SF Tea Party Press Release

Press Release:

Tax Day Tea Party Members Gather in San Francisco to Protest Bailouts and Wasteful

Spending in the Stimulus and Budget

Date: Wednesday, April 15th

Time: 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

Place: Civic Center Park, San Francisco

San Francisco Coordinator: Sally Zelikovsky

Email: sallyzel@comcast.net

California Coordinator: Mark Meckler

Email: mark.grassroots@gmail.com

Together with Tea Parties taking place in hundreds of cities across the country, concerned taxpayers will

gather on April 15, 2009 from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in Civic Center Park in San Francisco to send

the following message to President Obama and the Congress:

• No You Can’t! spend taxpayers’ hard-earned money on reckless stimulus packages loaded with pork.

• No You Can’t! implement a pork-laden budget that can only lead to increased taxes and further debt.

• No You Can’t! put a stranglehold on our economy.

• No You Can’t! take our money and limit our freedoms.

The consequences of such profligate spending are far-reaching and will affect the economic well-being of

future generations while thwarting the basic liberties entrusted to the people by our Constitution.

When, in 1773, the colonists were not heard or respected, the Boston Tea Party was born and the Sons

of Liberty dumped tons of tea into the Harbor as a protest against the British government. Tax Day Tea

Party protesters are gathering across this great nation in the spirit of those patriots, demanding to be

heard.

The winds of change are blowing but this isn’t change any of us can believe in. The irresponsible

behavior of Washington’s politicians has prompted taxpayers to action. Hard-working Americans

throughout the country and across the economic and political spectra are joining forces to send a

message to their politicians: America is going to party like it’s 1773!

 

Dissent and the Media that Fails to Report it!

By Sally Zelikovsky

Tea Party Organizer for SF event April 15, 2009, 11am - 1pm, Civic Center Park.

 

 

“What have you heard about tea parties,” I recently asked about a dozen people.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Like the one I had with my grandkids last week?”

 

“Is this a trick question?”

 

“Nothing, in particular.”

 

These are just a few of the responses my informal survey yielded.  Statistically speaking it hardly comprises a representative sample but is instructive nonetheless.  In short, the media are depriving Americans of all the news that’s fit to print.

 

This is scarcely a surprise to conservatives, but for those who are not aware of this phenomenon, take heed. 

 

It is rudimentary that the press serves as an unofficial check on all three branches of the government. It is supposed to function independently from the government ensuring that the public receives news in its purest, most unadulterated, objective form. Our history books are replete with examples of societies in which the press functioned as an arm of the government and the havoc that came to bear on the governed as a result.  While I do not claim that today’s press is an extension of the government, I’m afraid, my blissfully unaware friends, that we have journeyed to a time when our press functions as a de facto arm of the government.  By failing to report newsworthy events simply because they do not comport with the collective viewpoints within a media organization, the press becomes complicit in the promotion of one ideology over another.  The tyranny of the majority, which was anathema to our founding fathers, has finally found a foothold in our media and threatens all we hold dear (and by “we” I mean all of us regardless of political affiliation). 

While the media knowingly and repeatedly fail to inform millions of Americans of newsworthy events, millions of Americans are also guilty for failing to demand more of their print and electronic media outlets. 

 

Today, millions of Americans are exercising their constitutional right to dissent by staging tea parties all across the land and yet millions of Americans have not read a word about it in the papers, heard any mention of it on the radio or seen a single image about it on TV (excepting, of course, Fox News, conservative Talk Radio and conservative publications). This neglect is not accidental.  The press is intentionally holding back news from you, the people. 

 

The tea party story you are not being told has nothing to do with doilies and crumpets.  It hearkens back to a time in 1773 when the Sons of Liberty dressed as Mohawk Indians and emptied tea into the Boston Harbor as a protest against the King of England.  This is one of the earliest episodes of dissent in this country. The only conclusion one can draw about the media’s neglect is that while dissent was patriotic in 1773, in 2009 it is patriotic only when the left dissents against the right and not the other way around. 

 

How else to explain the fact that something big is brewing all across the land and you know nothing about it?

