 Ask the questions
Don’t let scare tactics
distract you from Bush’s record
Abtin Assadi
September 3, 2004
iranian.com
If I hear another politician use 9/11 for
partisan politics I’ll
puke. In the past four nights, I have witnessed speaker after speaker
at the Republican National Convention invoke 9/11 to play on my
fears to sell their candidate. It pains me to watch the level of
discourse in this election. Dredging up anger and fear to sell
a candidate appear to be the order of the day. I guess it’s
all fair in candidate marketing.
But seriously, how low are we
prepared to go, where is the line, do we have no shame?
The good senator from the state of Georgia, Zel Miller used 9/11
scare tactics over and over to sell the candidate for bigger defense
budget with Star Wars, armored vehicles and Patriot missiles. I
think he is still fighting the Soviets. Didn’t terrorists
use box cutters to highjack the airplanes? He said, “my family
is more important to me than my party”. Apparently money
is even more important than his family; otherwise he would not
be a tobacco lobbyist.
Lest we forget, there is an incumbent
in this election and we should look at his record. The most important
issues are security,
the economy, education, healthcare and the environment. So let’s
review the President’s record on these issues:
Are we safer today than before President Bush took office?
The answer is absolutely not. Not only we are not safer since
the Iraq invasion, the United States is now viewed as one of the
biggest threats to world peace right after North Korea, Iran and
Israel. Now, that’s a feather in any president’s cap.
Are we better off economically since President Bush took office?
The answer depends on who you are. If you are in the top 1% of
the population, then the answer is yes. But if you are like me,
the answer is a big no. Furthermore, we are setting new records
for the number of working families in poverty.
 Are the schools better since the President took office?
The No Child Left Behind Act has been a very controversial law.
It has given the federal government unprecedented authority over
schools. Growing criticism of the law and its uniform testing standards
plus the recent budget cuts makes the answer unclear.
Is the healthcare system any better since the President took
office?
A recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey indicates that out-of-pocket
expenses for people with employer-sponsored health plans have risen
nearly 50 percent over the past three years. The study also shows
that two-thirds of large employers have raised health care premiums
this year, with a nearly 14% increase on average. Additionally,
44 million people do not even have insurance. Again, the answer
is a resounding no.
 How has the President’s environmental policy
affected the environment?
The proposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,
doubling the accepted mercury level in drinking water and the secret
proceedings of the administration's energy task force all show
a systematic disregard for the environment.
There you have it, with 4 NOs and one MAYBE, the President’s
record does not favor his re-election, no matter how angry I felt
on 9/11 or how sacred I am of those damn terrorists.
*
*
|
Ask the questions
