The Bush Record in Florida Sums up the Last Four Years -
By Todd Haskins, September 21, 2004
Even crafty spin-doctoring cannot make residents of Florida forget the Bush Administration's record over the last four years. From the deteriorated job market to the President's flip-flops on offshore oil drilling, Floridians have been used and abused. So when they turn out in record numbers to vote this November, we can all expect that the same voters who decided the 2000 election will not forget the trail of broken promises.
Many pollsters conclude that Florida voters are the carbon copy of mainstream America as far as where people stand on the political opinion. Most residents have either a very favorable or very unfavorable opinion of President Bush. Florida, as the United States in general, has its fair share of independents, many of which also have their own strong opinions about the current leader of the free world. There is also a tiny minority that hovers between parties, like many of which throughout the country, that usually decide the election. This block of voters typically casts their ballots for two-term presidents, which have previously included Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Florida personifies the country. If we were to eliminate every state in the United States except Florida, political opinion would be no more and no less divided than it is today.
Just as Florida voters are symbolic of the national political landscape, so is President Bush's record in Florida over the last four years. Nationally speaking, George W. Bush is on pace to have the worst job record of any US president in 75 years. Five million more Americans are in poverty today than they were under Bill Clinton. More than two million Americans have seen their federal unemployment benefits expire during Bush's first term. And in 2003 alone, 1.3 million people slipped into poverty.
Florida, just like the rest of the country, has a leader by the last name of Bush. And just like George W. Bush, Governor Jeb Bush has presided over a depleted economy. But it isn't the Governor's fault. Like in other states, Florida has received dozens of unfunded federal mandates to pay for homeland security. Certainly every citizen envisions that they will be protected, but not at the expense of the state budget. In order to pay for these states costs, Jeb has had to make cuts left and right. That has meant less money for education, a tax-hike on tourists and less children with health care. Jeb Bush was even forced to cut funding to the official Florida State Archives.
President Bush's tax cuts, more than one-third of which went to the richest 1% of Americans, coupled with his unfunded mandates in states like Florida, caused unemployment to soar. In Florida, more than 87,000 workers have lost their jobs in the last three years, more than 61,000 of which came from the manufacturing sector. This has been a typical reality for many American workers, not just Floridians. While millions of manufacturing jobs have gone shipped overseas to the lowest bidder, Bush's chief economic advisor Greg Mankiw had the nerve to say that outsourcing is "a plus for the economy." Analytically speaking, outsourcing may be "a plus" for companies that have contributed to the Bush reelection campaign. But when it comes to the families in states like Florida that have been struggling to pay health care costs and pay off debt, a statement like that may be looked at as insensitive. In fact, Florida will face the rising national debt burden of more than $23,000 per family over the next six years.
On April 21st of this year, President Bush joked in our nation's capital, "We're prosperous now, which is good - particularly if you're a guy seeking the vote." Prosperous? Maybe he should knock on the homes of the almost 3 million Florida residents that are without health insurance; the more than 737,000 children that have been underfunded by the President's own No Child Left Behind Act; and the 51% of Floridians that will receive less than $100 from Bush's tax cuts for the rich.
The President's record in Florida cannot be more disastrous. But it became clearer after a flip-flop on one of the most serious environmental matters in the state. In early 2001, President Bush opened 9.8 million acres in the eastern Gulf of Mexico for the oil industry. The ruling allowed drilling within 30 miles of the Florida coastline. Democratic Senator Bob Graham and a coalition of concerned residents tried to intervene. But it was too late. The measure was put into place. According to the environmental impact study done by the Minerals Management Service, an oil spill would hit Florida beaches, thereby hurting wildlife, travel and the multi-billion dollar tourism industry. However, the Bush Administration didn't seem to mind, considering the fact that they had a conflict of interest. It turns out that Lynn Cheney, wife of current Vice President of Dick Cheney, sat on the board of a company that was bought by Anadarko, which along with Shell is currently drilling in that area.
According to a Washington Post report on February 27th, 2002, "Shortly after Vice President Cheney launched a task force on energy policy last year, he met with two top executives from the oil and gas industry. The men from Shell Oil Co. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. pressed the new administration to stick to a long-standing plan to open a huge tract in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas exploration."
Typical to form, this conflict of interest was obviously denied by the Bush Administration. And in the mother of all flip-flops, President Bush said in a recent trip to Florida that he is committed to a clean environment. Bush insisted "there is no ambiguity in my position in drilling off the coast of Florida." The President went on to say that he has a "pro-environment stance" on environmental issues concerning the state of Florida; proving that with this commander-in-chief, the words "walk" and "talk" are two different things. There is what President Bush likes to say. And then there is what President Bush does. It is what the President has done over the last four years, both economically and environmentally, that has him in trouble in the state of Florida.
Sources:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0827census-main27.html
http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2003/0303/0303new2.cfm
http://www.sptimes.com/News/103101/State/Budget_cuts_called_a_.shtml
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-12-19-kids-healthcare_x.htm
http://a9.g.akamai.net/7/9/8082/v001/www.democrats.org/pdfs/statebystate/FL.pdf
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/13/opinion/main600351.shtml
http://www.lcv.org/Features/Features.cfm?ID=2745&c=46
Washington Post - February 27, 2002: Oil Executives Lobbied on Drilling; Two Went to Cheney Task Force to Push for Gulf of Mexico Sale, page A01
By Todd Haskins, September 21, 2004
Even crafty spin-doctoring cannot make residents of Florida forget the Bush Administration's record over the last four years. From the deteriorated job market to the President's flip-flops on offshore oil drilling, Floridians have been used and abused. So when they turn out in record numbers to vote this November, we can all expect that the same voters who decided the 2000 election will not forget the trail of broken promises.
