 178] > > > > BUSH SAID: When a drug comes in from Canada, I want to make sure it > cures you and doesn't kill you. > > > > REALITY: Congressional Research Service issued reports in 2001 and > 2003, concluding both times that the Canadian drug supply was safe for > importation to the US. [New York Times, 6/21/03; Knight Ridder, > 11/27/03; USA Today, 8/12/03] > > > > BUSH SAID: Q: Why did you block the reimportation of safer and > inexpensive drugs from Canada which would have cut 40 to 60 percent off > of the costs? Bush: I haven't yet. > > > > REALITY: White House Opposed Drug Re-Importation During Medicare > Debate. In a Statement of Administration Principals issued by the White > House Office of Management and Budget on July 23, 2003, Bush stated his > strong opposition to drug re-importation. [Office of Management and > Budget, SAP on HR 2472, 7/23/03, www.whitehouse.gov/omb ] > > > > BUSH SAID: They create government-sponsored health care. Maybe you > think that makes sense. I don't. Government-sponsored health care would > lead to rationing. It would ruin the quality of health care in America. > > > > REALITY: Independent Analysts Agree That Kerry's Plan Would Not > Disrupt Coverage - But Would Actually Expand It. "Kerry's proposal > avoids the usual pitfalls of Democratic health reform efforts. It is > not overly prescriptive, and it wouldn't disrupt current health > insurance." [Jeff Lemieux, Centrists.org, 8/25/04] > > > > BUSH vs. Reality Debate Wrap-Up > > > > > > TAXES: The Truth Behind Bush's Attack > > > > BUSH SAID: "Yeah, he's got a record. He's been there for 20 years. > You can run, but you can't hide. He voted 98 times to raise taxes. I > mean, these aren't made-up." - GWB, 10/8/04 > > > > REALITY: BOGUS ATTACKS: These Attacks Have Been Declared Iffy And > Misleading "Wrongly Claimed," "Iffy:" "Cheney accused Kerry of voting > for taxes 98 times. That's down from the 350 times wrongly claimed by > Republicans, but it's still iffy. Those 98 votes include times when > many > procedural votes were cast on a single tax increase or package." > [Woodward, AP, 10/6/04] > > > > "Misleading" Says NBC: LISA MYERS: " Misleading... The ad inflates the > numbers by adding procedural votes and even counting Kerry's votes to > cut taxes by less than others proposed. [NBC Nightly News, 10/5/04] > > > > Kerry Has Gone On The Legislative Record Over 640 Times For Lower > Taxes. [Congressional Quarterly Votes; CQ's Congress & The Nation; CQ > Almanac; Senate Republican Policy Committee; Congressional Research > Service bill summaries (via thomas.loc.gov), bill texts (via > thomas.loc.gov)] > > > > George Bush's Plan Shifts the Tax Burden to the Middle Class. In > contrast, under the Bush plan the "Tax Burden Shifts to the Middle" > according to a Washington Post headline, and "middle America - average > annual income $75,600 - saw its share of the federal tax burden > increase > from 18.5 percent to 19.5 percent." In addition, George Bush has > imposed a tax of thousands of dollars on families through higher costs > for health care, gasoline, college tuition, and state and local taxes. > [Tax Policy Center, "Kerry Plan vs. Current-Law, Size of Individual > Income Tax Change, 2005," 9/16/2004 and Washington Post, 8/13/04] > > > > Cheney Voted For 144 Tax and Fee Increases Which Became Law. > Factcheck.org has said that "Bush Still Fudging the Numbers on Kerry's > Tax Votes." Michael Kinsley pointed out in the Washington Post that > applying the same logic would show that George Bush has proposed dozens > of tax increases as President. And an analysis of Cheney's voting > record shows that Cheney voted for higher taxes 144 times, including > the > largest peacetime tax increase in history in 1982. [Factcheck.org, > "Bush Still Fudging the Numbers on Kerry's Tax Votes," 8/30/2004; > Washington Post 3/24/2004; HR 4961, 1982 CQ Almanac, vote #289, 84-H; > Wall Street Journal, 10/26/94; FY85-90 Federal Budgets, internal > calculations; Tax descriptions from the 1982 Congressional Quarterly > Almanac] > > > > IRAQ: Bush Threatened to Veto Funding for Our Troops in Combat > > > > BUSH SAID: "He said he voted for the $87 billion or voted against it > right before he voted for it. This is a confusing signal for people." > - > GWB, 10/8/04 > > > > REALITY: Bush Threatened to Veto $87 Billion. The White House > threatened to veto funding for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan if > Congress made reconstruction aid for Iraqis a loan, rather than a grant > as Bush wanted. "'If this provision is not removed, the president's > senior advisers would recommend that he veto the bill,' Joshua B. > Bolten, the White House budget director, wrote in a letter to > Congressional leaders." [New York Times, 10/22/03] > > > > John Kerry Voted to Pay for Iraq's Reconstruction Through Shared > Sacrifice, Not a Blank Check for a Failed Policy. After witnessing the > way in which the president went to war - without our