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I gleefully contemplated spending a thousand words debunking the myth that Derek
Jeter is a great baseball player. I've decided that already must be abundantly
obvious.
That
left me with my second choice, the myth that President Bush and Congress have
spent us wildly into deficits. The truth is this administration's tax cuts, not
spending policies, have starved us into permanent structural deficits that threaten
priorities Bush hypocritically gives lip service to. Here
is where I offer you, the reader: a choice. You can trust me that spending over
the past three years is not the cause of our fiscal downturn. I actually encourage
you to trust me on this one and skip over the next painfully boring paragraph.
For
you nonbelievers I strongly suggest pouring yourselves a stiff drink as we enter
the world of statistics. Government
spending in the first three years of the Bush administration averaged 19.3 percent
of the gross domestic product. In the 30 years before Bush took office, there
were exactly two years when spending was lower than that. During
the years 1995-2002, when the deficit was disappearing, spending averaged 19.45
percent of the gross domestic product. Spending over the past three years has
not been the problem. The
problem with our government's finances is on the revenue side. By this standard,
Bush is the most radical president this country has seen in more than 50 years.
Back in the '80s, radical meant cool, or so I've heard. Today it means irresponsible
and dangerous.
Now here's where I offer you, the reader, a chance to save yourself from further
pain. You can trust me on this revenue stuff and skip the next paragraph. For
you masochists out there, I suggest strapping yourselves in and topping off that
drink before reading on. The
tax revenue brought into the federal government in 2003 amounted to 16.5 percent
of the gross domestic product. That is the lowest figure in more than 40 years.
Even with an improving economy, federal revenue is projected to fall to 15.7 percent
of the gross domestic product this year. That is the lowest number in 50 years.
This revenue drought is the result of historic drops in both individual and corporate
tax receipts. Individual income taxes amounted to 7.3 percent of the gross domestic
product in 2003. That figure is the second lowest in the past 43 years. The
picture on the corporate side is even worse. Last year, corporate tax revenue
came in at 1.2 percent of the gross domestic product, the lowest figure in 70
years. Looking at the increasing disparity between individual and corporate taxes
shows the decline of corporations as a source of revenue. During
the 1960s, individuals paid on average $1.8 for every dollar corporations paid
in taxes. In the past four years, individuals have paid an average of $5.8 for
every dollar corporations paid in taxes. On both an individual, and especially,
corporate level federal government revenues are at a historic low. If
we could pause for a brief moment of silence in honor of those brave souls who
passed away trying valiantly to read the preceding paragraph. For those of you
who made it through, even though slightly inebriated, welcome back to the happy
world of statistic-free writing. Bush's
tax cuts, combined with the growth of corporate tax avoidance schemes, have left
the federal government seriously under-funded. Make no mistake; the intention
of this administration is to starve the government of revenue at the expense of
urgent priorities. The fact that Bush chose to do so while we have troops trying
to stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan, shows just how misguided this administration
is. The fact he has chosen to do so while urgent homeland security needs go un-funded
shows just how dangerous this administration is. So
the next time you're wondering why Bush under-funds the program to armor Humvees
while our soldiers patrol Iraq as sitting ducks, you'll know why. The
next time you're wondering why Bush cut access to health care for 160,000 of our
military veterans, you'll know why. The
next time you're wondering why Bush doesn't provide the resources to search more
than 2 percent of cargo containers arriving at our nation's ports, you'll know
why. And
the next time you're wondering why fire departments across the country only have
enough radios for half of our firefighters, you'll know why. You'll
know that Bush has priorities, and he'll be damned if he'll let our soldiers,
veterans or first responders get in the way. So next time you're wondering why
you should vote for John Kerry, you'll know why.
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