GUN VIOLENCE

 

651,697 Americans were killed in their homes, on the streets, in parking lots, in schools and other public and private places by gun violence in the 18 year period 1979 through 1997.  This was more than ALL Americans killed in battle in ALL wars since 1775 according to the National Center for Health Statistics.

 

 

A partial list of recent gun killings in the U. S with locations: Naval Yard and Army base protected by trained armed guards, 2 restaurants , 2 universities, street, movie theater, place of worship, sign company, shopping mall, elementary school, parking lot, beauty shop, beer distributor, nursing home and immigration center.

 

The dates and the number of people killed at the above locations: September 16, 2013-- 12, December 14, 2012 --27, December 11, 2012 --2, September 27, 2012 --5, August 5, 2012 –6,  April 2, 2012-- 7, March 30, 2012 –5,  October 12, 2011—8, September 6, 2011—5, January 8, 2011—6, August 3, 2010—8,  February 12, 2010—3, November 5, 2009—13, May 5, 2009—13, March 30, 2009—4, March 29, 2009—8, March 10, 2009—10.

 

The NRA and the gun industry have offered two solutions to reduce the number of gun killings (1) “The only thing that that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.” (2)”Train and place armed guards at all schools.”

 

There are 331 million people in America.  Mr. LaPierre did not tell us the number of  “good guys”  but if 90% of the population  (280 million) are considered good guys, 280 million “good guys” needing guns to stop the “bad guys” would create millions of dollars in gun sale profits for the gun industry.

 

Would taxpayer be willing to pay the additional millions of dollars necessary to train 3.3 million teachers to be armed guards, buy over 3 million guns to protect 30.1 million students at over 135,000 elementary and secondary school buildings?

 

If armed guards would make schools safe or reduce gun killings why should armed guards be limited only to schools?  Why should Americans not be safe from gun killings while at a restaurant (616,000) at a beauty shop (289,000), at the theater (38,605) and senior citizens while in a nursing homes (16,000) and hundreds of other locations.

 

Armed guards did not keep12 people killed from being killed at the Washington D.C Naval Yard or 13 people from being killed at Fort Hood Army Base?

 

If more guns made a country safer from gun killings the U.S as the leading country in gun ownership with 8.8 of every 10 citizen owning a gun the U.S would be the safest country in the world.  And Japan with less than 1 gun (0.6) per 100 citizens would be the leading country in gun deaths.  In 2011 the U.S had 32,163 gun killings and Japan had fewer than 100 gun killings that year.

 

261 congressional candidates in 2011, 236 Republicans and 25 Democrats, accepted contributions from the NRA.  Follow the money and see if those 236 Republicans and those 25 Democrats vote with/against the NRA on gun issues.

 

One month after 20 6 and 7 year old children were slaughtered at Sandy Hook Elementary School gun sales were UP 400% and membership in the NRA skyrocketed.

 

Sandy Hook and other mass gun killings is the goose which lays golden eggs worth millions of dollars for the gun manufactures and the NRA.

 

For over 30 years Americans have attempted to enact reasonable, common sense laws and regulations relating to guns.

 

For over 30 years the NRA and gun industry have  spread fear which caused many good Americans to believe they would lose their guns and politicians to believe they would be defeated at the next elections and EVERY effort to enact reasonable, common sense laws and regulations has been defeated.

 

Many people believe the large numbers of Americans killed by guns is a national tragedy. For the gun industry and the NRA gun killings are an opportunity to make millions of dollars.

 

What will America do about gun killings in the future?  Continue with more guns, more killings and millions of dollars for the gun industry and the NRA or will we all work together and enact reasonable laws and regulations relating to guns and have fewer guns and have fewer gun killings as in other countries such as Japan, Canada, and  England.

 

Auto manufacturers worked with the American People and politicians to reduce the number of people killed in auto accidents and equip cars at the time they are manufactured with seat belts and air bags.  In 2007 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated 15,147 lives were saved by seat belts and had seat belts been used 100% of the time an additional 5,024 lives would have been saved and 2,788 lives were saved by airbags.