Many pollsters conclude that Florida voters are the carbon copy of mainstream America as far as where people stand on the political opinion. Most residents have either a very favorable or very unfavorable opinion of President Bush. Florida, as the United States in general, has its fair share of independents, many of which also have their own strong opinions about the current leader of the free world. There is also a tiny minority that hovers between parties, like many of which throughout the country, that usually decide the election. This block of voters typically casts their ballots for two-term presidents, which have previously included Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. Florida personifies the country. If we were to eliminate every state in the United States except Florida, political opinion would be no more and no less divided than it is today.
Just as Florida voters are symbolic of the national political landscape, so is President Bush's record in Florida over the last four years. Nationally speaking, George W. Bush is on pace to have the worst job record of any US president in 75 years. Five million more Americans are in poverty today than they were under Bill Clinton. More than two million Americans have seen their federal unemployment benefits expire during Bush's first term. And in 2003 alone, 1.3 million people slipped into poverty.
Florida, just like the rest of the country, has a leader by the last name of Bush. And just like George W. Bush, Governor Jeb Bush has presided over a depleted economy. But it isn't the Governor's fault. Like in other states, Florida has received dozens of unfunded federal mandates to pay for homeland security. Certainly every citizen envisions that they will be protected, but not at the expense of the state budget. In order to pay for these states costs, Jeb has had to make cuts left and right. That has meant less money for education, a tax-hike on tourists and less children with health care. Jeb Bush was even forced to cut funding to the official Florida State Archives.
President Bush's tax cuts, more than one-third of which went to the richest 1% of Americans, coupled with his unfunded mandates in states like Florida, caused unemployment to soar. In Florida, more than 87,000 workers have lost their jobs in the last three years, more than 61,000 of which came from the manufacturing sector. This has been a typical reality for many American workers, not just Floridians. While millions of manufacturing jobs have gone shipped overseas to the lowest bidder, Bush's chief economic advisor Greg Mankiw had the nerve to say that outsourcing is "a plus for the economy." Analytically speaking, outsourcing may be "a plus" for companies that have contributed to the Bush reelection campaign. But when it comes to the families in states like Florida that have been struggling to pay health care costs and pay off debt, a statement like that may be looked at as insensitive. In fact, Florida will face the rising national debt burden of more than $23,000 per family over the next six years.
On April 21st of this year, President Bush joked in our nation's capital, "We're prosperous now, which is good - particularly if you're a guy seeking the vote." Prosperous? Maybe he should knock on the homes of the almost 3 million Florida residents that are without health insurance; the more than 737,000 children that have been underfunded by the President's own No Child Left Behind Act; and the 51% of Floridians that will receive less than $100 from Bush's tax cuts for the rich.
The President's record in Florida cannot be more disastrous. But it became clearer after a flip-flop on one of the most serious environmental matters in the state. In early 2001, President Bush opened 9.8 million acres in the eastern Gulf of Mexico for the oil industry. The ruling allowed drilling within 30 miles of the Florida coastline. Democratic Senator Bob Graham and a coalition of concerned residents tried to intervene. But it was too late. The measure was put into place. According to the environmental impact study done by the Minerals Management Service, an oil spill would hit Florida beaches, thereby hurting wildlife, travel and the multi-billion dollar tourism industry. However, the Bush Administration didn't seem to mind, considering the fact that they had a conflict of interest. It turns out that Lynn Cheney, wife of current Vice President of Dick Cheney, sat on the board of a company that was bought by Anadarko, which along with Shell is currently drilling in that area.
According to a Washington Post report on February 27th, 2002, "Shortly after Vice President Cheney launched a task force on energy policy last year, he met with two top executives from the oil and gas industry. The men from Shell Oil Co. and Anadarko Petroleum Corp. pressed the new administration to stick to a long-standing plan to open a huge tract in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas exploration."
Typical to form, this conflict of interest was obviously denied by the Bush Administration. And in the mother of all flip-flops, President Bush said in a recent trip to Florida that he is committed to a clean environment. Bush insisted "there is no ambiguity in my position in drilling off the coast of Florida." The President went on to say that he has a "pro-environment stance" on environmental issues concerning the state of Florida; proving that with this commander-in-chief, the words "walk" and "talk" are two different things. There is what President Bush likes to say. And then there is what President Bush does. It is what the President has done over the last four years, both economically and environmentally, that has him in trouble in the state of Florida.
Sources:
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0827census-main27.html
http://www.historians.org/Perspectives/issues/2003/0303/0303new2.cfm
http://www.sptimes.com/News/103101/State/Budget_cuts_called_a_.shtml
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-12-19-kids-healthcare_x.htm
http://a9.g.akamai.net/7/9/8082/v001/www.democrats.org/pdfs/statebystate/FL.pdf
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/13/opinion/main600351.shtml
http://www.lcv.org/Features/Features.cfm?ID=2745&c=46
Washington Post - February 27, 2002: Oil Executives Lobbied on Drilling; Two Went to Cheney Task Force to Push for Gulf of Mexico Sale, page A01
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