Saturday, July 19, 2008

Barnes: "Are you better off than you were eight years ago?"

Tuesday evening, July 15th, Kay Barnes announced the grand opening of a campaign office in her hometown of St. Joseph. Speaking to a group of supporters from Buchanan County, Barnes echoed the call for change she sounded 14 months ago when she announced her candidacy in front of her mother's home in St. Joseph.
"In 2001, when President Bush and Congressman Sam Graves were sworn into office together, they inherited a strong economy and a budget surplus. Bush and Graves told us they had a plan to continue growing the economy, pay down our national debt, secure our borders, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. Well, as I give you some facts about the last eight years, I invite you to ask yourself the question: Are you better off than you were eight years ago?" Barnes asked.
Barnes listed the following facts:
"The cost of living has spiraled out of control: gas prices have almost tripled; food prices have soared; and health care premiums have almost doubled -- from about $7,000 per family in 2000 to $12,000 per family today.
"Wasteful spending on pork barrel projects like the "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska has doubled. Fiscal irresponsibility has turned record surpluses into record deficits and caused the value of the dollar to plummet.
"Five million more illegal immigrants have entered the United States.
"Six straight months of job losses and rising unemployment has followed the weakest job expansion since the Great Depression. Under Bush and Graves - more than 3 million manufacturing jobs have been lost."
Barnes concluded: "Now, let me ask you: Are you better off than you were eight years ago? Most American's aren't. George Bush is already headed out the door, and Sam Graves has got to go with him."

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