EXAGGERATIONS -- BUSH EXAGGERATES ON GORE EXAGGERATIONS

RHETORIC: "During his debate with Senator Bradley saying he authored the EITC, Earned Income Tax Credit."

REALITY: Gore never said he authored EITC; Never said it during primary debate. In a November 1999 interview with Time magazine, the Vice President commented on a proposal offered by his Democratic primary opponent, Senator Bill Bradley, to expand the EITC: "[He (Bradley) proposes] the expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. I was the author of that proposal. I wrote that, so I say, welcome aboard." As is clear from the quote, the Vice President was discussing Senator Bradley's proposal to expand the EITC -- not the original legislation to create the program in the 1970s. The Vice President was merely suggesting that he had already offered a similar proposal to expand the credit. In fact, then-Senator Gore did introduce legislation in 1991, entitled the Working Families Tax Relief Act, which attempted to expand the EITC for low-income families.[S. 995, 102nd Congress, The Washington Post, 5/7/91]

The Administration Passed an Expansion of the EITC. Al Gore cast the deciding vote for the Administration's 1993 economic plan, which included provisions expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit. This expansion helped 15 million working families lower their tax burden. [White House Web Page, Office of Economic Policy, Department of Treasury release, 4/29/96]

HATE CRIMES -- BUSH REFUSED TO SUPPORT HATE CRIMES LEGISLATION IN TEXAS

RHETORIC: Moderator: "On hate crimes laws?" Mr. Bush: "Got one in Texas."

REALITY: Bush Refused to Support Hate Crimes Legislation. Bush would not take a position on the James Byrd Jr. Hates Crimes Act -- a Texas bill named for the African American who was dragged to death in a racially-motivated crime. The bill would have increased criminal penalties for hate crimes, provided specialized training for police officers and provided civil remedies for victims targeted because of their race, gender or sexual orientation. "I've always said all crime is hate crime. People, when they commit a crime, have hate in their heart. And it's hard to distinguish between one degree of hate and another," Bush said. After the bill passed the House, there was a short amount of time to get it through the Senate due to deadlines in the Texas legislature on when legislation must be out of committee. The day before the bill was to expire, Texas Senator John Whitmire said, "I beg the governor, get involved in this issue as you do tax reform." When asked whether he supported the bill, Bush said, "I will look at the bill when it makes it to my desk, if it makes it to my desk." [New York Times, 5/16/99; Houston Chronicle, 4/5/99, 3/29/99, AP, 5/14/99; Dallas Morning News, 3/23/99]

Bush Claims He Signed Hate Crime Legislation. In May 1999, Bush claimed that although he did not express support for the James Byrd Jr. Hates Crimes Act, he "signed a hate-crimes bill in 1997. We had one on the books in 1993." The 1993 law, which increases penalties for crimes based on "bias or prejudice" was signed by former governor Richards in 1993. The law had been criticized for being too broad, and the 1999 hate crimes legislation specified protections for crimes committee based on race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. One problem with the 1993 law was that it created a jurisdiction problem for which courts would hear the case. The bill Bush refers to that he signed in 1997 was clarifying legislation to sidestep the jurisdiction problem. [Dallas Morning News, 5/22/99]

Bush Said Texas "Defacement Laws" Provided Protection From Some Hate Crimes, Hate Crime Laws Give "Special Treatment." In an interview on "Meet the Press," Bush said hate crime laws give special treatment to people. The exchange was:

"[Russert]: Your pastor, Governor, said, 'Let's send a message that Texas is not a hate state and pass this law.' Will you listen to your minister?

[Bush]: The best way to send a message, in all due respect to my minister, whom I love dearly, for Texas to send a message is to hold people accountable for their behavior. I also have problems trying to figure out how we prosecute thought in America. I mean, hate is hate. Hate is hate. It's like when the guy walked into the Columbine High School and, unfortunately, shot two men, one white and one black, now what's the difference between that crime? Hate is hate.

[Russert]: But is swastikas on a church?

[Bush]: Well, we've got defacement laws in the state.

[Russert]: Make a statement that this is serious.

[Bush]: It is serious, and the next President of the United States must fight against discrimination. But I think we can do so without special treatment of people." [NBC, "Meet the Press," 11/21/99]

HATE CRIMES -- BUSH EXAGGERATES ON BYRD FAMILY

RHETORIC: "And the three men murdered James Byrd, guess what's going to happen to them? They're going to be put to death."