 

Since the press won’t tell you about the tea parties, I will.  Over half the people who voted in this last election are fuming mad and do not agree with the economic policies of the current Administration and Congress.  They have reached a tipping point and, in uncharacteristic fashion, are taking to the streets on April 15^th in close to 300 cities across the nation, with thousands expected to protest the wasteful and profligate spending in Washington; the pork-laden, so-called Stimulus Package; the trillion dollar, record breaking Budget; and proposed Health Care Plans that are sure to bankrupt the American people.

 

No one stood in the way of the anti-war protesters or Code Pink when they took center stage and most credible news outlets (right, left and center) reported these acts of dissent.  Did you know that the conservative media also reported on these protests as well as anti-torture rallies, anti-trade demonstrations and the ubiquitous anti-Bush protests?  Yet, non-conservative media outlets have neglected to inform the public that tea parties have not only already taken place, but hundreds will occur on April 15^th!  We know the press is not allergic to this kind of reporting because just last week, local TV crews covered the tepid protest in front of the Marine recruitment office in the East Bay on the 6^th anniversary of the Iraq War—they didn’t miss a beat.

 

But when it comes to dissent from the right and center, they’ve missed an entire concerto of beats.  This blatant shunning of news should worry all of us: once the press filters the news through their own lenses, the news becomes tainted and questionable and the individual is at the mercy of those in control.   

 

Is that the news you want?   

 

A skewed media hurts us all and whittles away at our fundamental freedoms.  Whether you have actually lived in a society where the press is controlled by political forces or merely read 1984 in high school and can envision this reality through the power of fiction, you know that a free and fair press in bed with a party or an ideology flies in the face of all we value and, by definition, cannot be free and fair. 

 

Speaking of 1984, during the Two Minute hate when viewers robotically spew hate towards Emmanuel Goldstein, Winston directs his hate against Big Brother, the Party and the Ministry of Truth.  Realizing that Goldstein is just another prop in the party’s propaganda machine (funneled by a complicit media and individuals reluctant to think for themselves), Winston feels affection for Goldstein as the “sole guardian of truth and sanity in a world of lies,” a world in which he and the people around him play just as big a part as the Party and Ministry.

 

I challenge the Marin IJ, the San Francisco Chronicle and every local television and radio station in the Bay Area to report on the Tea Party taking place on April 15^th from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. at Civic Center Park in San Francisco and to do so without bias.  Let your readerships and viewerships decide.  Continued failure to detail this story of dissent brings the press ever closer to Orwell’s Ministry of Truth. 

 

CA Civil Service update - from Mark Hill

Absolutely incredible.......Note the highlighted quote below.....This guy will get fired for this..but it says it all..PRESS owned by Unions.

Chronicling civil-service life for California state workers

December 31, 2008

2009-10 budget: Impact on state workers; CPR revived

State Finance Director Mike Genest unveiled Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's 2009-10 budget proposal today. It continues the call for a employee furloughs, two fewer paid holidays each year, changes to overtime pay calculations and layoffs.

The new wrinkle: Schwarzenegger wants to dump CalPERS as the health care rate negotiator / administrator for the state workforce. Here are the pertinent paragraphs on pages 45 and 46 of the governor's plan:

Porposed changes to General Fund expeditures include:

A decrease of $132.2 million in health care costs beginning in January 2010 by contracting for lower cost health care coverage directly from an insurer rather than through CalPERS. Savings beginning in 2010‑11 will prefund Other Post‑Employment Benefit costs.

And Non-General Fund adjustments include:

A decrease of $47.9 million from various special funds in health care costs by contracting for lower cost health care coverage directly from an insurer rather than through CalPERS. Savings beginning in 2010‑11 will prefund Other Post‑Employment Benefit costs.

You can read the 2009-10 budget plan here.

And remember the California Performance Review? Schwarzenegger is reaching back to it for ways to consolidate and streamline the government. An insert to the budget outlines more than two dozen state boards, agencies, bureaus and commissions the administration wants to streamline, combine or eliminate.

You can read that document by clicking on this link. The Bee is all over the governor's proposal. We have a half-dozen reporters and editors working the story from various angles this afternoon. Watch for several stories out tomorrow.

Meet the (biased) Press

From my notes, but never published until now.

