I am seeking a simple clear factual list of differences between Kerry and Bush. I'd also appreciate the same information in Spanish.
I'd like something for low literacy, low income families I work with - that isn't biased yet shows how much better Kerry/Democrats are in helping people than Bush/Republicans....alas some seem to want to vote with the rich conservatives, as if that would help them too??!! Compare and contrast voting records on job
opportunities, immigrant rights, environmental issues, health insurance, tax help for poor/middle/rich etc. (I know Kerry isn't as progressive as I'd wish, but he's half way there....
The Vote with the Facts has some good stuff, but is too long, I'd like a 1 or 2-pager - if you happen to have something,
thanks..
CNN has a comparison page here
More websites like this from About.com
I haven't found anything for low literacy readers or for Spanish yet. Check back for more later.
You should be able to compile a little document yourself from the first link to CNN.
Matthew
See if this fits the bill:
ANSWER Part I:
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According to recent statistics provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, the gap between the rich and poor since 1967 has grown by 75 percent. While the average total household income for families in the bottom 20 percent has grown by $2,500 since 1967, the top 20 percent have seen their incomes soar by about $62,000. According to the same report, the share of national income held by the bottom 20 percent fell to only 3.5 percent. In other words, approximately 26 million households combined to earn only 3.5 percent of the total income earned by people in the US. While income has sunk for the poor, the middle strata have seen their wages stagnate over the same period. Meanwhile healthcare costs, housing, education, gas and oil, and food have soared.
According to the CBO (Congressional Budget Office), the top one percent of income earners, who average about $1.2 million each year, received 1/3 of the benefits from the tax cuts Bush pushed through Congress since 2001. Households in this income bracket received an average of $78,000 annually from the tax cut. The top 20 percent, averaging over $200,000, took in 2/3 of the total windfall from the tax cuts. The bottom 20 percent of wage earners averaged only about $250 in returns in the last three years. The tax benefit to the top 1 percent - the very richest of Americans - alone equals what it would cost for two wars in Iraq or what experts believe it would cost for two years to provide every American with health care coverage.
These are from unbiased government sources, and I have quoted them from the article (1) below, which was published in Progressive Trail.
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ANSWER Part II:
JOBS
1) How many jobs have disappeared during this administration?
Since the recession began 39 months ago, 1.2 million jobs have disappeared, the greatest sustained job loss since the Great Depression. There have been greater losses in the private sector - a loss of 1.8 million jobs since March 2001. (employment data is below comparing past recessions.) SEE HELPFUL GRAPH AT THE FOLLOWING LINK:
http://www.usfacetoface.org/files/jobs.html
POVERTY
1) What is the increase in the bankruptcy rate since 2000?
23%. From 2000-2002 the US had the highest rate of bankruptcies in its history.
Source: Administrative Office of the US Courts, "Judicial Business of the United States Courts: Annual Report of the Director, 2002,http://www.uscourts.gov/judbus2002/contents.html
(use "Judicial Business" link to download PDF file)
2) What was the average rate of increase in requests for emergency shelter in 2002?
19%, which is the largest annual increase since 1990.
Source: US Conference of Mayors, "Hunger, Homelessness On the Rise in Major U.S. Cities," Dec. 18, 2002,
http://usmayors.org/uscm/news/press_releases/documents/hunger_121802.asp
3) From 1947-2001 which party holding the White House has produced the highest unemployment rate?
The Republicans. 5 GOP presidents produced an average unemployment rate of 6.3% whereas 5 Democratic presidents produced an average unemployment rate of 4.8%. Unemployment under Bush now averages 6.1% (an increase of 1.4% since 2001), approaching the average unemployment rate of Republican presidents.
Source: "GOP Always Falls Down on the Jobs," Larry M. Bartels, Director of the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University, Los Angeles Times commentary, Sept. 26, 2003, www.latimes.com (type "Bartels" in Archive search)
4) What must a worker now earn to afford the average rent and utilities for a 2-bedroom apartment?
$15.21 an hour. The federal minimum wage now stands at $5.15 an hour.
Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition, http://www.nlihc.org/oor2003/introduction.htm
5) In 2002 how many people in the US were living below the official poverty line (defined as $18,244 for a family of 4 with 2 children)?
34.6 million (which is 12.1% of the population). This is an increase of 3.5 million from the year 2000 figure of 31.1 million (11.3% of the population). The year 2001 saw the first increase in the poverty rate since 1993.
Sources for questions 5-10:
http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/poverty02/pov02hi.html
http://www.census.gov/hhes/poverty/poverty00/pov00hi.html
http://www.census.gov/hhes/income/income00/prs01asc.html
http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/p60-214.pdf (see page 8
6) What was the total number of children in the US living in poverty in 2002?
12.1 million children (16.7%) which is about 1 in 6 children, up from 11.6 million (16.1%) in 2000 - an increase of a million and a half children.
7) How many families were living in poverty in 2002?
7.2 million families (9.6%), up from 6.2 million families (8.6%) in 2000 - an increase of one million families.
8) How many married couple families were living in poverty in 2002?
3.1 million families (5.3%), up from 2.6 million (4.7%) in 2000 - an increase of half a million families.
9) How many single parent households headed by a woman were living in poverty in 2002?
3.6 million households (26.5%), up from 3.1 million (24.7%) in 2000 - an increase of half a million households.
10) How many people from the suburbs were living in poverty in 2002?
13.3 million people (8.9%), up from 12.1 million (7.8%) in 2000 - an increase of nearly a million and a quarter people.
ANSWER PART III.
Brief version of Q&A can be found at:
http://www.usfacetoface.org/files/shortqna.html
The Bush Years and Growing Poverty some statistics
based on government studies etc., just the facts.(See
website for sources and more details.)
http://www.usfacetoface.org/files/shortqna.html
The tax benefit to the top 1 percent - the very richest of Americans - alone equals what experts believe it would cost for two years to provide every American with health care coverage.
Since the recession began 39 months ago, 1.2 million jobs have
disappeared, the greatest sustained job loss since the Great Depression.
The bankruptcy rate since 2000 has been 23%. From 2000-2002 the US had the highest rate of bankruptcies in its history.
A worker must now earn $15.21 an hour to afford the average rent and utilities for a 2-bedroom apartment in the United
States. Source: National Low Income Housing Coalition
The average rate of increase in requests for emergency shelter in 2002 was19%, which is the largest annual increase
since 1990.
Unemployment under Bush now averages 6.1% (an increase of 1.4% since 2001.)Looking at the period from 1947-2001 the Republican administrations have produced the highest unemployment rate. 5 GOP presidents produced an average unemployment rate of
6.3% whereas 5 Democratic presidents produced an average
unemployment rate of 4.8%.
The year 2001 saw the first increase in the poverty rate since 1993. In 2002 34.6 million (which is 12.1% of the population) in the US were living below the official poverty line (defined as $18,244 for a family of 4 with 2 children.) This is an increase of 3.5 million from the year 2000 figure of 31.1 million (11.3% of the population).
Here is a great resource called "on the issues." It lists Kerry's entire voting record on all the key issues, and you can also check out other political leaders' records, including George Bush's record (see blue tabs at top of page).