Published February 7, 2006 at 11:36 p.m.
Below are quotes from President Bush's State of the Union Address last week,followed by numbers that tell a different story:
"In the last two and a half years, America has created 4.6 million new jobs, more than Japan and the European Union combined."
American manufacturing jobs in 2001:
17,101,000
American manufacturing jobs in 2005:
14,283,000
Nonmilitary-related, private-sector jobs created since 2001:
-1,160,000
"Our government has a responsibility to help provide health care for the poor and the elderly, and we are meeting that responsibility."
Americans living without health insurance in 2000:
39.8 million
Americans living without health insurance in 2005:
46 million
Cuts to federal entitlement programs made one day after Bush's speech:
$40 billion
Percentage of those cuts borne by Medicaid and Medicare:
27
Percentage of companies that provided health insurance to employees in 2000:
69
Percentage of companies that provided health insurance to employees in 2005:
60
"The American people have turned in an economic performance that is the envy of the world."
Inflation-adjusted median household income in 2000:
$46,058
Inflation-adjusted median household income in 2004:
$44,389
Increase in the price of a gallon of gasoline since 2000:
51 percent
Increase in the price of home heating oil since 2000:
94 percent
"Our economy grows when Americans have more of their own money to spend, save and invest."
National savings rate in 1994:
5 percent
National savings rate in 2004:
1.8 percent
Percent of Americans in private sector who can rely on a defined pension as of 2004:
6
Percent of baby boomers who say they're prepared for retirement in 2005:
24
Number of times President Bush mentioned "Iraq" or "Iraqi":
24
Number of times he mentioned "Katrina," "New Orleans" or "rebuild":
0
Comments are closed.
Since 2014, Seven Days has allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we’ve appreciated the suggestions and insights, the time has come to shut them down — at least temporarily.
While we champion free speech, facts are a matter of life and death during the coronavirus pandemic, and right now Seven Days is prioritizing the production of responsible journalism over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor. Or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.