allies, without > properly equipping the troops, without a plan to win the peace - John > Kerry supported a responsible plan to pay for George Bush's $87 billion > Iraq reconstruction plan, co-sponsoring and voting for an amendment to > rescind the tax cut for the wealthiest Americans in order to pay for > Iraq. [SA 1796, Kerry original cosponsor 10/1/03; Vote #373, 10/2/03; > Vote #400, 10/17/03; Kerry statement, Congressional Record, 10/17/03] > > > > IRAQ: The Kerry Plan vs. The Bush Plan > > > > BUSH SAID: "My opponent says he has a plan. It sounds familiar because > it's called the Bush plan." > > - GWB, 10/8/04 > > > > KERRY SAID: "I have laid out a different plan because the president's > plan is not working." - JK, 10/8/04 > > > > REALITY: John Kerry Has a Plan to Win the Peace in Iraq. John Kerry and > John Edwards believe the following principles should guide American > policy in Iraq right now: internationalize, because others must share > the burden; train Iraqis, because they must be responsible for their > own > security; move forward with reconstruction because that's an important > way to stop the spread of terror; and help Iraqis achieve a viable > government, because it is up to them to run their own country. > [www.johnkerry.com] > > > > Bush Rushed To War With No Plan To Win The Peace. Bush told the country > that the administration would "plan carefully" for a war in Iraq. Yet > in > August 2003, the Joint Chiefs of Staff prepared a secret report > assessing the post-war planning for Iraq. The report blamed "setbacks > in Iraq on a flawed and rushed war-planning process." It also said > "planners were not given enough time" to plan for reconstruction. A New > York Times report found that, "A yearlong State Department study > predicted many of the problems that have plagued the American-led > occupation of Iraq." The study was produced by experts on Iraq from > various fields, yet "several officials said that many of the findings > in > the $5 million study were ignored by Pentagon officials" until after > the > war. [Bush Remarks, 10/7/02; Washington Times, 9/3/03, emphasis added; > New York Times, 10/19/03] > > > > > > IRAQ: Bush Didn't Listen to His Generals > > > > BUSH SAID: "I remember going down to the basement of the White House > the day we committed our troops as a last resort, looking atommy franks > and the generals on the ground, asking them do we have the right plan > with the right troop level? And they looked me in the eye and said yes, > sir, Mr. President. Of course I listen to our generals." - GWB, > 10/8/04 > > > > REALITY: SENIOR OFFICIALS AGREE WE NEED MORE TROOPS > > > > Bremer: "We Never Had Enough Troops." In recent days, former Coalition > Provisional Authority Adminstrator Bremer repeatedly criticized the > Bush > Administration for failing to send enough troops to keep order in Iraq. > "We never had enough troops on the ground," Bremer said. In > mid-September, Bremer stated that "the single most important change -- > the one thing that would have improved the situation -- would have been > having more troops in Iraq at the beginning and throughout." > [Associated > Press, 10/5/04; Paul Bremer Remarks, DePaul University, 9/16/04] > > > > Echo Gen. Shinseki's Estimate that "Several Hundred Thousand" Troops > Would Be Needed for a Postwar Occupation of Iraq. "More than a year ago > then Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki told Congress the > occupation > of Iraq would require 'several hundred thousand' troops. Deputy Defense > Secretary Paul Wolfowitz called that estimate 'wildly off the mark.' > The > Pentagon leaked the name of Shinseki's replacement months before his > scheduled retirement, rendering him a lame duck." [UPI, 4/12/04] > > > > IRAQ: Iraq Could Not Have Passed WMDs to Terrorists > > > > BUSH SAID: "Saddam Hussein was a threat because he could have given > weapons of mass destruction to terrorist enemies." - GWB, 10/8/04 > > > > REALITY: Bush Admitted Yesterday That Iraq Did Not Have WMD. Bush: > "Chief weapons inspector, Charles Duelfer, has now issued a > comprehensive report that confirms the earlier conclusion of David Kay > that Iraq did not have the weapons that our intelligence believed were > there." [Bush Remarks, 10/7/04] > > > > New Duelfer Report Concluded No WMD. "The 1991 Persian Gulf War and > subsequent U.N. inspections destroyed Iraq's illicit weapons capability > and, for the most part, Saddam Hussein did not try to rebuild it, > according to an extensive report by the chief U.S. weapons inspector in > Iraq that contradicts nearly every prewar assertion made by top > administration officials about Iraq. Charles A. Duelfer, whom the Bush > administration chose to complete the U.S. investigation of Iraq's > weapons programs, said Hussein's ability to produce nuclear weapons had > progressively decayed since 1991. Inspectors, he said, found no > evidence > of concerted efforts to restart the program." [Washington Post, > 