 

How many American lives would be saved if the NRA and the gun industry, like the auto industry, would work with the American people and politicians to equip guns at the time of manufacture with safety locks, with technology that would prevent anyone other than the owner being able to fire the gun and requiring gun owners to equip the guns they now own with safety locks and keep their guns in a secure place accessible only to the owner?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEALTH, INCOME, UNEMPLOYMENT AND TAXES

 

Who owns the wealth in the U.S?  Whose wealth grows at the greatest rate?  Who receives the greatest percentage of U.S income and who has the greatest percentage

of income growth?  Who receives most of the tax cuts and who pays the lowest tax rate?

Who has the lowest unemployment rate?

 

WEALTH—the top 20% of Americans own 85% of America’s wealth. The bottom 80% of Americans own 15% of America’s wealth.

 

WEALTH-- for the top 5 % of Americans from 1983--2010 increased 74.2% while the wealth for the bottom 20% declined 2.6%

 

This is the division and growth of WEALTH during the greatest economic growth in America’s history during the Clinton Presidency 1992-2000 and this is the division and growth of wealth when America suffered its second greatest economic collapse during the George W. Bush Presidency 2001-2009.

 

INCOME –The top 1% OF Americans receive 17.2% of America’s income while the bottom 90% receive 55.5%.

 

INCOME GROWTH—income for the top 1% of Americans from 1979 through 2007 grew on average 275% while income for the bottom 20% grew at 18%, according to a study of the non partisan Congressional Budget Office.

 

INCOME GROWTH---income for the top 400 income earners in America increased on average 392% from 1992-2007.

 

This is the division and growth of  INCOME when  Democrats were in control of Congress  and this is the division and growth of income when Republicans controlled Congress

 

RATIO OF CEO PAY TO WORKER PAY-- In 1970 CEO’S made $25.00 for every $1 the average worker made.  In 2010 CEO pay skyrocketed to $500 for every $1 the average worker made.

 

This wide gap between what a CEO and what a worker is paid depends on only one thing---whether you are the CEO or whether you are the worker.  It is not determined by your race, religion political party or how many hours you work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UNEMPLOYMENT—the gap in the percentage of unemployed based on household income is at the widest level since these records were begun and the lowest household levels are near the unemployment rate for all workers during the Hoover depression.  The following charts were prepared by the Census Bureau:

 

Household income   Unemployment rate

Under $20,000          2011-24.5% -2012-22.6%-2013-21.3%

$20,000-$39,999      2011-12.2%- 2012-11.2%-2013-10.5%

$40,000-$59,999      2011-7.9%-  2012-7.3%-   2013-6.9%

$60,000-$74,999      2011-6.5%-  2012-5.5%-   2013-5.2%

$75,000-$99,999      2011-4.8%-   2012-4.5%-   2013-4.3%

$100,000-$149,999  2011-3.8%-   2012-4.0%-   2013-3.5%

$150,000+                2011-3.2%-   2012-3.0%-   2013-3.2% 

 

TAX CUTS from 2004-2012 after the Bush largest cuts in history for the top 1%  $522,062.00 and for the bottom 20% $1,426.00.

 

TAX RATE PAID--Warren Buffet the second richest man in the U.S with $60 billion in wealth PAYS A TAX RATE OF 11.6%, a rate lower than the rate his secretary pays--Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican Nominee for President after working 15 years has over $250 million in wealth which produces over $20 million in yearly income on which he pays a tax rate of 13.9%

 

Does your personal wealth fall within the 85% or 15% group?

Does your wealth grow at 74.2% or decline at 2.6%?

Does your income grow 275% or 18%?

Is your rate of unemployment 24.5% or 3.2%?

How much did you receive from the Bush tax cut?

How does your wealth and the tax rate you pay compare to the wealth and tax rate of Warren Buffet and Mitt Romney?

 

Name one industrialized country in the world which has a greater inequality of wealth than the U.S.