REALITY: Only 2 of 3 Received the Death Penalty. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "Byrd was tied to the back of a pickup and dragged to death in Jasper in 1998. It was a crime that shocked the world. The three suspects were captured and tried. Two received the death penalty, and one was sentenced to life in prison." [Fort Worth Star-Telegram 9/15/00]

HEALTH CARE -- BUSH MISLEADS ON HEALTH CARE

RHETORIC: Bush said his health insurance plan will help those most in need

REALITY: Bush's Proposal Would Not Be Affordable for Those Most In Need. Bush's plan only provides tax credits of $2,000 when the average health care plan for families costs $5,000-$6,000. This disparity was described by the Washington Post: " "The subsidy he proposes is too low to reduce significantly the number of people in the country without health insurance. The plan in that sense is a shell." On expert said the plan would not be affordable to anyone making less than $40,000 a year. [Washington Post editorial, 4/13/00; Chicago Tribune, 4/13/00; Families USA release, 4/11/00]

RHETORIC: Bush said his health insurance plan will help those most in need

REALITY: Bush's Plan Could Force More People Off of Health Insurance. Bush advocated expanding Medical Savings Accounts (MSAs) to cover the uninsured. MSAs allow people to set aside money tax-free to pay for medical expenses. MSA's "lure" the healthiest and wealthiest people out of the insurance pool because they anticipate fewer health care costs and can expect to be able to shelter some income from taxes. This would leave the sickest and poorest facing increased health care costs. Research indicates if 25 percent of healthy people enrolled in MSA's, premiums for traditional coverage would increase by 63 percent. If 100 percent of healthy people enrolled in MSA's, premiums on traditional plans would increase by 335 percent. [Families USA Fact Sheet on Medical Savings Accounts, 2/22/00; Testimony of Consumers Union Health Policy Analysis Director Gail Shearer before the House Democratic Health Working Group; 7/22/98; Consumer's Union fact sheet on Medical Savings Accounts, 7/16/98]

RHETORIC: Bush said his plan would provide "affordable health care with high quality product."

REALITY: MSAs Inefficient Use Of Dollars. According to Families USA, the IRS projected that expansion of MSAs would only cover 10,000 of the 44.3 million uninsured and increases premiums for those in traditional Medicare. The non-partisan Consumers Union estimates that fully expanding MSAs would cost the government about $4 billion over 10 years, averaging $400 million a year. [Testimony of Consumers Union Health Policy Analysis Director Gail Shearer before the House Democratic Health Working Group, 7/22/98; Families USA Fact Sheet on Medical Savings Accounts, 2/22/00]

Bush Plan Is "Really Not Affordable" For Anyone Making Less Than $40,000: "Karen Davis, president of the Commonwealth Fund, says studies show that people won't buy health insurance if their out-of-pocket costs exceed 5 percent of their income. Under Bush's plan, a family earning $30,000 would be spending more than 10 percent of their earnings to get covered. 'This is really not affordable for anyone below $40,000,' said Davis. Goodman said those who don't choose to buy insurance would be taken care of by 'safety net' providers such as public hospitals and free health clinics. Studies have shown many of those are in precarious shape because of budget cuts and the loss of paying patients." [Chicago Tribune, 4/13/00]

RHETORIC: AHPs Can Help Improve Health Care Coverage

REALITY: AHPs Will Have Detrimental Effects.

Allow "Association Health Plans" for small businesses that will help few but raise premiums for many. George Bush would allow business associations to cross state lines and avoid state laws to offer their own health insurance plans. Not only do major consumer, state and insurance associations oppose this policy, but the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that premiums for small businesses that don't join AHPs would rise by 2 percent to help only 330,000 uninsured to gain coverage. [CBO, January 2000]

Weaken, not strengthen, CHIP. George Bush would "lift restrictions on state flexibility" in the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), despite its already unprecedented state flexibility and bipartisan support. The only major "restrictions" in CHIP relate to its protections for children and its provisions to ensure Federal funds are efficiently spent. The Clinton-Gore Administration does support additional flexibility in CHIP, allowing states to receive waivers of the few statutory requirements if that flexibility increases coverage. [HCFA, DHHS, 7/31/00] However, Texas is one of the few states that has not taken advantage of the full range of options under CHIP to expand coverage, instead keeping a burdensome application process that discourages families from signing up their children. [NGA, 1999]

ENVIRONMENT -- VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS

RHETORIC: "We need to make sure that if we do control our plants that there's mandatory -- that the plants must conform to clean air standards, the grandfather plants that's what we did in Texas, no excuses. You must conform."

REALITY: Mandatory Reduction Bill Only Applies to Certain Plants. In 1999, Bush signed another voluntary emission reduction bill for most grandfathered companies. That same year, he signed the energy deregulation bill, SB 7, which does mandate a reduction in emissions for grandfathered utility companies. SB 7 will only address a fraction of the current air pollution in Texas. The bill requires utilities to decrease their emissions by 50 percent. Currently, utility companies make up only one third of grandfathered emissions. [Austin American?Statesman, 6/2/99]

Bush Signed Another Voluntary Bill That Same Year. In 1999, Bush signed another voluntary permit bill into law. SB766 does not mandate that companies clean up their air pollution, but does increase the fees they must pay if they continue to pollute. Environmentalists estimated that only eight or nine grandfathered companies -- out of more than 800 -- are likely to reduce emissions because of the legislation. The bill had been mandatory and late in the legislative process was made voluntary. "The responsibility for the failure of the Texas Legislature to pass legislation closing the grandfather loophole and achieving necessary clean air benefits for Texas rests with George W. Bush. ... The Governor chose to placate his polluter friends and contributors rather than move more aggressively against grandfathered polluters," said Ken Kramer, director of the Sierra Club. "I do not believe you can sue your way or regulate your way to clean air and clean water," Bush has said. [Sierra Club Press Release, 6/1/99; San Antonio Express?News, 6/4/99; Dallas Morning News, 12/1/99]

HEALTH CARE -- ADMINISTRATION'S RECORD

RHETORIC: Gore and the Administration Have Failed on Health Care.

