John A. Lovra – 2/15/05

This page was last updated on February 15, 2005.

A long four years; John A. Lovra; Beaver County Times; February 15, 2005.

This is Mr. Lovra’s eighth anti-Bush letter since September 30, 2004.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“Now that the State of the Union address is over, it is time for President Bush to start spending his political capital.

“So where does he start, and what do we have to look forward to?

“Under his current budget proposal, the federal deficit will rise by $42 billion over the next five years if all programs were left at their current level.

“That doesn’t even take into account the more than $1 trillion it will cost to implement his new Social Security plan. Then, he expects us to believe that his plan will cut the deficit in half by 2009. Talk about fuzzy math.

“What does his budget proposal do? Well, as expected, more money will go to the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and to Homeland Security while cuts are being made in many programs.”

[RWC] Under the Constitution, the federal government has the responsibility to “provide for the common defence.” The war on terror obviously falls under that responsibility.

“Just a few of the programs on the chopping block are Medicaid, student loans, 48 education programs and grants for communities to hire more police officers. As if that isn’t enough, cuts are also planned for medical services to veterans.

[RWC] Unlike national defense, none of these items are responsibilities identified by the Constitution. The exception is veteran benefits, which fall under national defense.

“So, this is how Mr. Bush keeps his promises. He passes the No Child Left Behind Act and then cuts education programs.”

[RWC] I oppose any federal spending for education because it’s not a constitutional responsibility. That said, could Mr. Lovra present any evidence to show the proven benefits of the cut programs exceeded their cost?

“For the elderly, cut Medicaid.”

[RWC] Mr. Lovra needs to do some research. Medicaid is not targeted to the elderly, though elderly citizens can qualify. In any case, Medicaid is not a constitutional responsibility.

“For the brave men and women serving in the military, he says go fight for us, and thank you for your service, but don’t look for help when your service is done if you have any medical problems.”

[RWC] I don’t know what Mr. Lovra knows so I can’t call him a liar. His statement is false, however. The 2006 budget seeks a record $70.8 billion for Veterans Affairs. With this budget, healthcare funding for veterans will have increased 47% since 2001. That’s 47% in five years compared to 31.6% during Clinton’s eight years.

“Thanks a lot, George. It’s going to be a long four years.”

[RWC] It’ll be a long four years if Mr. Lovra keeps writing letters without checking facts.