 

The facts indicate if you are in the top 10% of Americans you will do well financially in times of economic growth or economic disaster.  If you are in the bottom 10% you will not do well in times of economic growth or economic disaster or the rich always get richer and the poor always get poorer.

 

 

 

 

TAXPAYERS COST OF LITIGATING ARKANSAS ABORTION LAWS

 

   In 1958 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Cooper v. Aaron:   “The State of Arkansas could not pass legislation undermining the Court’s May 17, 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.”  For more than 50 years since that ruling the citizens of Arkansas have paid millions of taxpayer dollars in legal expenses litigating the unconstitutional segregation laws passed by the Arkansas legislature.

 

   In 1989 Arkansas taxpayers in all 75 Arkansas counties were ordered by the court to pay $70 million a year to help finance 6 magnet schools in Little Rock.  You do the math –24 years at $70 million a year –the amount Arkansas taxpayers in Cleburne County and the other 74 counties have paid to the Little Rock School District. No one knows when or if this $70 million yearly payment will end.

 

 In 2012 Judge Price Marshall approved an attorney fee of $875,000.00 to civil rights attorney John Walker to be paid by the Pulaski County Special School District.

 

  On March 26, 2012 a three judge panel of the 8^th U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Arkansas taxpayers must pay $69,972.00 to lawyers for the Little Rock School district and $149,417.50 to the civil rights lawyers who had intervened in the case.

 

  The most recent payment in the ongoing Little Rock school desegregation case was on July 23, 2013 when U.S. District Judge Price Marshall ordered taxpayers in the North Little Rock School District to pay attorney John Walker an additional fee of $87,500.00.

 

    In March 2013 the Republican controlled Arkansas Legislature passed Act 301 entitled the “Arkansas Human Heartbeat Protection Act” banning abortions after the 12^th week of pregnancy.  Governor Beebe vetoed the bill because it was in conflict with Roe v. Wade and unconstitutional.  The Republican legislature overrode the Governor’s veto and Act 301 was scheduled to become law August 13, 2013.

 

   The format for Act 301 and 16 other states was prepared by “American United for Life,” a Washington D.C. group.  Daniel McConchie Vice-President of  American United said:  “..we work with legislators to pass laws that will essentially spark the right kind of court challenge.”

 

  Arkansas Act 301 was promptly challenged in court and in May 2013 U.S. District Judge Susan Weber Wright issued a temporary injunction preventing Act 301 from becoming law until she rules on its constitutionality and stated:  “ the law was likely to be declared unconstitutional.”

 

  State abortion laws in Arizona, Oklahoma, Idaho, Iowa and Kentucky have been held unconstitutional.

 

 

  In this great country it is your privilege to support unconstitutional laws on segregation, abortion or any other subject and vote for lawmakers who enact such laws.

 

   Enacting and litigating unconstitutional segregation laws cost Arkansas taxpayers millions of dollars in legal expenses over the past 50 years millions which should have been spent improving the educational system.

 

   Will Arkansas taxpayers repeat the segregation experience and follow Republican lawmakers to federal court and spend millions of taxpayer dollars litigating unconstitutional abortion laws for the next 50 years?

 

    Will 50 years of litigation on abortion bring people on both sides of the abortion issue closer together or will they become more bitter and polarized?

 

   Will 50 years of litigation on abortion have any effect on the number of abortions?

 

   Some people believe “unwanted pregnancies” are the problem not abortion and they further believe society would be better served if we spent our time and millions of taxpayers dollars making pregnancy a “purposeful decision” not a “mistake.”

 

  Americans in 25 years eliminated polio and have made AIDS a treatable disease instead of a death sentence.

 

  If Americans would spend their time and resources reducing the number of “unwanted pregnancies” as they did on eliminating polio and making AIDS a treatable disease we would certainly reduce the number of “unwanted pregnancies” and make abortions unnecessary.

 

  Will Republican make government smaller by spending millions of taxpayer dollars enacting unconstitutional abortion laws and litigating those laws for the next 50 years? Reduce your taxes?

