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GOP Ad #1 |
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The Bush Claim
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The Rest of the Story...
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Under Jeb Bush...
400,000 New Jobs. The second highest job growth in the country...
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According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment claims have grown by 14.3% since Jeb Bush took office:
- 34,724 claims in 1999
- 39,407 claims in 2000
- 41,975 claims as of August 2001
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate has grown under Jeb Bush:
- Jan. 1999 4.0%
- Jan. 2000 3.7%
- Jan. 2001 3.8%
- Jan. 2002 5.2%
- May 2002 5.1%
(most recent data)
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The lowest crime rate in 29 years,
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Crime, in many categories, has gone up in Florida since Jeb Bush has taken office.
- Murders in Florida are up 1.2% since 1999 (1999: 856 murders; 2000: 890 murders; 2001: 867 murders).
- Forcible sex offenses are at their highest levels since 1997.
- Robbery, Aggravated Assault and Violent Crime are all up from 1999 levels.
- Robbery has increased for the first time since 1990.
- Violent crime has increased for the first time since 1996.
(Florida Department of Law Enforcement Annual Crime in Florida Reports)
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The lowest tax rate in a decade...
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During a booming economy, Bush cut taxes for the wealthy, despite the recommendation of economists who argued that he should maintain a reserve fund in order in the case of an economic downturn.
(Orlando Sentinel, 3/1/99)
In June, 2001, Bush signed $150 million in tax breaks for the wealthy despite the state facing a serious budget shortfall. As a result, he cut numerous programs - including education!
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... and a passionate commitment to education. Under Jeb Bush Education Funding increased by 3 Billion Dollars
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Despite his claims, an independent analysis by the St. Petersburg Times paints a very different picture of Governor Bush's "commitment" to education.
According to the Times report, "Using all the financial assumptions most favorable to the governor, then accounting for inflation and 168,400 new students, the amount of money spent on each student has risen less than one-quarter of 1 percent since Bush took office in 1999. After accounting for inflation, that amounts to a $ 10.21 per student increase over three years."
"Bush proposes a 6.1 percent spending increase for 2002-03. But after accounting for new students and inflation, the increase shrinks to less than two-tenths of 1 percent." (St. Petersburg Times, 2/17/02)
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Governor Jeb Bush
Listening, Leading Making a Difference for Florida.
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Bush has not listened to the 78% of Floridians that say they want smaller class size in public schools by the year 2010.
(St. Petersburg Times, 3/31/02)
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