10/7/04] > > > > > > NORTH KOREA: Bush's Failed Policy of Neglect > > > > BUSH SAID: "Let me talk about North Korea. It is naive and dangerous > to take a policy that he suggested the other day, which is to have > bilateral relations with North Korea." - GWB, 10/8/04 > > > > REALITY: North Korean Nuclear Capability Has Quadrupled Under Bush's > Watch While He Sat By and Failed to Do Anything. The Bush > administration's erratic handling of the North Korean nuclear crisis > has > served only to create confusion and put North Korea's despotic leader, > Kim Jong Il, in the driver's seat. Bush initially said he would "not > tolerate nuclear weapons in North Korea," yet since he took office, > North Korea's nuclear capability has "quadrupled," with U.S. > intelligence services estimating that Pyongyang now has fuel for up to > eight nuclear weapons. According to Bush Administration officials, "The > United States has determined that North Korea is working on new > ballistic missile systems designed to deliver nuclear warheads and that > it is testing the technology by proxy in Iran." [ABC, "This Week, > 9/12/04; Christian Science Monitor, 9/15/04; Associated Press, 8/5/04; > NYT, 9/12/04] > > > > Former Bush Special Envoy to North Korea Said Bush Lacked An Effective > Strategy To Deal With North Korea. "Charles Pritchard, formerly > Secretary of State Colin Powell's top official dealing with North > Korea, > has warned for months that "the White House lacks an effective strategy > to dissuade North Korea from building up its nuclear arms." Under > Bush's > watch, "North Korea's nuclear arsenal, which was once thought to number > one or two weapons, appears to be growing substantially." According to > Pritchard, the situation has deteriorated because "the administration > has neither offered much of a carrot nor wielded a stick." The > administration has refused to engage North Korea in direct negotiations > or "put the North Koreans on notice that further developments will > trigger economic sanctions or perhaps even military actions." [United > Press International, 9/21/04] > > > > TAXES: Bush's Tax Cuts Are Shifting the Burden to the Middle Class > > > > BUSH SAID: "Created a ten percent tax bracket for the low-income > Americans. That's right at the middle class. He voted against it and > yet > he tells you he is for a middle class tax cut. You have to be > consistent > when you're the president."- GWB, 10/8/04 > > > > REALITY:George Bush's Plan Shifts the Tax Burden to the Middle Class. > In contrast, under the Bush plan the "Tax Burden Shifts to the Middle" > according to a Washington Post headline, and "middle America - average > annual income $75,600 - saw its share of the federal tax burden > increase > from 18.5 percent to 19.5 percent." In addition, George Bush has > imposed a tax of thousands of dollars on families through higher costs > for health care, gasoline, college tuition, and state and local taxes. > [Tax Policy Center, "Kerry Plan vs. Current-Law, Size of Individual > Income Tax Change, 2005," 9/16/2004 and Washington Post, 8/13/04] > > > > HOMELAND SECURITY: Bush Hasn't Doubled Budget > > > > BUSH SAID: "We've doubled the size of the budget for homeland > security." - GWB, 10/8/04 > > > > REALITY: Bush Overstates What He has Spent on Homeland Security: Bush > said, "My administration has tripled the amount of money we're spending > on homeland security to $30 billion a year." In reality, Homeland > security spending did not come close to tripling under Bush. According > to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), "Gross budget authority for > those functions in that year, excluding supplemental appropriations > enacted immediately after September 11, totaled about $17 billion. > Adding the supplemental appropriations raises that figure by almost $4 > billion, bringing total funding for 2001 to $21 billion. The Congress > and the President increased that amount to... an estimated $41 billion > for 2004." These CBO estimates are for the homeland security function, > as defined by the Office of Management and Budget. The Bush > administration's own estimates show that the Department of Homeland > Security itself did not even see its budget double: growing from $19.7 > billion in FY 2001 to $36.5 billion in FY 2004. [CBO, "Federal Funding > for Homeland Security," 4/30/2004 and OMB, Budget FY 2005, page 178] > > > > INTELLIGENCE: Bush's False Attack On Intel Cuts > > > > BUSH SAID: "My opponent is right. We need good intelligence. It's > also a curious thing for him to say since right after '93 he voted to > cut the intelligence budget by $7.5 billion." - GWB, 10/8/04 > > > > REALITY: Kerry Wanted to Cut Slush Fund, Republicans Announced The Same > Day They Wanted to Cut The Same Fund. Kerry was part of bipartisan > effort to cut waste & abuse in the National Reconnaissance Office. The > $1.5 billion cut Kerry proposed represented about the same amount