 

  Should the Arkansas legislature make the decision when and under what circumstances an Arkansas woman may exercise her constitutional right to have an abortion or should that be the decision of the woman involved, her doctor and her family?

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANYTHING I NEED TO DO TO WIN

 

     On August 15, 2013 New Jersey Republican governor Chris Christie appeared before the Republican National Committee summer meeting in Boston and made a speech which  many believe was the announcement of  his candidacy for president in the 2016 Republican primary.

 

   Christie told the RNC “I am going to do ANYTHING I need to do TO WIN.  I think we have some folks who think we have to be college professors.  For our ideas TO WIN we have to govern.  And if we don’t WIN we don’t govern.  There is nothing wrong with our party.  We should focus entirely on the mechanics of electing Republicans.  We are a political operation that wants TO WIN.”.

 

      Steve Munisteri, chairman of the Texas Republican Party summarized Christie’s remarks as follows:  “I took all that to mean, I’m going to run in 2016, and I’ve demonstrated a winning formula. And if you want to WIN and don’t care about ideology, I’m your candidate.”

 

     Many Republicans in the 2012 Republican presidential primary said Mitt Romney “would say anything to WIN,” including Fox News host Bill O’Reilly and GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum.  So Christie’s pledge “to do ANYTHING I need to do TO WIN” is following in Romney’s footsteps—the Republican nominee in 2012.

 

    On August 16, 2013 the Republican National Committee voted unanimously to ban CNN and NBC from participating in the Republican 2016 presidential primary.  Christie went a step further and said “Republicans should not have debates within the party over foreign policy, social issues and legislative tactics.”

 

   If Republicans do not participate in any debates, or only a few, how will voters know the Republican position on the issues?

 

   Christie in a jab at another potential 2016 presidential candidate, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal  said  “I am not going to be one of those people who are going to call our party stupid.  I’m not going to be one of those people who are navel gazing.”

 

     Last month Christie said Rand Paul, another potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate’s, criticism of the government’s surveillance programs was “dangerous and part of an esoteric, intellectual debate.”

 

     Obviously Christie is willing to SAY ANYTHING about his fellow Republicans  needed to WIN.

 

    

 

    Christie said “We have an opportunity as a party to drive a wedge in the union movement.  And the laboratory where that is happening right now is in my state.”

    

     A continuation of the Republican divide and conquer politics of the last 50 years.

 

      Karl Rove, the most successful Republican political consultant for the last 30 years believes Republicans have lost a number of races (such as the Todd Akin race in Missouri and the Richard  Mourdock race in Indiana) “because the wrong candidates were selected.” Rove has formed The Conservative Victory Project which will intensely vet prospective Republican contenders for congressional races to weed out candidates who The Conservative Victory Project believe is too flawed to WIN general elections.

 

     So anyone who wishes to be a candidate in certain Republican races must first pass the Karl Rove WIN test.

 

   Eric Cantor, Republican majority leader in the House revealed why Republicans “will do or say anything to WIN” in this statement: “Look we screwed up when we were in the majority….We fell in love with POWER.”   Yes POWER.

 

   It appears Republicans love of POWER in 2016 will cause them to focus on candidates who will DO ANYTHING they need to do to WIN.

 

   Check closely in 2016 and see if you can find candidates who promise:

“I will do anything I need to do TO reduce the number of people living in poverty, TO reduce the number of unemployed, TO reduce the gap between the wages of workers and CEO’s, TO solve the immigration problem, TO provide adequate health care for all Americans, TO reduce the number of people killed with guns, TO provide for the common good not a select few.

 

  

 

 

 

 

  

 

   PIPELINE REGULATIONS TESTING AND OIL SPILLS

 

    A 22 foot rupture in the Exxon-Mobile Pegasus pipeline near Mayflower, Arkansas on March 29, 2013 sent an estimated 210,000 gallons of thick Canadian crude oil flowing down the streets of Northwoods Subdivision and into a cove of Lake Conway. The Pegasus pipeline is 850 miles long running from Patoka, Illinois to Corscina, Texas. The pipeline was built in 1947-48 by a long defunct Youngstown, Ohio business.

