Jane Delanko – 10/26/04

This page was last updated on October 26, 2004.

Third World here we come; Jane Delanko; Beaver County Times; October 26, 2004.

This is Ms. Delanko’s second anti-Bush letter since September 19^th. I wonder where she gets her “information.” I’m glad I don’t live in her world.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“I take interest in the debates; they do make a difference. We want to listen to the issues and the answers about the economy, health, taxes and the war in Iraq. These are very important issues in our country.

“Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida carry a lot of electoral votes, so it is important to vote. Our country is slowly becoming a Third World country.

“We need to change this around.”

[RWC] The United States “is slowly becoming a Third World country.” The unemployment rate (5.4%) is lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and is lower than the unemployment rate when we re-elected Bill Clinton in 1996. The unemployment rates of France and Germany are nearly double that. More Americans are working now than at any time in history. Our economy is growing faster than just about every other industrialized nation. More Americans own their own homes than at any time in history. You get the idea.

“Over and over, we hear of President George Bush’s errors. No president has lost jobs like Bush. Most importantly, there is no middle class. The tax burden of the wealthy has gone down while the middle class has gone up.”

[RWC] Not true. The Bureau of Labor Statistics household survey indicates there are more Americans working today than when President Bush took office. The non-partisan – according to John Kerry – Congressional Budget Office recently reported that the “wealthy” pay a greater portion of income taxes now than they did before the Bush tax cuts.

“On the subject of minimum wage, the president seemed to avoid this issue.”

[RWC] The minimum wage is wrong and a proven job killer. Whenever you artificially increase the price for a service, you decrease the demand for the service. Try as you might, you can’t fight the market and win.

“What is really frightening is that U.S. Sen. John Kerry has stated that terrorists can purchase guns at gun shows in the United States because of an expiration of a certain ban of semiautomatic weapons.”

[RWC] What BS! The so-called assault weapon ban was a joke. In any case, do you believe terrorists are going to acquire their weapons at any legitimate outlet?

“There is no system on health care, and what there is, is falling apart.”

[RWC] I’ve been receiving healthcare for over 51 years. How did that happen?

“Now the latest: our troops refused to perform duties because of broken down trucks and contaminated fuel. The trucks aren’t heavy and strong for war battles. They now claim this will be remedied.”

[RWC] I won’t comment on this until the investigations are complete. Right now all we have are accusations.

“As for flu shots, all the money we send overseas should be spent here so that we can all get flu shots.

[RWC] Money had nothing to do with the flu shot business. A problem in the manufacturing process caused contamination.

“I believe a president should be elected by popular vote and not electoral votes.

[RWC] I have no problem with this.

“And why can’t we get drugs from Canada, they are a lot cheaper.”

[RWC] I personally have no problem with importing drugs from Canada, but you are kidding yourself if you believe Canada would permit widespread exports of drugs to the United States. There is no way pharmaceutical companies will allow Canada to become a government price controlled cut rate supplier to the United States. Drug companies would simply restrict sales to the level required to meet Canadian needs. Because there’s no way Canada will let its citizens go without drugs to supply U.S. customers, Canada would likely ban exports to the United States.

Consider this excerpt from an AP article: “Canadians must stop Americans from using Internet pharmacies to raid its medicine chest or face a drug shortage, a coalition of Canadian groups representing seniors, pharmacies and patients has warned. The groups, claiming to represent 10 million Canadians, or about one-third the population, called on the Canadian government Monday to ban prescription drug exports. They argue that Canada cannot afford to address U.S. drug shortages and soaring prescription costs with its own stock, which are often considerably cheaper for Americans because of government price controls.”