Bradley Guinn – 9/12/04

This page was last updated on September 25, 2004.

What has Bush done for you?; Bradley Guinn; Beaver County Times; September 12, 2004.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“What has George Bush done for you lately? He has:”

[RWC] I didn’t realize it was the President’s job to “do stuff” for us. In general, I thought we were supposed to take care of ourselves. Then again, I’m a conservative, not a Marxist.

“* Taken away your overtime pay.”

[RWC] This is nice propaganda distributed by labor union management. A net one million workers will gain overtime protection.^{1,
2} Please read the papers referenced in the footnotes at the end of this critique. You’ll find far more detailed information in these papers than Mr. Guinn would like you to know. It’s fine to listen to your labor union officials for information, but you must also reference other sources if you expect to get both sides of an issue.

“* Increased the deductions for Medicare.”

[RWC] I suspect Mr. Guinn meant “deductible,” not deductions. Deductions are the Medicare taxes paid by employees and the tax rate hasn’t changed since 1986.

In any case, President Bush did not increase the deductible. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, “Medicare deductibles and premiums are updated annually in accordance with formulas set by law.”³

“* Introduced a factitious Medicare discount card.”

[RWC] Given the definition of “factitious” and the goal of his letter, I suspect Mr. Guinn meant “facetious.” Though I don’t like the idea of adding prescription drug coverage to Medicare, what’s facetious about this program, Mr. Guinn?

“* Entered into unnecessary wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.”

[RWC] That’s right. Our enemies can attack us and we should do nothing to strike back. Oh yeah, that’s what we did for the better part of 30 years and we see what that got us.

“* Caused more than 1,000 American deaths in the war against Iraq. I do not know what the totals are for the war in Afghanistan.”

[RWC] I thought the terrorists who want to kill us caused the deaths. Did President Bush also cause the American deaths on 9/11/01, those in Somalia in 1993, those on the U.S.S. Cole in 2000, et cetera?

According to the Pentagon, as of September 10, 2004, the number of Americans who died in Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) was 135; 53 of these were killed in action. For someone who supposedly cares so much about our armed forces, it’s odd Mr. Guinn couldn’t be bothered to look up this information.

“* Bled the military forces dry by recycling the regulars, Reserves and National Guard back to Iraq and Afghanistan. Are Iran and Syria next?”

[RWC] I don’t understand this. You have to make use of the servicemen and servicewomen available. If that means long deployments and short down time, that’s the way it is. I wish it weren’t that way, but we can’t stop fighting a war because we don’t have as many soldiers as we’d like. I think it’s clear we need to raise the armed forces authorized troop strength or alter the mix of Guard, Reserve, and full-time servicemen/servicewomen given that the world’s terrorists won’t disappear any time soon.

“* Introduced the USA Patriot Act.”

[RWC] What’s wrong with the Patriot Act, Mr. Guinn? Please provide specifics, not anti-Bush talking points. For the record, 83% of the House – including 69% of Democrats – and 98% of the Senate approved the Patriot Act.

“* Empowered Chaney [sic], Rumsfeld, Rice, Ashcroft, and Ridge.”

[RWC] Good choices. I’m glad they are on our side.

“* Questioned the heroism of McCain, Cleland and Kerry.”

[RWC] This is a lie and I’d bet Mr. Guinn could provide no example. Both President Bush and VP Cheney have said Kerry served honorably and should be proud of that service. Here’s a specific example from an August 30, 2004, interview with NBC’s Matt Lauer. Lauer asked, “Do you think you both act — served on the same level of heroism?” President Bush replied, “That no, I don’t. I think his going to Vietnam was more heroic than my flying fighter jets. I mean he was in harm’s way. I wasn’t. On the other hand, I served my country. Had my unit been called up, I would have gone.” That was a pretty gracious response given that Kerry – and his wife – likened Bush’s National Guard service to running away to Canada.

“* Interdicted the importation of prescription drugs from Canada.”

[RWC] Importation of drugs from Canada would work only for a brief time. The purchase agreement Canada has with drug companies is to meet the needs of Canadians, not Americans. If it appeared there would be mass importation of drugs from Canada, drug companies would simply restrict exports to Canada. To maintain a supply for its citizens, Canada would be forced to outlaw exports to the United States.

“* Condoned illegal immigration.”

[RWC] I don’t agree with all of President Bush’s immigration ideas, but he in no way condones illegal immigration. While we’re on the topic, which political party believes illegal immigrants should receive the same benefits as legal citizens, even to the point of voting? If you answered “Democrat,” you win. Isn’t support of these kinds of incentives the moral equivalent of condoning illegal immigration?

“I am sure readers can add to these articles of indictment.

“Remember, a vote for Arlen Specter, Rick Santorum Melissa Hart is the same as a vote for George Bush. Don’t you think it is time to turn the ship of state in a new direction? Our only weapons are our ballots.”

[RWC] This isn’t the first time Mr. Guinn referred to his vote as a “weapon.” I never considered my vote to be a weapon. I have a much higher opinion of my vote.

Despite President Bush’s support for Specter, make no mistake, Specter is no conservative. He’s a Democrat running as a Republican.

1. Who Benefits From the New Overtime Regulations? (Center for Data Analysis Report #04-08); Kirk A. Johnson, Ph.D.; The Heritage Foundation; August 16, 2004.

2. Modernizing Overtime Regulations to Benefit Employers and Employees (Backgrounder #1789); Paul Kersey; The Heritage Foundation; August 16, 2004.

3. HHS Announces Medicare Premium and Deductible Rates for 2004; U.S. Department of Health & Human Services; October 16, 2003.