CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- I'm tired of lying politicians and deceptive ads bought by corporations and PACs! Since I'm retired, I have time to research the facts. They may be helpful to working voters who don't have such time:
1. President Obama has not kept his promise to raise the minimum wage. Raising minimum wage to $10 boosts the economy over $30 billion a year in new consumer spending. The typical minimum wage earner is a white adult female. In West Virginia, a restaurant server gets about $2.75 and hopes tips will bring them to $10. Romney and Ryan have both opposed raising the minimum wage. Let's pressure the president and Congress to raise the minimum wage.
2. President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Act, Equal Pay for Equal Work. Paul Ryan voted against it. Mitt Romney won't say where he stands.
3. President Obama lowered taxes, the lowest they've been in 30 years, and prevented a full-blown depression. Romney and Ryan protect the highest-income 2 percent from paying their fair share of taxes. This same 2 percent have plenty of cash and have yet to create any U.S. jobs.
4. EPA regulations are always blamed for economic woes. Listen to Sen. Joe Manchin, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, Rep. Ryan and former Gov. Romney. In actuality, the economic crisis was caused by speculators who abused taxpayer-insured deposits after lobbying Congress to shatter Glass-Stegall, the 1933 regulation created to protect Americans from another Great Depression. Glass-Stegall separated investment and commercial banking. At the same time, the FDIC was created to protect workers' savings. With the dismantling of Glass-Stegall, it was easy for banks to have access to federal money. Under George W. Bush, $45 billion was used to bail out Citigroup alone!
5. The USA is still the largest economy in the world with vast natural resources, a good education system, creative innovators and an educated workforce. To listen to many politicians you would believe that China is the largest economy.
6. Proposing the deficit as the biggest threat to our finances has been the theme for almost three years. Economists say not! Cutting public sector jobs for teachers, firemen, policemen; cutting school budgets; breaking unions; shredding safety nets for the most vulnerable among us are measures that will create a large uneducated, unemployed mass of people. At that point, there may be no return to the America we all believe in.
7. We constantly hear that President Obama has made the economy worse. Nothing is further from the truth! The stimulus of 2009 did work! Analysts from Moody's and Princeton concluded that without it, unemployment would have risen above 11 percent and the GDP would have been almost a trillion dollars lower. Dishonest politicians don't tell the truth on this one.
8. President Obama should take credit for weakening Al-Qaeda and the death of Osama Bin Laden. It was his call and he made it!
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- I'm tired of lying politicians and deceptive ads bought by corporations and PACs! Since I'm retired, I have time to research the facts. They may be helpful to working voters who don't have such time:
1. President Obama has not kept his promise to raise the minimum wage. Raising minimum wage to $10 boosts the economy over $30 billion a year in new consumer spending. The typical minimum wage earner is a white adult female. In West Virginia, a restaurant server gets about $2.75 and hopes tips will bring them to $10. Romney and Ryan have both opposed raising the minimum wage. Let's pressure the president and Congress to raise the minimum wage.
2. President Obama signed the Lily Ledbetter Act, Equal Pay for Equal Work. Paul Ryan voted against it. Mitt Romney won't say where he stands.
3. President Obama lowered taxes, the lowest they've been in 30 years, and prevented a full-blown depression. Romney and Ryan protect the highest-income 2 percent from paying their fair share of taxes. This same 2 percent have plenty of cash and have yet to create any U.S. jobs.
4. EPA regulations are always blamed for economic woes. Listen to Sen. Joe Manchin, Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, Rep. Ryan and former Gov. Romney. In actuality, the economic crisis was caused by speculators who abused taxpayer-insured deposits after lobbying Congress to shatter Glass-Stegall, the 1933 regulation created to protect Americans from another Great Depression. Glass-Stegall separated investment and commercial banking. At the same time, the FDIC was created to protect workers' savings. With the dismantling of Glass-Stegall, it was easy for banks to have access to federal money. Under George W. Bush, $45 billion was used to bail out Citigroup alone!
5. The USA is still the largest economy in the world with vast natural resources, a good education system, creative innovators and an educated workforce. To listen to many politicians you would believe that China is the largest economy.
6. Proposing the deficit as the biggest threat to our finances has been the theme for almost three years. Economists say not! Cutting public sector jobs for teachers, firemen, policemen; cutting school budgets; breaking unions; shredding safety nets for the most vulnerable among us are measures that will create a large uneducated, unemployed mass of people. At that point, there may be no return to the America we all believe in.
7. We constantly hear that President Obama has made the economy worse. Nothing is further from the truth! The stimulus of 2009 did work! Analysts from Moody's and Princeton concluded that without it, unemployment would have risen above 11 percent and the GDP would have been almost a trillion dollars lower. Dishonest politicians don't tell the truth on this one.
8. President Obama should take credit for weakening Al-Qaeda and the death of Osama Bin Laden. It was his call and he made it!
9. The War in Iraq is over and Afghanistan is drawing down. Peter Orszag, director of the Office of Management and Budget, has said the nation could be back on its feet by 2014, saving $140 billion.
10. The automobile industry was not only saved but turned into an American Success Story -- $96 billion in losses to personal income was avoided; 1.45 million American jobs were saved; 115,000 new jobs were created. President Obama made the call. Mitt Romney doesn't tell the real story; no private investors were willing to step up to save the industry.
11. You hear a lot of crazy talk about the president not being American. Do we say that about others born in Hawaii?
12. Does anyone really want to repeal his or her health-care benefits? The Affordable Health Care Act has moved us away from complete control by insurance companies. Insurers must now spend at least 80 percent of what they receive on health-care services, not on company profits, CEO salaries, or marketing. Medicare beneficiaries now have free preventive measures. Now, 102 million consumers no longer face a lifetime dollar limit on an insurance policy; 2.5 million adults up to age 26 may remain on their parents' insurance. No longer are 90,000 children denied by insurance companies because of pre-existing conditions. Medicare Part B has been strengthened.
13. Paul Ryan and Mitt Romney have yet to offer any ideas about job creation. I keep listening, but all I hear is criticism of what the president has done.
14. Neither Mitt Romney nor Paul Ryan tackle real budget issues. They would merely cut the budget on food stamps for needy families, and saddle our nation with a $775 billion defense budget that even the generals don't believe we need. America is better than hurting the poorest among us. Paul Ryan, a Catholic, is not supported by his Church with this budget.
15. The use of contraception is nobody's business. The Catholic Church, Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney and a number of politicians want to decide such private choices for you. Religious freedom does not mean one group of people can dictate to others.
Graf, a retired minister and former congressional candidate, lives in Charles Town.
Get Connected