 

    Hurst Metallurgical Laboratories Inc. was employed to examine the Mayflower ruptured pipe and after completing its testing issued a 250 page report in which it determined “hook cracks” more than 13 inches long in the seam of the pipe caused the pipe to rupture.

 

   Prior to the pipeline rupture at Mayflower Exxon had conducted a number of tests to determine if there were defects in the pipeline which might cause the pipe to rupture.

 

   One test was conducted in 2006 after Exxon shut down the Pegasus pipeline  from 2002-2006 and the Federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration required Exxon to test the pipeline for defects.   Exxon used what is called a hydrostatic-pressure check to find defects and The Federal Pipeline Safety Administration released a 160 page report showing that test revealed 12 defects in the pipeline:

 

       Four defects in a 42.75 mile test section under the Oakdale, Illinois station.

       One defect  in a 33.54 mile test section under the Cherokee, Pass, Mo., station.

       One defect in a test section under the Donaphin, Mo., station.

       Two defects in a Glenwood, Arkansas 19.25 mile test section.

       Two defects in a Foreman, Arkansas 34.07 mile test section.

        Two defects occurred at milepost 298.1 and 294.1 in a 15.76 milr test section near Conway, Arkansas

  

      This 2006 test did not indicate any defects in the pipeline in the Mayflower, Arkansas section where the March 29, 2013 rupture occurred.  Exxon said it had repaired the defects revealed in the 2006 test and was allowed to begin using the pipeline in February 2006

 

      In 2010 Exxon ran two inline inspections on the Pegasus pipeline.  One test was to test for metal loss on the entire 850 mile pipeline.  In its 630 page report on this test The Federal Pipeline Safety Administration  said the problem was not confined to one or two pipe segments.  “The seam weld defects and metal loss defects are distributed throughout the pipeline.  Approximately 12% of the total number of spools contain a seam weld defect or a metal loss defect,” the report stated.

      The 120 page report covering tests on the 142.68 miles of pipeline from Doniphan, Mo to Conway, Arkansas revealed five seam weld defects and 5,510 metal loss defects. Of the 5,510 defects seven were “axial orientated seam weld metal loss and were classified as metal loss touching or crossing the seam weld”.  The remaining 5,503 were manufacturing and metal loss features in the pipe’s main body.

 

     According to Karen Tyrone, vice-president of Exxon-Mobile Pipeline an in-line  inspection in February 2013, less than two months before the Mayflower pipeline rupture  “didn’t identify the defects in the Mayflower segment but the results were still being studied.”

 

   In preliminary reports and supporting documents of a $4.5 million three year study by Battelle Memorial Institute of Columbus, Ohio and posted on the web site of Pipeline  Safety Administration 1,840 pipeline accidents /incidents occurred between 2002-2010.

The kind and number are:  Corrosion-- 477, Material/weld—244, Excavation—232, Equipment failure—224,  Natural forces—190, Incorrect operation—106, Other outside forces—104, Pipe seam—75, Other—188.

 

   Republican Congressman Tim Griffin of Little Rock recently told Exxon-Mobile officials, “federal regulations to ensure the integrity of pipelines are not sufficient to detect deficiencies and prevent an oil spill” and Exxon-Mobile should perform additional testing on the 13.5 mile segment which runs through the Lake Maumelle area.

 

   Congressman Griffin for more than a year before the Mayflower pipeline rupture was  advocating construction of the Keystone oil pipeline which would save the Koch brothers $3 billion a year and SPONSORED a bill to force the Obama Administration to approve the Keystone pipeline WITHOUT the environmental review now required by law.

 

  Congressman Griffin has not explained why he supports construction of the Koch brothers Keystone oil pipeline without regulations and why Exxon-Mobile should  conduct MORE testing than regulations require on the Pegasus oil pipeline.  Is it possible the $167,000 campaign contribution Koch brothers made to Congressman Griffin had some effect on his position on oil pipelines?

