Deception from the Other Side

Facts to Confront the Tea Party's Deceptive Rhetoric

Deception – The economic stimulus package was a failure.

Fact – A wide range of experts say that the stimulus has saved or created more than 3 million jobs.

Deception – Federal taxes have gone up in the past two years.

Fact – For 90% of households, taxes were cut.

Deception – Nothing has been done to stem the tide of foreclosures.

Fact – Over the past 18 months, two mortgages have been modified to avoid foreclosure for every completed foreclosure.

Deception – The increased federal deficit is why the economy is so lackluster.

Fact – The deficit has nothing to do with today’s slow growth and high unemployment.  In fact many economists think that increasing the deficit even more would reduce unemployment in the short term.

Deception – The Obama administration is responsible for the record federal deficit.

Fact – Roughly half of the deficit was already there when Obama came into office with another coming from the “automatic stabilizers” that reduce tax collections and increase spending on things like unemployment insurance and food stamps when the economy is in a recession.

Deception – The bailout of the banks, AIG, and the American automakers will end up costing the taxpayer hundreds of billions of dollars.

Fact – Much of the bailout has been repaid and the lasted estimate is that the government will come out about even or even make a profit from the bailouts.  The bailouts allowed the Obama administration to avoid a major depression where unemployment might have gone as high as 30% or more.  (Steven Pearlstein – Washington Post:  10/20/10)

Tom Slater, Jaunuary, 2012