What is the Truth?

5/30/2006
Our Republican President has told us that the economy is going great. New jobs are being created, interest rates are still low, the stock was approaching 12,000 and all is well.

5/28/2006 The Chicago Tribune a conservative Republican paper on its front page posted " Mortage Defaults on Rise." Why? Increasing debt, interest rates and job losses.

It would be easy for me to stop right here, but I will not. In this country is a debate on Illegal immigration and the effect it has had on American jobs, not just the loss of jobs but the declining pay for jobs as employers seek out and find illegals to work for less than the normal wage. What is not factored in to the rosy economy is those that are not working and have used up their unemployment benefits and are no longer counted as " Unemployed." How about those that have lost their jobs and have found work at a substantial decrease in earnings and are working multiple jobs to try and live a decent lifestyle. These people are also not in the rosy economic portrait that the Republicans portay.

It may be true that those people are always not counted but it is from my experience that those numbers are higher now than they have been in the past. Why have charge card companies raised there minmum payments?? Because of laws passed by this Republican congress. Is this a good thing? Not if you are on the edge of defaulting on your bills.

Could Dick Cheney's secretive meeting with " energy " corporation heads have been a precusor to our high gasoline bills? Bush and Cheney are both oilmen, and all know that Bush's family is tied to mideast oil. Could the Iraq war been undertaken to cause unease in the oil markets? The problem went out of control when Muslims took the call to come to Iraq and kill Americans. Iraq still does not produce as much oil as Saddam did under an Embargo! More troops from the beginning to protect Iraq's only asset not only makes sense, but would be a prudent course of action if your stated belief is to have the Iraq oil production finance the war, as was spoused by Bush cabinet members.

Bush's tax cuts. The rich get richer and the middle class loses. Our federal taxes have gone down slightly ( my case I counted $3 a week) but my local taxes have gone up and the state I live in has a huge deficit that limits outlays on critical programs. All of this while the federal government balloons with deficits the size that have never been seen before skyrocket.

But smile and chuckle Mr. president as jobs are lost to China and India as you continue to spout that our economy is going great.