State of the Union Viewers' Guide
During the State of the Union, Americans expect the President to address
the most pressing concerns facing the country. The Center for American
Progress gives you a brief checklist to see whether President Bush does
just that:
YES
NO
Did he explain why he has not fixed the unemployment
crisis?
Since March of 2001, the economy has shed more than 2
million jobs. While the President has said that the economy
looks "good," unemployment is still at 5.7%. Because the job
situation was so bleak last month, 255,000 jobless Americans
simply stopped looking for work.
Did he provide any evidence that his tax cuts helped
anyone other than the wealthy?
In 2005, the President's most recent tax bill gives people who
make over $1 million an average tax cut of more than $22,000.
At the same time, it gives people making $35,000 per year a
tax cut of $47 all while middle-class wages stagnate and
health care costs skyrocket.
Did he explain how we can afford $1 trillion in new tax
cuts at a time of budget deficits?
The budget deficit stands at $500 billion the largest in
American history. At the same time, the President is pushing a
$1 trillion plan to make his tax cuts for the wealthy permanent.
While the White House says it has a proposal to cut the deficit
in half, the fine print of the proposal shows that it purposely
omits huge inevitable expenditures. For instance, the proposal
omits all costs of occupying Iraq and Afghanistan after 2004.
Did he explain why he is underfunding his own education
bill?
While the No Child Left Behind Act promised historic funding
increases for education, the last two budgets the President
authored have fallen at least $7 billion short of those promises.
As a result, hundreds of thousands of children are being cut
from education programs, and tens of thousands of teachers
are not receiving the training they are required to have.
Did he offer a plan to provide health care to over 40
million uninsured Americans?
President Bush proposed billions for a Mars mission, and
universal health care to all Iraqis within a year. Yet, his top
health care official says providing health insurance to all
Americans by 2010 is "not realistic." While Bush is expected to
propose "block grants," this plan does not definitively guarantee
health care for all citizens.
Did he promise that his Medicare bill will provide the
same drug benefit to every senior?
Despite promises to the contrary, the Medicare bill provides no
standards for which prescription drugs will be covered, how
much beneficiaries will have to pay, or what they will have to
pay all while sending billions to HMOs and drug companies.
Did he explain how he will safeguard the environment
after unraveling regulations?
Rhetoric about clear skies and healthy forests aside, this
administration has weakened clean air/clean water laws, cut
funding for toxic cleanups and opened up protected forests for
logging.
Did he say why bin Laden is at large & why Iraq was
more important than his capture?
Two years after the September 11th attacks, Osama bin Laden
is still at large and issuing threats to the United States. Instead
of putting more resources into "hunting him down," Bush put
resources into a war in Iraq a war a recent U.S. Army report
said "was not integral to the global war on terrorism, but rather
a detour from it."
Did he explain why no WMD have been found after he
said Iraq's WMD justified war?
Despite having 10 months and unlimited access to the country,
no WMD have been found in Iraq.
Did he explain why he falsely claimed Saddam obtained
nuclear material?
One year ago, the President said, "Saddam Hussein recently
sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." When this
was proven to be false, the Administration blamed the CIA.
But the CIA noted it had told the White House to exclude that
claim from the speech. The Administration has yet to explain
why the President made the claim when he knew it was false.
Did he explain why he wants to cut benefits for the
military during a time of war?
At the same time he deployed over 100,000 soldiers into
combat in Iraq, the President proposed to cut $1.5 billion out
of military family housing, ban Guard and Reserves from access
to the Pentagon's health care system and reduce soldiers' pay
all while denying one million children of military families from
receiving the child tax credit.
Did he explain why he has not cooperated with the
commission investigating 9/11?
First the White House opposed the creation of the bipartisan
9/11 commission. Recently, it refused to give over documents
to the commission. Now it is trying to move the release of the
commission's report until after the election.
Did he explain why his staff has not turned in the person
who leaked classified info?
After a White House official leaked the name of a CIA official
to the news media in retaliation, President Bush said he wanted
the leak found. But he has yet to formally demand his staff to
turn in the leaker.
