Jobs and Economy
All things that should be up are down like income and all things that should be down are up like poverty and unemployment. And McCain is offering just more of the same.
Income Down 6.8%. Median household income in Minnesota decreased from $60,205 in 2000 to $56,102 in 2006, a difference of $4,103 per household. [Joint Economic Committee Fact Sheet, 8/29/07, (Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce), jec.senate.gov]
Poverty Up 32%. The number of people living in poverty increased in Minnesota by roughly 102,000 people, from 315,000 in 2000 to 417,000 in 2006. [Joint Economic Committee Fact Sheet, 8/29/07, (Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce), jec.senate.gov]
Unemployed Up 69%. The number of unemployed workers in Minnesota has increased by 69% under President Bush. The number of unemployed has gone up from 91,447 in January of 2001 and preliminary figures for June of 2008 are 154,444, an increase of 62,997 workers, or 69%. The unemployment rate similarly increased from 3.2% to 5.3%. [Local Area Unemployed Statistics, (Seasonally Adjusted), Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed 7/20/08, data.bls.gov]
Gas Prices Up 176%. In January of 2001, a regular gallon of gas in Minnesota averaged $1.38 including taxes. Currently the average is $3.82, an increase of 176%. [Energy Information Administration, http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/dnav/pet/hist/d120620272m.htm; U.S. Depart. of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, State Motor Fuel Tax Rates, http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/hs01/mf205.htm; AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report, http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/MNavg.asp, accessed 7/24/08]
Bankruptcies Up 172% Since 2006. Bankruptcy filings in have increased by 2,292 in Minnesota from 1,326 in the first quarter of 2006 to 3,618 in the first quarter of 2008. [American Bankruptcy Institute, State Statistics, 7/22/08, abiworld.org]
Meanwhile, Consumer Prices Increased at Highest Rate in Decades in 2007. The Consumer Price Index rose 5 percent last year, the highest increase “in two decades.” The price of a gallon of milk rose 27% since March of 2007 and the price of a dozen eggs has risen 38% in the same period. “Meanwhile, everything from white bread to chicken to tomatoes is more expensive than it was last year.” [The Associated Press, 5/18/08]
…But McCain Claimed Americans Were “Better Off Because We Have Had A Pretty Good Prosperous Time.” In the January 2008 Republican debate, McCain commented, “I think you could argue that Americans overall are better off, because we have had a pretty good prosperous time, with low unemployment and low inflation and a lot of good things have happened. A lot of jobs have been created.” [CNN GOP Debate, 1/30/08, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43HkmMGvL7w]
McCain Said A Lot of Americans’ Economic Problems Are “Psychological.” When discussing the gas tax holiday, McCain said, “I think, psychologically – and a lot of our problems today, as you know, are psychological – confidence, trust, uncertainty about our economic future, ability to keep our own home.” McCain said that his gas holiday will give people a psychological boost and that solving the mortgage crisis would be a major psychological step forward. [FOX News, “Your World With Neil Cavuto,” 4/16/08, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mHsuL6FfY4]
McCain’s “Economic Plans Really Are An Extension of the Bush Administration Policies.” “McCain doesn’t like to hear it, but his economic plans really are an extension of Bush administration policies…When all the economic mumbo-jumbo is removed, that fact remains.” [Boston Globe, Editorial, 7/9/08, boston.com]
Health Care
Nearly half a million Minnesotans are uninsured. And McCain is offering just more of the same with a plan that ignores uninsured children and families.
Minnesota Has Over 441,000 People Uninsured. 441,044 people have no health insurance. That’s 9 percent of Minnesota living without any insurance. [Kaiser Family Foundation website, accessed 7/24/08, available at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=125&cat=3&rgn=25]
- More than 96,000 kids in Minnesota have NO health insurance. 96,013 kids in Minnesota have no health insurance. [Kaiser Family Foundation, accessed 7/24/08, available at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=127&cat=3&rgn=25]
- Over 341,000 adults in Minnesota don’t have health insurance. 341,599 adults in Minnesota don’t have health insurance. That’s 11 percent of adults. [Kaiser Family Foundation, accessed 7/24/08, available at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=130&cat=3&rgn=25]
- More than 105,000 poor adults in Minnesota have NO health insurance. 105,030 poor adults have no health insurance. That’s 29 percent of poor adults. [Kaiser Family Foundation, accessed 7/24/08, available at http://www.statehealthfacts.org/profileind.jsp?ind=131&cat=3&rgn=25]
McCain’s Health Care Plan Does Not Focus on “Reducing the Ranks of the Uninsured.” McCain’s plan does not focus on “reducing the ranks of the uninsured,” of which there are about 47 million, or one in seven Americans. According to the New York Times, “The McCain campaign has no estimate of how many of America’s 47 million uninsured would likely gain coverage under its plan.” [Wall Street Journal, 10/11/2007; New York Times, 3/2/2008]
Housing
Housing foreclosures are hitting Minnesota families especially hard. And McCain is offering just more of the same with proposals that put corporations first.
