New Book: Kerry ‘Unfit for Command’

I think he also now realizes how easy he had it back in the national guard and feels greatly indebted to all service-men and women.

Now they're forced to busy themselves digging up 30 years of dirt on anyone who formally challenges Kerry's service

To occupy Iraq would instantly shatter our coalition,... - George Bush Sr.

Since 2001, President Bush's tax cuts have shifted federal tax payments from the richest Americans to a wide swath of middle-class families, the Congressional Budget Office has found, a conclusion likely to roil the presidential election campaign.The CBO study, due to be released today, found that the wealthiest 20 percent, whose incomes averaged $182,700 in 2001, saw their share of federal taxes drop from 64.4 percent of total tax payments in 2001 to 63.5 percent this year. The top 1 percent, earning $1.1 million, saw their share fall to 20.1 percent of the total, from 22.2 percent.Over that same period, taxpayers with incomes from around $51,500 to around $75,600 saw their share of federal tax payments increase. Households earning around $75,600 saw their tax burden jump the most, from 18.7 percent of all taxes to 19.5 percent.

Kerry as Senator... no Bills passed in 20 years???

As a Senator, Kerry has introduced 28 bills in the last 10 years, all of then defeated except one in 1998,...

Protecting Rights and Opportunities for Disabled AmericansJohn Kerry has a long history of supporting increased opportunities for disabled Americans. John Kerry passed a program through the Senate to provide a uniform system for handicapped parking to promote safety. In 1990, John Kerry joined Tom Harkin in support of his Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)--the landmark legislation that protects the civil rights of more than 57 million Americans with physical and mental disabilities. John Kerry has also offered a number of programs to provide a uniform system for handicapped parking to promote safety and backed measures such as MiCASSA to ensure greater opportunities for disabled Americans to succeed. [101st Congress, S.933; 100th, S.550; http://harkin.senate.gov/disabilities/index.cfm]Created Safe, Uniform Handicapped Parking Systems in the U.S.
Working hard in the United States Senate, John Kerry passed a measure to increase safety and create a more uniform system of handicapped parking. In 1985, Kerry introduced the Handicapped Parking Act and in 1987, Kerry introduced the Traffic Safety for Handicapped Individuals Act. When he introduced his bill, Kerry stated that because a national uniform parking system does not exist, many states are unable to recognize other states' handicap parking plates. In addition, several states do not have reciprocity in honoring other states' handicapped parking permits. Consequently, when a handicapped citizen goes from one state to another their disability is frequently no longer recognized. Kerry later offered his proposal as an amendment which passed the Senate. [99th Congress, S. 1936; 100th Congress, S.550; S.Amdt. 170]Authored Bill to Assist Parents Care for Children with Special Needs
In 1988 & 1989, John Kerry worked to allow parents to receive SSI and Medicaid benefitsregardless of their income and assetsto assist their children with special needs. At the time, Kerry stated, The legislation I am introducing today would require that the income deeming rules be waived for severely disabled children allowing them to receive SSI and Medicaid benefits regardless of their parents' income and assets. [100th Congress, S. 2094; 101st Congress, S. 1070; Congressional Record, 5/18/89]Expanded Educational Opportunities for Children with Disabilities
John Kerry’s 1987 Technology To Educate Children With Handicaps Act was written to establish high technology centers to assist disabled schoolchildren expand their educational opportunities. Kerry said, the purpose of these centers is to act as a resource so that handicapped children, through the use of technology, can gain more independence in the classroom and more independence in their social activities. [100th Congress, S. 1586; Congressional Record, 8/3/87]Kerry Chose IDEA Funding Over Bush Tax Cut Giveaway
In 2001, Kerry voted to shift funding away from the Bush tax cut for the wealthiest Americans and toward funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Kerry has consistently supported efforts to fully fund IDEA and will continue working toward its full funding. [2001, Senate Roll Call Vote, #82]Accessible Transportation Action Act- Funding to Make Mass Transportation More Accessible
In 1991, John Kerry fought for greater funding of mass transportation to assist in compliance with the ADA. Kerry put forth very specific goals for how to use his funding for technological development in order to increase the accessibility of mass transportation for Americans with disabilities: First, ongoing demonstration programs to show practical ways to overcome barriers to transportation accessibility; second, support of future innovations, especially in the area of technology development; third, technical assistance on general accessibility issues to transit authorities and consumers, including onsite technical assistance; and fourth, information dissemination and sharing. [102nd Congress, S. 1224; Congressional Record, 6/5/91]Supports MiCASSA to Ensure Access to Community Assistance
John Kerry is a cosponsor of the Medicaid Community-Based Attendant Services and Supports Act which will provide individuals with disabilities and older Americans with equal access to community-based attendant services and support. [108th Congress, S.971]Cosponsored Act to Improve Accessibility to Voting for Disabled Americans