REALITY: Gore and the Administration Have Overseen Improvements in Health Care Coverage.

America is healthier than it was eight years ago. During the Clinton-Gore Administration, infant mortality dropped and immunization rates are at an all-time high. For the first time ever, the total number of cancer deaths in the United States has stopped rising, and the number of Americans diagnosed with AIDS has declined as well. And, in reversal of a 12 year trend, new data indicates that the number of people - including over 1 million children - with health insurance has increased. [CPS, 2000]

REALITY: Gore and the Administration Have A Strong Record Of Accomplishment on Health Care

Gore Fought for a Strong, Enforceable Patients' Bill of Rights for All Americans. Al Gore has been an advocate for a Patients' Bill of Rights to ensure that people insured by HMOs get the health care they need, when they need it. He has called for granting patients the right to appeal a denial of treatment to an outside review board, improving access to specialists, and guaranteeing coverage of emergency room treatment. The Washington Post reported that "Gore has been an outspoken advocate of the Patients' Bill of Rights." [Dallas Morning News, 9/27/98; Federal News Service, 1/14/98; Washington Post, 4/6/99]

Gore and the Administration Increased the Portability of Health Insurance. In 1996, the Administration signed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which helped people keep their health care coverage when they change or lose their job. The Act, which has helped millions people, also places limits on exclusions for pre-existing conditions so health insurance companies cannot subjectively deny coverage. [Palm Beach Post, 8/22/96; CQ Weekly Report, 8/3/96; www.whitehouse.gov]

Gore and the Administration Made the Largest Investment in Children's Health Care Since 1965. Al Gore and the Administration have worked to provide health insurance to millions of children who need it. As of September 1999, nearly 2 million children were covered by the Administration's Children's Health Insurance Program - which now includes programs approved in 56 states and territories. This program will cover up to 5 million children throughout the United States. [AP, 9/2/98; Dept. of Health & Human Services Release, 2/24/00; www.whitehouse.gov]

HEALTH CARE -- CHIPS

RHETORIC: Providing Health Care to All Americans is a Priority of His…

REALITY: That Health Care Has Never Been a Priority of His, 2 Speeches in 6 Years as Governor…

Bush Did Not Make Health Care a Priority in Texas. According to the New York Times, "The state (of Texas) ranks near the top in the nation in rates of AIDS, diabetes, tuberculosis and teenage pregnancy, and near the bottom in immunizations, mammograms and access to physicians. But since George W. Bush became governor in 1995, he has not made health a priority, his aides acknowledge. He has never made a speech on the subject, his press office says." After the article ran, Bush's staff did find two health care speeches Bush had given during his 6 years as governor. [New York Times, 4/11/00, 4/12/00]

RHETORIC: "We've signed up over 110,000 children in the CHIPS program for comparable states our size, we're signing them up as fast as any other state."

REALITY: The State of Children in Texas Needs Improvement…

Texas Ranks Second to Last in Percentage of Uninsured Kids. Texas ranks 49th worst in the nation in the percentage of children without health insurance, behind only Arizona. In 1999, an estimated 1.4 million children in Texas, approximately one fourth of the children in the state, had no health insurance. [Dallas Morning News, 3/5/99; Austin American-Statesman, 3/13/99]

Bush Fought Efforts to Expand Children's Health Insurance. Even though Texas ranks second worst in the nation in the percentage of uninsured children (24 percent) and the number of kids lacking health insurance (1.4 million), Bush fought efforts to expand coverage to more children. In fact, Bush's initial 1999 budget proposal for the Children's Health Insurance Program would have denied coverageto 220,000 kids compared to the plan passed by the state legislature. CHIP provides health insurance for children in families that don't qualify for Medicaid and can't afford private insurance. In fact, while Texas had a $6.4 billion budget surplus, and $1.8 billion from the tobacco settlement, Bush had his staff lobby to contain expansion of the program, according to lawmakers involved in the negotiations. [Austin American-Statesman, 2/26/99; Dallas Morning News, 12/2/98; New Republic, 7/12/99]

Texas' Cumbersome Medicaid System Caused 600,000 Kids to Go without Health Care. In 2000, about 600,000 poor Texas children are eligible for Medicaid but are not enrolled. Health care advocates said many families did not realize they qualify for Medicaid or were unable to jump the state's administrative hurdles. "Texas' public policy is at times notably unfavorable to improving access to Medicaid for children in families at or below poverty, said Anne Dunkelberg, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities. [CPPP, "What Texas Parents Want from Children's Medicaid," 9/00; Dallas Morning News, 8/15/99]