Minnesota Is Being Hit By the Mortgage Crisis. Minnesota families are facing foreclosure at troubling rates. In the second quarter of 2008:
- 5,673 homes received a foreclosure filing in the second quarter. [Realty Trac Press Release, 7/25/08]
- That’s 1 out of every 403 homes. [Realty Trac Press Release, 7/25/08]
In St. Paul, Over 1,600 Homes Are Bank-Owned.
- 1,630 homes in St. Paul are bank-owned. [Realty Trac, accessed 7/24/08, available here: www.realtytrac.com]
- And 328 homes are up for auction. [Realty Trac, accessed 7/28/08, available here: www.realtytrac.com]
In Minneapolis, Over 170 Homes Are Bank-Owned.
- 175 homes in Minneapolis are bank-owned. [Realty Trac, accessed 7/28/08, available here: www.realtytrac.com]
McCain’s Plan To Aid Homeowners Lacks Specifics On Who Would Be Eligible. “McCain sketched out a plan Thursday to help 200,000 to 400,000 homeowners trade burdensome mortgages for manageable loans in a speech in Brooklyn. Aides said the plan could cost from $3 billion to $10 billion. Still missing were details on exactly who would be eligible for help; McCain said he wants to aid those who borrowed sensibly but now can’t handle their mortgages.” [AP, 4/10/2008]
John McCain Promises Help For Working Americans, But His Proposals Reveal More Aid For Corporations. According to the Washington Post, revealing his economic agenda, McCain “offered sweeping rhetoric about the economic plight of working-class Americans, promising immediate assistance even as he spelled out a tax and spending agenda whose benefits are aimed squarely at spurring corporate growth.” [Washington Post, 4/16/2008]
*McCain Leaves Behind 1.5 Million “Undeserving” American Homeowners. The McCain campaign maintains that the HOME Plan will assist somewhere between 200,000 and 400,000 “deserving” homeowners, “More than 1.5 million other homeowners — presumably ‘undeserving’—are expected to face foreclosure this year.” [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Editorial, 4/14/08]
Minnesota Communities
McCain is just more of the same when it comes to George Bush’s economy and the devastating effects it’s had on Minnesota communities.
McCain Railed Against Job Creations For Minnesotans. McCain said, “And should we really be earmarking more than $1 million in additional funds so that a Minnesota job training program can shift its dependence to private sector funding? In a foreign aid bill? I have to question the wisdom of provisions like these.” [Congressional Record, 7/1/99]
McCain Railed Against Minnesotan Agricultural Interests. McCain complained about that the “Cenex Harvest States Co-op in St. Paul, MN, received $9 million in wheat subsidies and also received $7 million in corn payments as well.” [Congressional Record, 5/7/02]
*McCain Railed Against Reducing Health Care Costs For Minnesotans. McCain complained about “$2,250,000 for a grant to the Wisconsin Federation of Cooperatives for pilot Wisconsin-Minnesota health care cooperative purchasing alliance.” [Congressional Record, 4/19/05]
McCain Opposed Infrastructure and Transportation Projects. McCain complained about “a reported $700 million in transit earmarks for the Chicago Metro and Transit Authority in the home state of the Speaker of the House, for a rapid transit bus project at Dulles International Airport in the home state of the Chairman of the House Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee and for the Minneapolis Hiawatha project in the home district of the ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee.” [Congressional Record, 10/6/00]
McCain Against Money For Minnesota Institutions Of Higher Learning. McCain rhetorically asked, “Does the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul still get $15 million, and if so, why?” [Congressional Record, 10/5/92]
McCain Railed Against Minnesotan Indian Tribes. McCain complained, “It must have $300,000 for Indian tribes in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Minnesota. The hard-working taxpayers of America deserve better.” [Congressional Record, 7/11/00]