John Kerry strongly supported and cosponsored John McCain’s legislation to ensure the voting rights of individuals with disabilities and to improve access to polling places. The bill Kerry supported stated that no individual may be denied the right to vote in a Federal election on the basis of being disabled. [106th Congress, S. 511] We truly are standing in an amazing moment in time. With the ADA under one arm and Olmstead under the other, we are equipped with the tools we need to prevail in one of the last stands of the civil rights movement: to ensure the American promises of freedom, choices, and independence in the lives of people with disabilities. The only piece missing is the political will to make it happen. Well, I say, "No more excuses. — John Kerry [Statement to the ADAPT, Free Our People March, 9/17/03]Kerry worked together with other Banking Committee leaders to craft and bring to final passage the Multifamily Assisted Housing Restructuring and Reform Act of 1997 (MAHRRA), which helped save the government billions of dollars in rental assistance payments, preserved thousands of affordable rental apartments, and helped finance the rehabilitation of those apartments. Kerry called the new law an important and long lasting achievement that will help bring much-needed stability to our inner city neighborhoods. [P.L. 105-65, Title V; Vote #194, 7/22/97, S. 1034 passed 99-1, Kerry: Yes; HUD press release via U.S. Newswire, 10/28/97]Kerry shaped the first significant rewrite of the public housing program in over 20 years. The public housing reform legislation targeted portable rental vouchers to those most in need, while authorizing a program to use those vouchers for homeownership. It gave local public housing authorities (PHAs) more flexibility to manage public housing. It also required PHAs to develop plans to create more economically integrated housing and established a means by which PHAs could raise private capital through the bond market. Kerry said the law will put public housing on a strong footing for the future. It provides for increased flexibility for housing agencies, demands increased accountability, and encourages important new public-private partnerships. [CQ, 5/8/97; HUD press release via PR Newswire, 10/5/98]Kerry contributed to negotiation of a major reform of the manufactured housing program in 2000 to streamline the regulatory process while simultaneously improving consumer protections and rights. [S. 1452, Kerry cosponsored manager’s amendment adopted by voice vote 3/8/00, Banking Committee Report 106-274, 4/13/00, passed Senate by unanimous consent 5/4/00]Kerry coauthored the Affordable Housing for Seniors and Families Act of 2000" (S.2733), with Senator Santorum, which provided for mixed-income, mixed-financing of elderly and disabled housing developments; grants to convert elderly housing to assisted living to allow elderly families aging in place to stay in their homes; and matching grants to states and local governments to preserve affordable housing in danger of being lost. [S. 2733, introduced 6/15/00 (Kerry original cosponsor); Kerry statement, Congressional Record, 6/15/00]Kerry offered an amendment in 1999 to add 50,000 incremental housing vouchers. The Clinton budget called for 100,000 new vouchers, and Kerry worked with the Administration to ensure that the conference report on the final bill included 60,000 new vouchers. [SA 1761 to H.R. 2684, Kerry introduced 9/22/89, withdrawn; Kerry statement, Congressional Record, 9/22/89]Kerry offered an amendment in 1999, which passed, to increase funding for the Housing Assistance for People With AIDS (HOPWA) and Section 811 (disabled) Housing by $7 million each. [SA 1756 to H.R. 2684, Kerry introduced 9/22/89, adopted by voice vote]Kerry worked to create and get HUD to implement the mark-up-to-market program that allows HUD to raise rent subsidies in appreciating markets to maintain affordability. Banking Committee chairman Sen. Alfonse D'Amato said the agreement on the program could not have happened without the hard work and team spirit of the housing subcommittee's leaders - Senators Connie Mack and John Kerry. Kerry joined HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo to announce the beginning of the federal mark-to-market effort. [National Mortgage News, 6/23/97; HUD press release via U.S. Newswire, 4/29/99]Kerry helped protect funds for the Preservation Program, which enabled residents of assisted rental buildings (or community-based non-profits) to purchase their homes from the private owners, ensuring the long-term affordability of housing for these residents. [SA 5164 to H.R. 3666, introduced 9/3/96 (Kerry original cosponsor), adopted by voice vote; Craig statement, Congressional Record, 9/4/96]Fought for Strong Housing Legislation
John Kerry has also authored or coauthored numerous bills to expand access to affordable housing and increase homeownership for middle-class and working Americans.The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act. Because of the severe shortage of affordable housing, John Kerry introduced this bill to create a lasting source of funding to support the development of rental housing for those who most need it and support long-term affordable, mixed-income developments in areas with the greatest economic opportunities. [SA 3839 to H.R. 8, Kerry introduced 7/13/00; Vote #189, 7/14/00, Estate Tax Repeal (H.R. 4), motion failed 57-40, Kerry: Yes; S. 1997, Kerry introduced 7/27/00; S. 1248, Kerry introduced 7/25/01; S. 1411, Kerry introduced 7/15/03]The Community Development Tax Credit Act. Because homeownership is the cornerstone of the American Dream, yet out of reach for too many families, John Kerry introduced this legislation to encourage the construction and substantial rehabilitation of homes for ownership by low- and moderate-income families in economically distressed areas over 10 years; and bridge the gap between the cost of developing affordable housing and the price at which these homes can be sold. [S. 3126, Kerry introduced 10/16/02; S. 875, Kerry introduced 4/10/03]The First-time Homebuyer Affordability Act. John Kerry has previously introduced the First Time Homebuyer Affordability Act which would allow families to borrow up to $10,000 from their IRAs (or from their parents' IRAs) for a down payment on a first time home purchase without paying any taxes. Loans would bear an interest rate similar to the Treasury rate and have to be paid back. [S. 1994, Kerry introduced 11/19/99]YouthBuild. To address the needs of at-risk youth and support the development of more housing, John Kerry led the fight for YouthBuild, which continues to build affordable housing and provides young people with basic education toward a diploma; skills training toward a decent paying job; leadership development toward civic engagement; adult mentors to help overcome personal problems; and participation in a supportive mini-community with a positive set of values. The Boston Globe wrote that Sen. John Kerry deserves credit for pushing the funding through. [S. 1100, introduced 5/17/91; Boston Globe, 9/23/93]The Affordable Housing Preservation Act. Along with Senator Jim Jeffords of Vermont, John Kerry sponsored the Affordable Housing Preservation Act to foster local partnerships between non-profits, state and local governments, and private landlords in order to keep existing housing projects available and affordable for low income tenants. [S. 1318, introduced 7/1/99 (Kerry original cosponsor); S. 1365, introduced 8/3/01 (Kerry original cosponsor)]