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The Broken Promises of George W. Bush:
Rhetoric vs. Reality
08/09/04 "American Progress" -- President Bush made a lot of promises during his 2000 presidential campaign. The record shows it was all talk.
HEALTH CARE RHETORIC
HEALTH CARE REALITY
"There are 43 million uninsured Americans – 4 million more than when the current administration took office. George W. Bush will reverse this trend by making health insurance affordable for hard-working, low-income families." [Source: Bush-Cheney 2000 website]
In the first two years Bush was in office, the number of uninsured American increased by nearly four million. Since Bush took office, health insurance premiums have risen by an average rate of 12.5 percent per year. According to a major study, "widespread adoption [of Bush's major health care plan] could drive up the annual deductible paid by workers." [Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 7/8/04; Kaiser Family Foundation, 4/04; USA Today, 4/25/04]
"George W. Bush will establish the 'Healthy Communities Innovation Fund' to provide $500 million in grants over five years to fund innovative projects addressing targeted health risks, such as childhood diabetes."
[Source: Bush-Cheney 2000 website]
Bush never established this fund. [Source: The Philadelphia Inquirer, 1/20/04]
ENVIRONMENTAL RHETORIC
ENVIRONMENTAL REALITY
George W. Bush "will also ensure that the federal government, which is the country's largest polluter, complies with all environmental laws."
[Source: Bush-Cheney 2000 website]
For the past three years, the Department of Defense has requested that Congress exempt it from environmental laws and regulations like the Clean Air Act of 1970. The exemptions were requested despite the fact that the Environmental Protection Agency has thus far declined to apply the policies to the military training facilities in question.
[Source: Government Executive Magazine, 4/6/04]
HIGHER ED RHETORIC
HIGHER ED REALITY
George W. Bush will "fully fund the Pell grant program for first-year students by increasing the maximum grant amount by more than 50 percent, to $5,100."
[Source: Bush-Cheney 2000 – Education website]
President Bush has frozen the maximum Pell Grant at $4,050 in his FY 2005 education budget. This is the third year in a row that Bush has frozen or cut the maximum Pell Grant. [Source: House Committee on Education and the Work Force 2/2/04]
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