During the State of the Union, Americans expect the President to address
the most pressing concerns facing the country. The Center for American
Progress gives you a brief checklist to see whether President Bush does
just that:
YES
NO
Did he explain why he has not fixed the unemployment
crisis?
Since March of 2001, the economy has shed more than 2
million jobs. While the President has said that the economy
looks "good," unemployment is still at 5.7%. Because the job
situation was so bleak last month, 255,000 jobless Americans
simply stopped looking for work.
Did he provide any evidence that his tax cuts helped
anyone other than the wealthy?
In 2005, the President's most recent tax bill gives people who
make over $1 million an average tax cut of more than $22,000.
At the same time, it gives people making $35,000 per year a
tax cut of $47 all while middle-class wages stagnate and
health care costs skyrocket.
Did he explain how we can afford $1 trillion in new tax
cuts at a time of budget deficits?
The budget deficit stands at $500 billion the largest in
American history. At the same time, the President is pushing a
$1 trillion plan to make his tax cuts for the wealthy permanent.
While the White House says it has a proposal to cut the deficit
in half, the fine print of the proposal shows that it purposely
omits huge inevitable expenditures. For instance, the proposal
omits all costs of occupying Iraq and Afghanistan after 2004.
Did he explain why he is underfunding his own education
bill?
While the No Child Left Behind Act promised historic funding
increases for education, the last two budgets the President
authored have fallen at least $7 billion short of those promises.
As a result, hundreds of thousands of children are being cut
from education programs, and tens of thousands of teachers
are not receiving the training they are required to have.
Did he offer a plan to provide health care to over 40
million uninsured Americans?
President Bush proposed billions for a Mars mission, and
universal health care to all Iraqis within a year. Yet, his top
health care official says providing health insurance to all
Americans by 2010 is "not realistic." While Bush is expected to
propose "block grants," this plan does not definitively guarantee
health care for all citizens.
Did he promise that his Medicare bill will provide the
same drug benefit to every senior?
Despite promises to the contrary, the Medicare bill provides no
standards for which prescription drugs will be covered, how
much beneficiaries will have to pay, or what they will have to
pay all while sending billions to HMOs and drug companies.
Did he explain how he will safeguard the environment
after unraveling regulations?
Rhetoric about clear skies and healthy forests aside, this
administration has weakened clean air/clean water laws, cut
funding for toxic cleanups and opened up protected forests for
logging.
Did he say why bin Laden is at large & why Iraq was
more important than his capture?
Two years after the September 11th attacks, Osama bin Laden
is still at large and issuing threats to the United States. Instead
of putting more resources into "hunting him down," Bush put
resources into a war in Iraq a war a recent U.S. Army report
said "was not integral to the global war on terrorism, but rather
a detour from it."
Did he explain why no WMD have been found after he
said Iraq's WMD justified war?
Despite having 10 months and unlimited access to the country,
no WMD have been found in Iraq.
Did he explain why he falsely claimed Saddam obtained
nuclear material?
One year ago, the President said, "Saddam Hussein recently
sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa." When this
was proven to be false, the Administration blamed the CIA.
But the CIA noted it had told the White House to exclude that
claim from the speech. The Administration has yet to explain
why the President made the claim when he knew it was false.
Did he explain why he wants to cut benefits for the
military during a time of war?
At the same time he deployed over 100,000 soldiers into
combat in Iraq, the President proposed to cut $1.5 billion out
of military family housing, ban Guard and Reserves from access
to the Pentagon's health care system and reduce soldiers' pay
all while denying one million children of military families from
receiving the child tax credit.
Did he explain why he has not cooperated with the
commission investigating 9/11?
First the White House opposed the creation of the bipartisan
9/11 commission. Recently, it refused to give over documents
to the commission. Now it is trying to move the release of the
commission's report until after the election.
Did he explain why his staff has not turned in the person
who leaked classified info?
After a White House official leaked the name of a CIA official
to the news media in retaliation, President Bush said he wanted
the leak found. But he has yet to formally demand his staff to
turn in the leaker.