 

 

 

  

 

   

 

                  TRUSTING EACH OTHER

 

    In the August 12, 2013 issue of Fortune magazine there is an article entitled “Great Job” by Geoff Colvin which describes how David Novak, the CEO of Yum Brands,  developed a formula for effective, successful leadership.

 

    Yum Brands is the world’s largest restaurant company with 39,000 KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell locations throughout the world with 1.5 million employees.  Yum has opened a new restaurant every 14 hours for the last 16 years and is not slowing down.  Since 1997 its stock has returned 16.5% compounded annually compared to 3.9% for the S&P 500’s.

 

   When Novak took control of KFC 30 years ago he entered a poisonous atmosphere where headquarters BLAMED the franchisees and the franchisees BLAMED headquarters for KFC’s  problems. (Just as Republicans blame Democrats and Democrats blame Republicans for our political problems)  Novak said there would be no more BADMOUTHING and changed the culture.  In three years profits had nearly DOUBLED.

 

  Novak spent time visiting and listening to franchisees and ask his executives to consider what the franchisees were saying.  Novak said once everybody at KFC saw their ideas were pretty similar to his ideas then what was MY idea, became OUR idea.

 

  What really made the difference Novak said was the idea “IF WE TRUSTED EACH OTHER, we could WORK TOGETHER to make something happen that was bigger than our individual capabilities.”

  

   For 30 years Novak has been the business world’s ultimate TEAM builder.  He developed a three day leadership program which he calls “Taking People With You.”  The program requires each participant to LOOK INSIDE HIMSELF.  They then must rate themselves on TRUTHFULNESS, RELIABILITY, OPENESS, HOW THEY TREAT OTHER TEAM MEMBERS AND HOW THEY VIEW THE MISTAKES OF OTHERS.”  You are not considered fit to build a team until you have worked hard on yourself.

 

  The final topic in Taking People With You is RECOGNITION.  Novak’s desk is covered with knickknacks such as a rubber chicken, a plastic Razorback hog, and a red clay roof tile which he gives out as special personal rewards in recognition of team leadership.  His walls are covered with photos of him giving awards to employees  around the world not photos with presidents and sports stars.

 

 

    Republicans BLAME Democrats and Democrats BLAME Republicans for the 50 million living in poverty, the 11 million illegal immigrants, the $16 trillion national debt,  the 11 million unemployed and all other problems facing Americans.

 

   Can you name one Republican or one Democrat whose conduct would lead you to believe he or she has: LOOKED INSIDE AND RATED THEMSELVES FOR TRUTHFULNESS, RELIABILITY, OPENESS, SELF CENTERDNESS AND HOW THEY TREAT AND VIEW THE MISTAKES OF OTHER POLITICIANS.

 

 Can you name one Democrat or one Republican who TRUSTED each other enough to WORK TOGETHER to reduce the number of people living in poverty, find a solution to the illegal immigration, find a solution to government spending/taxes, and reduce unemployment.

 

   The Democrats have their Democrat National Committee and Republicans have the Republican National Committee, national organizations to act as leaders for their parties.  If you examine their web pages you will not find any leadership programs like David Novak has at Yum Brands showing candidates how to trust and work together with people in the other party.

 

   Mitch McConnell the Senate Republican leader stated his number 1 priority for the last four years was to “Make President Obama a one term president.”  Nothing about “Trust” or “Working Together” to solve the problems of poverty, unemployment, taxes, national debt, or immigration.

 

   John Boehner the Republican House leader said the Republican controlled House should be proud of the “laws we repealed.”  Nothing about “Trust” or “Working Together” to solve the problems of poverty, unemployment, taxes, national debt or immigration.

 

   Republicans and Democrats who insist on MY way or the highway have created the least productive congress in history with the lowest approval rating in history and 57% of Americans in a July poll said they would replace every member of congress if they could. 

 

   Hopefully some day Democrats and Republicans will adopt Novak’s leadership program  of “Taking People With You” and candidates from both parties will TRUST each other and WORK TOGETHER to solve the problems of poverty, unemployment, taxes, the national debt and immigration instead of BADMOUTHING each other.

