Don Ware
Brownsville Times
The Democratic ticket, Kerry-Edwards, are now claiming “America’s middle-class families are less financially secure today than they were when Bush took office.” They have a two-Americas theme, the very rich and the rest of us poor people.
This is an interesting theme from two men who have together personal fortunes of more than $1 billion.
What are the facts?
— In the last 10 months the economy has added 1.5 million jobs.
— American disposable income has risen 7.5% since 2001.
— American wages have risen 2.4%.
— The Labor Department projects a 45% increase in the number of software engineers, a 40% increase in physician assistants, a 36% increase in computer and information systems sector and a 38% jump in the number of post secondary teachers.
These statistics demonstrate that in America today, jogs are higher paying than in the 1990s.
The Democrats claim that the new jobs are all hamburger-flipping jobs at the low end of the pay scale. The fact is that the rate of growth of hamburger-flipping jobs are at the same growth rate as all jobs are, hence the charge is false.
Here we are in the richest country in the world. The average person lives very well, as expenditures of all kinds of goods and services show. Compared to most countries, the individual American has a wonderful life. Just look at the influx of people from around the world wanting to live as we do.
So why all the whining about how bad the average American has it? All I can figure out is that the Democrats just don’t have any good programs to suggest to the voters, so they claim they are representing the poor against the very rich. Sorry! The claim just doesn’t wash. They have a history of big costly federal government programs, something we all must pay for.
Why can’t we have a real debate about the real issues? The Democrats are meeting in Boston to make their candidates official. In September, the Republicans will meet, doing most the same thing. I used to look forward to conventions and really enjoyed all the hoopla. Now they just turn me off, as I assume they will most citizens.
The economy is important. Bush will lose if the economy is down over the next few months and if Iraq blows up into a full disaster. I happen to believe neither will happen. I believe the USA is involved in a global war with radical Islam, and we have taken the fight to them. I think that was the right thing to do. I think we should not change horses in the middle of the stream.
We can expect either a major attack on our homeland before the election, or the breaking up of such an effort by our intelligence community. If they succeed or fail in an attack on us, the USA must win this struggle with the radical forces of Islam. I think we can win it, but it won’t be easy.
Kerry must prove he can stand up to the radical Islam forces if he is to be a serious candidate for president. And he needs to have a program of real economic benefit to our citizens. Does Kerry have the guts to lead a war on radical Islam while providing an economic program that will improve on the current economy?
I haven’t seen evidence of either yet.
D.W.