Win-Dixie, a major supermarket chain in the south, announced that they are closing 156 stores and laying off 10,000 workers. On the same day CNN reported that new figures show wage and salary growth in the U.S. at its lowest level since 1982. You can see little blips on CNN's Headline News every day that clearly show the ineptness of the Bush Administration when comes to handling the economy. What is George W. Bush's answer to solve our problems? He wants to make his temporary tax cut for the very rich permanent. After all that worked so well at getting Americans back to work. Yeah, right. You can laugh all the way to the unemployment line. That is if your unemployment insurance hasn't expired. Bush still is of a mind that there is no need to extend these benefits in the face of such a glowing economy. Say what? The joke is on us.
This November you will have a choice. During George Bush's Presidency America has lost 2.8 million manufacturing jobs - the largest decline in over 80 years. We have not seen one month of manufacturing job growth since George W. Bush took office. His plan to reduce the deficit and put Americans back to work was to give huge tax breaks to those people that were supposed to hire people. They hired people alright, in China or Mexico. The only other plan to improve the situation was to reclassify fast food restaurant jobs as manufacturing jobs. Reminds me of when Reagan tried to classify catsup as a veggie.
There is a plan to improve the situation:
-Provide a new jobs tax credit to manufacturers to encourage more hiring. Stand up for our workers by enforcing trade agreements that George Bush has refused to enforce.
-Make America more competitive by making our businesses more competitive. That means ending tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas, and using the savings to cut taxes for 99 percent of American companies. That means reducing health care costs for businesses, cutting our deficit in half, and keeping government spending in check to restore confidence in the manufacturing sector.
-Establish manufacturing business investment corporations to give venture capital and start-up financing to small and medium-sized manufacturing companies. Double the funding for the manufacturing extension partnership.
-Invest in our workers with a College Opportunity Tax Credit, making four years of college accessible, with a tax credit of up to $4,000 for tuition, and job training they may need to compete in tomorrow's economy.
This comprehensive plan should create 10 million good paying jobs over the next four years. The plan was not developed in some back room with the Vice President and some corporate executives. This is John Kerry's plan. This is the democrats' plan to help the manufacturing sector which has floundered under the Bush Presidency.
The democrats also have plans to deal with health care, including reworking the Medicare prescription drug program to truly benefit senior citizens instead of the drug industry. A workable and funded education program, unlike Bush's unworkable and un-funded no child left behind fiasco. A national defense based on the interest and security of this country and not vendettas that have nothing to do with our national security. A restoration of environmental protection policies that has been gutted by the Bush administration. And an energy plan that works for us and not for Dick Cheney and friends. These are just a few of the Democratic Party's plans to restore America.
The recent attacks upon John Kerry and the statements by Bush that Kerry is somehow unfit to lead our military are just plan disgusting. John Kerry received the Silver Star, Bronze Star and two purple hearts for his actions in Vietnam, a war which he later correctly protested. The brave Mr. Bush joined the Texas National Guard, checked a box that said he was unwilling to serve in other countries, split for Alabama, and evidently left service early to go to college up north where most likely the only star with which he was he was familiar was on a bottle of Lone Star Beer.
Bush doesn't seem to mind asking other young people to make the sacrifices he was unwilling to make. Truth is, I don't blame him or anyone for not going to Vietnam. It was an unjust and unnecessary war which was not in anyway connected to our national security. Sounds a little like Iraq, doesn't it? John Kerry volunteered for action in Vietnam, because he thought it was his duty. Don't be fooled by the distortions and falsehoods about this brave man. Kerry will make a great Commander and Chief.
McAdoo, who once served on the Simi Valley, Calif. City Council, resides in Fallon.