 

  

 

 

 

 

RAISE NATIONAL DEBT CEILING FOR REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTS-YES            

      DEMOCRAT PRESIDENTS-NO

 

      In 2012 Republicans tried to convince voters the sky was falling because the national debt was at $16 trillion and blamed the liberal, big government, tax and spend president Obama.   62,611,250 American voters in November 2012 rejected the Republican propaganda and voted to return President Obama to the White House for another 4 years.

 

      Facts about the national debt:

 

      $11.3 trillion—the national debt when the last Republican president left the White House in 2009

 

       18—the number of times Republican president Ronald Reagan requested and the national debt ceiling was raised—more times than any president in history.

 

        9—the number of times Republican presidents Nixon and G.H.W Bush requested and the national debt ceiling was raised—for the second most number of times in history.

 

       300%---the percentage Republican president Ronald Reagan increased the national debt—the largest percentage increase of any president in history. (Had President Obama raised the national debt 300% it would be at $33.9 trillion not $16 trillion.)

 

       100%---the percentage Republican president G. W. Bush increased the national debt—the second largest percentage of any president in history. (Had President Obama raised the national debt 100% it would be at $22.6 trillion not $16 trillion.)

 

      34---the number of times the national debt ceiling was raised in the 20 years Republicans occupied the White House from 1981-2009. (Reagan 18 times, G.H.W Bush 9 times and G.W Bush 7 times.)

 

      $4 trillion to $6 trillion the amount G.W Bush added to the national debt—cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

       Republican president G.W Bush added millions of dollars to the national debt when he gave the largest tax cut in history to the wealthiest 1% of Americans

 

       The last Republican president who balanced the budget—Dwight Eisenhower 1953-1961.

 

      The last Democrat president who balanced the budget—Bill Clinton  1993-2001

 

     When President Obama was sworn as president in 2009 the debt ceiling had been raised 86 times since Eisenhower was president usually without debate and without threat of government shutdown.

 

      The national debt has grown at a SLOWER RATE since Obama became president than under any president since Eisenhower, and in January 2013 there was a budget SURPLUS of $2.88 billion

 

  President Obama submitted a 2014 comprehensive budget plan to congress offering to simplify the tax code, reduce spending and cut the national debt in a balanced way.

 

  When congress returns from its summer recess it must vote on whether or not to raise the national debt ceiling.  If the national debt ceiling is not raised government will shut down.

 

     In 1995 the government was shut down for 28 days after President Clinton vetoed the spending bill of the Republican controlled Congress.  A 2010 Congressional Research Service report states the government shutdown adversely impacted all sectors of the U.S. economy.  

  

      Three Republican freshmen U.S. Senators, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio who have been in Washington an average of 1.9 years promise to vote against raising the national debt ceiling unless President Obama cancels Obamacare.  The “shutdown trio” are frequently in the news doing the thing Republican presidential candidates do, visiting Iowa and other states with early presidential primaries.  The “shutdown trio” apparently believe  the way to obtain the Republican presidential nomination in 2016 is to vote against raising the national debt ceiling and shut down government.

 

   Other Republicans have stated their objections to “shutting down government” in this way:

   “I think it is the dumbest idea I’ve ever heard.”  Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina

    

     “Shutting down the government is not in the best interest of the American people and makes you look politically irresponsible.”  Congressman Tom Cole of Oklahoma

 

      “How many weeks would you go without paying Social Security and how many weeks would you go without paying the troops?”  Congressman Aaron Shock of Illinois

 

       “It is a good way for Republicans to lose the House and could destroy the party.”  Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.

 

         “We’ve been down that road.  We shut down the government and we got our butts kicked over shutting down the government.”  Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia.

 

            “Republicans advocating a government shutdown are a suicide caucus.”  Peter Wehner White House aide to the last three Republican presidents.

 

              Hopefully Congress will act in the best interest of the American people when this important matter comes up for a vote in the next few weeks.