Bush
Republican Policies: Wrong Direction for African American Families
Americans are worried about gas prices,
health care costs, college tuition, and the continued war in
Democrats
have a plan for better American jobs and better pay, while the Republican
economy is moving in the wrong direction for African American families.
·
The real median household income
of African American families is down $2,273 since 2000 and, because of rising
consumer costs, the purchasing power of the minimum wage is at its lowest
level in 50 years. [CPS, 8/05; CEPR,
6/06]
·
Over the last five years, the
number of African Americans living in poverty has grown by 1.4 million. Now
nearly one in four African Americans, including one in three children, lives
in poverty. [CPS,
8/05]
·
Of the 2.8 million manufacturing
jobs lost since President Bush took office, African Americans suffered the
greatest loss – a drop of 25% in manufacturing jobs between February 2001
and December 2004. [National Urban
League, 1/05]
·
Instead of creating good paying
American jobs, Republicans have provided billions in corporate tax subsidies
for shipping jobs overseas and steadfastly refused to increase the minimum
wage for nine years.
·
Democrats are fighting to repeal
tax giveaways that encourage companies to move jobs overseas and raise the
minimum wage to $7.25 an hour benefiting more than 2.4 million hard-working African
Americans. [EPI, 6/06]
Democrats are fighting to make college more affordable, while
Republicans have slashed federal student aid by $12 billion.
· Across the country, the costs of attending a 4-year public college have jumped 32% and the costs of attending a 4-year private college have jumped 21% since fall 2000. [Dept. of Education, 2005]
·
Today, the typical student
borrower now graduates from college with $17,500 in debt. [Project
on Student Debt, 2004]
· Only 17% of African Americans over age 25 have a bachelor’s degree. [WSJ, 6/02]
· But rather than helping the 2.1 million African American students at degree-granting institutions and the many more seeking the opportunity to attend college, Republicans have made it harder to pay for college – cutting $12 billion out of federal student aid. [Dept. of Education, 2005]
·
Democrats have a plan to make
college more affordable for students – expanding and simplifying tax credits
for college tuition; expanding Pell Grants; and cutting interest rates in half
on student loans, saving the average student $5,600 over the lifetime of their
loans.
Democrats will make health care more affordable, while Republicans have done nothing to help African American families with rising health care costs.
· In 2005, the typical family was paying $1,200 more a year for health insurance – increasing 55% in real terms. [KFF, 2005]
· During President Bush’s tenure in the White House, the number of African Americans without health insurance has increased by 760,000 to more than 7.4 million. [CPS, 8/05]
· Yet the Republican leadership has failed to take action to lower health care costs for middle-class working families.
· Instead, Republicans created a flawed Medicare prescription drug plan, written by the drug industry, which has failed to reduce drug prices for the 3.9 million African American Medicare beneficiaries. [KKF, 11/05]
·
Democrats will address health
care affordability by fixing the Republican prescription drug program and
making insurance more affordable for both employers and employees.
Democrats
are fighting for retirement security, while the Republican plan to privatize
Social Security puts African Americans’ retirement
security in jeopardy.
·
Three-quarters of African American Social Security
beneficiaries rely on the monthly benefits for at least half of their income and
40% rely on the benefits for all of their income. [NCPSSM, 2/05]
·
Without Social Security benefits, the poverty rate among
African American seniors would double.[NCPSSM, 2/05]
·
The Republican plan to privatize Social Security would undermine
workers’ retirement security by cutting Social Security benefits for the
middle class and adding trillions to the national debt.
·
This could hurt the 4.8 million African
Americans receiving Social Security benefits. [SSA,
12/05]
·
Democrats will ensure a dignified retirement for
all workers by stopping the privatization of Social Security,
expanding retirement savings incentives and enacting real pension reform.
Democrats
have a plan to lower gas prices and achieve energy independence, while
Republicans are giving subsidies to profitable oil companies.
·
Americans across
the country are paying more than $3.00, on
average, for a gallon of regular gasoline – more than double what they paid when Bush took office in January
2001. [AAA, 7/06]
·
As a result of
these high prices, a two-car American family
will spend an additional $2,064 on
gasoline. [House Government Reform
Committee, Dem. Staff, 7/06]
·
Instead of working to bring down
rising fuel costs, Republicans in Congress continue to push for billions in
subsidies for Big Oil even as these companies report record profits.
·
Democrats will fight price-gouging
and end Big Oil tax subsidies; invest in developing alternative energy resources
from the American heartland; and achieve independence from foreign oil.
Democrats
fight for fiscal responsibility, while GOP creates record budget deficits.
·
In five years, President Bush and
Republicans in Congress have taken a projected 10-year surplus of $5.6 trillion
and turned it into record debt.
·
President Bush has borrowed a
staggering $1 trillion from foreign nations – more than the previous 42
·
The net impact of Republicans’
irresponsible economic policies is a debt burden of $28,322 for a typical
American middle-income family of four. [Citizens
for Tax Justice, 6/06]
·
Democrats have a plan to reduce the
federal deficit and restore the fiscal discipline of the 1990s that helped spur
record economic growth.
Democrats
have a plan for real security, while Republicans have mismanaged the war in
·
The Bush Administration’s
mismanagement of the
·
This has put a tremendous strain on
families of the 51,209 African American National Guardsmen and Reservists who
have served in Iraq or Afghanistan – many of whom have been called up multiple
times. [DOD, 5/06]
·
Here at home, Republicans in
Congress have repeatedly failed to adequately secure our ports and borders and
properly equip first responders across the nation.
·
Democrats will transform the failed
Bush Administration policies in
·
Democrats will implement all of the
recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, ensuring police, firefighters and other
first responders have the equipment and training they need.
· Democrats will pass a New GI Bill of Rights for the 21st Century to honor the sacrifice of our nation’s 2.4 million African American veterans and ensure that they receive all the benefits they have earned and deserve. [Census, 1/06]