Below are some major inaccuracies in today’s remarks by John Kerry.  I thought you might find these interesting.  Please take the time to read.

 

 

MAJOR INACCURACIES IN JOHN KERRY'S REMARKS IN MILWAUKEE, WI

 

Kerry’s College Tuition Claim:  “We'll offer a tax credit on up to $4,000 of college tuition so that young Americans can turn their aspirations into achievement.”  (Sen. John Kerry, Prepared Remarks At Campaign Event, Milwaukee, WI, 10/22/04)

 

• Kerry Promises A $4,000 Tax Credit But Detailed Documentation On His Website Reveals It Is Only $2,400.

 

·        $4,000: "He will provide a credit for each and every year of college on the first $4,000 paid in tuition - the typical tuition and fees at a public college or university." ("Making College Affordable for All Americans," www.johnkerry.com, Accessed 6/14/04)

 

·        $2,500: "He will provide a credit for each and every year of college on the first $4,000 paid in tuition - the typical tuition for public colleges. The credit will provide 100% of the first $1,000 and 50% on the rest." ("Restoring Jobs and Rebuilding Our Economy," www.johnkerry.com, Accessed 6/14/04)

 

·        $2,400: "John Kerry will make college affordable again by offering a new College Opportunity Tax Credit-a tax credit worth 60% of $4,000 for each of four years of college."  ("Families Continue To Struggle In Bush Economy," www.johnkerry.com, Accessed 6/14/04)

 

• Kerry’s Proposal Increases Tuition, Not Enrollment.  An analysis of current tax credit programs determined that they have no effect on increasing college enrollment. Instead, many states responded to tax credits by reducing appropriations to colleges and colleges responded by increasing their tuitions.  (Bridget Terry Long, “The Impact of Federal Tax Credits for Higher Education Expenses,” Harvard Graduate School of Education, 9/4/03; Steve Robblee, Simone Berkowitz, and Isabel Sawhill, “Education Proposals In The 2004 Presidential Campaign: A Preliminary Assessment,” Brookings Institution, 6/23/04)

 

• Kerry Can’t Afford His Higher Education Proposals.  Independent studies place the costs Kerry’s College Opportunity Tax Credit at $82 billion - nearly 60% higher than his estimate.  (Steve Robblee, Simone Berkowitz, and Isabel Sawhill, “Education Proposals In The 2004 Presidential Campaign: A Preliminary Assessment,” Brookings Institution, 6/23/04)

 

Kerry’s Children’s Health Care Claim:  “For the past four years, President Bush has turned a blind eye as premiums went up $3,500, 2 million more women lost their health coverage, and millions of children have just one option for health care: the emergency room in the middle of the night.”  (Sen. John Kerry, Prepared Remarks At Campaign Event, Milwaukee, WI, 10/22/04)

 

• The Percentage Of Children Who Lack Health Insurance Is At The Lowest Level It Has Been Since These Statistics Began Being Compiled.  11.4 percent of children in this country lack health insurance coverage -- down from a peak of 15.4 percent in 1998 under the Clinton Administration.  ("Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2003", www.census.gov, 8/04)

 

• The Number Of Children Enrolled In SCHIP Has Risen 75 Percent Since President Bush Took Office. By 2003, that number had risen to 5.8 million, a 75 percent increase. Over that same period, by working cooperatively with state governors, the Department of Health and Human Services increased the number of low-income adults and children on Medicaid by 6.8 million. ("Making Health Care More Affordable", www.whitehouse.gov, 9/2/04)

 

• To Ensure More Coverage For Uninsured Low-Income Children, The Administration Will Launch An Aggressive, Billion-Dollar Effort To Enroll Eligible Kids For Quality Health Care Coverage, With The Goal Of Covering Millions More SCHIP And Medicaid-Eligible Children Within The Next Two Years. (www.whitehouse.gov, "Making Health Care More Affordable," 9/2/04)

 

• Community Health Care Centers.  President Bush has dramatically expanded the nation's health care safety net, committing to a five year plan to open or expand 1,200 new health centers to serve an additional 6.1 million Americans.  Approximately 40 percent of patients at the health centers are children.  So far, there are 600 new or expanded health care sites in the nation to serve children and adults, and another 600 will be opened or expanded in the next two years.

 

Kerry’s Twisting Of Sec. Snow’s Words:  “Two weeks ago, the President's Treasury Secretary went to Ohio -- where they've lost more than 230,000 jobs -- and told them that those lost jobs were nothing but a ‘myth.’”  (Sen. John Kerry, Prepared Remarks At Campaign Event, Milwaukee, WI, 10/22/04)

 

• Secretary Snow Released Statement Clarifying Comment And Rebuking The Kerry Campaign’s False Attacks.  “In a statement … Snow responded: ‘In my comments, I was responding to criticisms of the president's economic policies and unfounded comparisons that are being made. Those charges are simply not credible. The president's leadership and policies turned this economy around and put it on an upward path. This was the key point I was making.’”  (Anne E. Kornblut, “Foes Fire Away In Final Round,” The Boston Globe, 10/14/04)

 

Kerry’s Education Funding Claim.  “We're going to fight to ensure that every child in America goes to a safe, quality school with smaller class sizes, good teachers and high-standards. We'll fully fund No Child Left Behind, and offer three and a half million children the afterschool programs they need to keep them off the streets and out of trouble. In the richest country on earth, it makes no sense to spend $50,000 a year to send a kid to prison for life, when we can spend $10,000 a year on early childhood education, Head Start, Smart Start, the best possible start in life.”  (Sen. John Kerry, Prepared Remarks At Campaign Event, Milwaukee, WI, 10/22/04)

 

• Kerry Will Slash Education Funding.  Kerry's $1.5 trillion government-run healthcare plan leaves no money for his education proposals.  (Joseph Antos, Roland King, Donald  Muse, Tom Wildsmith And Judy Xanthopoulos, "Analyzing The Kerry And Bush Health Proposals: Estimates Of Cost And Impact," American Enterprise Institute, 9/13/04; The Lewin Group, "Bush And Kerry Health Care Proposals: Cost And Coverage Compared," www.lewin.com, 9/21/04)

 

• Kerry’s Own Aides Admit Kerry Can’t Fund All Of His Education Proposals.  “Although Kerry's aides privately admit the Democratic candidate cannot fulfill all of his campaign promises and still reduce the deficit by half as promised…” ( “Kerry Gets Boost From Surprising Sources,” The Washington Post, 3/23/04)

 

• Kerry’s Domestic Policy Director Robert Gordon Said “We’re Committed To Scaling Them [Education] Back As Necessary.”  “Of course you can’t predict the future, and if proposals turn out not to fit within the budget framework, we’re committed to scaling them back as necessary. As you heard the other night, Senator Kerry has a firm commitment not to raise taxes for people who make less than $200,000 a year.”  (“The Kerry Education Agenda,” Education Week Chat, 10/15/04)