Sen. > Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), then chairman of the Senate Select Committee on > Intelligence, told the Senate that same day he wanted to cut from the > intelligence spending bill based on unspent, secret funds that had been > accumulated 'without informing the Pentagon, CIA or Congress.' > [Washington Post, 3/12/04, 9/25/95] > > > > Porter Goss, Hand-Picked By Bush to Head CIA, Wanted to Cut Intel More > Than Kerry. The cuts Goss supported are larger than those proposed by > Kerry and specifically targeted the 'human intelligence' that has > recently been found lacking. The recent report by the commission > probing > the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks called for more spending on human > intelligence." [Washington Post, 8/24/04] > > > > Washington Post: Republican Criticism on Kerry Intel Record is Wrong. > In fact, the Republican-led Congress that year approved legislation > that > resulted in $3.8 billion being cut over five years from the budget of > the National Reconnaissance Office -- the same program Kerry said he > was > targeting." [Washington Post, 3/12/04] > > > > Kerry Strongly Supports Increased Intelligence Funding - Including $250 > Billion in the Previous 8 Years - A 50% Increase Since 1996 - John > Kerry > has strongly supported recent increases in Intelligence funding, and, > in > the wake of 9/11, has supported the bipartisan call for an even larger > increase in intelligence funding. According to a report issued by the > Center for Defense Information entitled "Intelligence Funding and the > War on Terror" John Kerry has supported approximately $250 billion in > Intelligence funding over the past eight years alone. The report > concludes that Kerry has supported a 50% increase in intelligence > funding since 1996. [Senate Intelligence Authorization Funding voice > votes 9/25/02, 12/13/01, 12/6/00, 11/19/1999, 10/8/98 & 9/25/96; 1997, > Senate Roll Call vote # 109; Jewish News Bulletin of Northern > California, 4/5/02] > > > > SPENDING: The Truth About Bush's "Tax Gap" > > > > BUSH SAID: "The reason I bring that up, is because he's proposed 2.3 > trillion dollars in new spending." -GWB, 10/8/04 > > > > REALITY: Washington Post Bush's $3 Trillion of Spending "Far Eclipses" > Kerry; Goldman Sachs Says Kerry is More "Credible" On The Budget. > According to the Washington Post, "The expansive agenda President Bush > laid out at the Republican National Convention was missing a price tag, > but administration figures show the total is likely to be well in > excess > of $3 trillion over a decade... The cost of the new tax breaks and > spending outlined by Bush at the GOP convention far eclipses that of > the > Kerry plan." This is why Goldman Sachs says that, "on the budget, > Senator Kerry is more credible." [Washington Post, "$3 Trillion Price > Tag Left Out as Bush Details His Agenda," 9/14/2004; Goldman Sachs, > "Bush vs. Kerry," 9/10/2004] > > > > Bush Has Failed To Balance a Single Budget: $5.6 Trillion Surplus > Replaced With $2.3 Trillion Deficit. The $5.6 trillion ten-year surplus > projected in January 2001 is gone, replaced with $2.3 trillion in > deficits over the next ten years-a fiscal decline of $7.9 trillion in > just three years. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the > federal budget deficit will be a record $442 billion in 2004. [CBO, The > Budget And Economic Outlook: An Update, 9/04] > > > > Fiscal Conservatives Have Attacked Bush's Irresponsible Policies. > "Conservatives are angry," including Dick Armey is upset about spending > and says Republicans "own the town" on deficits, while the Heritage > Foundation says the President isn't doing "nearly enough." Conservative > Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform says spending is "growing > too rapidly" and the American Spectator says Bush's leadership has been > "non-existent." Stephen Moore of the Club for Growth said that "There's > now not any pretense that Bush is committed to smaller government." > [Wall Street Journal, 1/30/04; Washington Post, 12/6/03; "The State of > Spending," Heritage Foundation, 1/21/04; "Supply-Side Economics," > American Spectator, 11/26/03; Washington Post, 12/6/03] > > > > MOST LIBERAL: "Just Plain Wrong" > > > > BUSH SAID: "First, the national journal named Senator Kennedy one of > the most liberal senators of all, and that's say saying something, that > bunch."- GWB, 10/8/04 > > > > REALITY: National Journal stated that use of their rating is, > "Disconcerting because the shorthand used to describe our ratings of > Kerry and Edwards is sometimes misleading -- or just plain wrong." > [National Journal, 8/2004] > > Patrick Shepherd, President > Cleveland Stonewall Democrats > w: http://www.clevelandstonewalldemocrats.org > a: P O Box 91453; Cleveland, OH 44101-3453 > t: 216.647.7437 > f: 216.937.0273 > e: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > -- It's not the fall that hurts. 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