Four More Years of This?

FOUR MORE YEARS OF THIS?

With more Pennsylvanians without jobs and more without health insurance, Democrat Hoeffel Asks Why Bush and Specter Only Want to Do More of the Same

PHILADELPHIA , PA - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Joe Hoeffel issued the following statement on the post-convention visits to Pennsylvania by President Bush and members of his administration:

"George Bush said last night he wants to create more 'opportunity' for Americans. Unfortunately, here in Pennsylvania the only thing he's created the past four years is opportunity for more people to look for a new job, more families to live without health insurance and more children to live in poverty. Pennsylvania can't afford four more years of those kinds of opportunities.

"Ronald Reagan said that facts are stubborn things. But today we have a stubborn Republican leadership in the White House and Congress that won't accept the facts that their massive tax cuts for millionaires and tax loopholes that reward companies for sending jobs overseas are squeezing the middle class out of existence.

"It's time for a change. John Kerry, John Edwards and I aren't satisfied with more jobs leaving the state and more families living without health insurance. Pennsylvania can do better and America can do better."

Note: Last week the Census Department reported that the rate of those living in poverty and those without health insurance has risen in Pennsylvania and across the nation. According to the data, the number of Pennsylvanians living in poverty has risen from 9.2 percent to 9.9 percent since President Bush took office. In addition, 330,000 people in Pennsylvania have lost their health insurance over the same three-year period.

The Commerce Department also announced last week that GDP increased at 2.8% - the slowest pace since the first quarter of 2003 and lower than the predicted 3.0%. That growth rate is also down sharply from 4.5% in the first quarter of 2004.