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The
The INDEPENDENT, September 21, 2011
INDEPENDENT
Published on the first and third Wednesdays of each month
by The Independent, LLC, 725 Bridge St.,
Vernonia, OR 97064. Phone/Fax: 503-429-9410.
Deadline is noon the Friday before each issue.
Publisher Clark McGaugh, clark@the-independent.net
Editor Rebecca McGaugh, rebecca@the-independent.net
Printed on recycled paper with vegetable based dyes
Opinion
Times are tough all over
Are times tough right now for you? They are for
many. If you are doing okay right now; have a job, have
health insurance, have food to eat and a place to stay,
be grateful.
The recently released census report, using the most
current data available, shows that from 2008 to 2009
the number of people living in poverty in the United
States increased. In 2009, one person in every six was
living in poverty, and this applied to non-Hispanic
white, black and Hispanic populations. Part of the rea-
son was that income declined for those living in the
Midwest or West. Incomes in 2009 were 4.2 percent
lower than in 2007, and incomes in both of these years
were lower than in 1999. Most age groups under 65
years had income declines, while those over 65 years
of age did not suffer declines. Those living in non-met-
ropolitan areas (that’s most of our readers) had larger
income declines than our more urban neighbors.
The 14.3 percent poverty rate in 2009 was the high-
est since 1994. But, the number of people living in
poverty as of 2009 was 43.6 million, the greatest num-
ber since records started being published 51 years
ago.
Other troubling numbers include an increase to 50.7
million people without health insurance in 2009. The
number in 2008 was 46.3 million, an increase from
15.4 percent to 16.7 percent of the population. Also, for
the first time since 1987, the number of people with
health insurance decreased, not just the percentage.
Only 63.9 percent of the population had health insur-
ance in 2009.
These are troubling numbers. We suspect those
numbers did not improve between 2009 and 2010.
Some analysts suggest that the numbers would have
been even worse without government assistance pro-
grams such as extended unemployment benefits, stim-
ulus spending, and Obama’s health care reforms.
We have been less than thrilled with many of Presi-
dent Obama’s actions, but change may be on the hori-
zon. Obama’s new proposal calls for millionaires to
pay at least the same tax rate as the majority of Amer-
icans. Additional tax revenues, combined with budget
cuts, would lower the deficit, and could be used for
more job stimulus or other programs, perhaps training
or schooling to give more people better opportunities
to rise out of poverty. It is now up to Congress.
Out of My Mind…
by Noni Andersen
I can never figure out
who is more benighted –
the politicians who insist
that “big government” is
“bad,” or the people who
believe them.
With his front runner
hat carefully positioned
atop his head, Texas Gov-
ernor Rick Perry repeat-
edly intones the mantra
that big government is bad, bad, bad — because
it forces people to use things like Social Securi-
ty and Medicare, instead of living independently
in the poor house and dying young, like in the
good old days of the 1920s.
Yet, Governor Goodhair, as the late columnist
Molly Ivins dubbed him, would not be where he
is without big government forcing its way into his
life. Like most of us, he attended public schools,
from elementary school through college, so
most of his education was paid for by local,
state, and federal taxpayers. Additionally, as cot-
ton farmers, he and his family have received
thousands of dollars in crop subsidies from the
pockets of taxpayers.
After college, Perry served a while as an Air
Force transport pilot, a truly socialistic, govern-
ment-paid position. Then he found his true call-
ing – political office – so for more than 27 years,
he’s been receiving monthly paychecks from
Texas taxpayers, plus full health coverage, a
bunch of personal aides, a travel allowance,
etc., and he will receive a generous pension
from the state. And, while the Texas Governor’s
mansion undergoes refurbishing, he lives in a
rental home at $10,000 per month, but the rent
doesn’t come out of his pocket.
This is the man who says he intends to make
government “as inconsequential as possible.” I
can only conclude that he means in your life,
certainly not his.
Perry is only one example of the small gov-
ernment hucksters. While out of work Americans
need government spending, the GOP harps on
government debt, saying “cut, cut, cut.” They
won’t mention how we reached this point:
Ronald Reagan started his term with total
debt outstanding of $930 million and increased
total debt outstanding to $2.7 trillion. This is a
13.71% compound annual increase. He never
balanced a budget.
Bush I started his term with outstanding debt
of $2.7 trillion and increased total outstanding
debt to $4 trillion. This is a 10.32% compounded
annual increase. He never balanced a budget.
Clinton started with total outstanding debt of
$4 trillion and increased total outstanding debt to
$5.6 trillion. This is a 4.2% compounded annual
increase. He balanced his last three budgets.
George W. Bush started with $5.6 trillion total
outstanding debt and increased total outstand-
ing debt to $10 trillion. This is a 9.8 percent an-
nual increase – slightly more than the rate it has
grown during Obama’s first years. Bush never
balanced a budget, even though the economy
was in good shape when he took office.
The GOP: Small government hucksters; big
government spenders.