 

Sat. Sept. 8, 2007: CRP Convention Seminar, Indian Wells:

 

Meet the Press panel discussion featured moderator Pat (ex-CRP Communications guy), with Carla (SF Chron), Lisa (Contra Costa Times), and John (San Diego Tribune). 

 

Same old blather...

 

on Reporting:

 

Republicans need to form personal relationships with the reporters so that their side will get covered... 

Layers of editors the reporters go through to get their story approved...

Have to produce more and more with less people (SF Chronicle lost 80 reporters recently - 35% of their employees let go), which produces less in-depth reporting...

Consolidation of the papers hurts the readers a lot by reducing multiple coverages of stories...

Bloggers don't often tell the truth, [although the panel reporters do go to blogs like FlashReport daily]...

Newspaper readership is down because of free news websites, [not because people don't want to read or pay for bias]...

People who only read their side of the story are uninformed...[intimated Repubs do that more than Dems]...

 

on Issues: 

Term Limits: public not interested.

Pollsters having problems polling as there are fewer telephone land lines, and pollsters aren't reaching cell phones.

Redistricting:  for Dems, this is a nuclear issue, threatening their supremacy in CA.  Dems will throw $$$$ to defeat.

 

on Candidates:

O'Bama is a terrific public speaker, but Hillary is running a "flawless" campaign.  She has the organization in place, and will be the Dem's candidate.  More and more Independents who, at first, would vote for Rudy over Hillary, are turning and supporting Hillary.

Public tenor is: not much enthusiasm for Republican candidates.

Among Repubs, lots of support for Rudy.  Some for Romney.  Not so with Thompson.

Huckabee "wowed" SF Chron editors recently when he interviewed with them.

Romney is bordering on "slick" instead of sincere.  His support is collapsing [quite gleefully said].

In response to audience charge that lesser candidates aren't covered:

Campaign Money results in higher polling, reporters only cover candidates who are polling well.

 

on Abortion:

Audience question:  we don't care about abortion.  why do you?

Reporter:  Abortion is an issue with us, so deserves coverage.  [Press keeps this issue alive.]

 

Audience questions:

A young M.D. from Fresno put it succinctly.  "We don't trust you...past reporting has shown an ignorance of facts... Lies of omission are still lies.  There's a reason papers are declining.  How do you propose changing our distrust of you?"

 

Another audience member:  "When did news change from reporting to raising h---l?"

 

Reporters response was, of course, to deny that there is media bias, and Lisa, from the CC Times, even said, "Truth?  What is Truth?  There is no one Truth.  There are about 50 different versions of "Truth" [so we have a hard time distinguishing what to report].

 

My view:

Unbelievable piety, total indifference to criticism, bubble-residing, whiney, entrenched reporters (just like bureaucrats) who believe in their hearts they are fair in their coverage; that they are unjustly maligned, that their jobs are threatened because of all the bloggers and free websites.

 

Final moderator quote:  "You can disagree [with the press], but don't be disagreeable."

 

 

An Open, Rambling Letter of Congratulations and Hope

By Sally Zelikovsky San Rafael, CA Dear Friends and Family: I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations on a truly historic election. Having endured what you believe were 8 excruciating years of poverty and devastation, I know that those of you who voted for Obama must all be relieved. I have also endured the last 8 years, but my experience is notably different from yours. And I think in looking ahead to the future, we must look to the past for lessons learned and take responsibility that those lessons won’t be repeated. From the minute George Bush was elected, the Democrats began their next campaign--and it was a brilliant one--to tarnish the Republican brand. With the exception of a short blip during 9-11, when politicians and their constituents had no choice but to put politics aside, Bush met with nightly assaults in the media on everything he said and did. First, there were the periodicals and the networks; then, the nightly talk and comedy shows; then books and movies; and finally, supposed parodies like “L’il Bush.” It was an endless onslaught defaming the brand and, it’s true, you know, if you say it enough, they will believe it. Most of us have endured your parties with your relentless scathing and often unsubstantiated claims about Bush and his policies, his lies and distortions, his nefarious character and Machiavellian desires; the constant barrage of ridicule of all things Bush and all things conservative; the distortion and manipulation of incidences…all to prop up your own brand, whether wittingly or unwittingly. I say “unwittingly” because many of you fail to recognize the role you played in this daily onslaught against the President, in particular, and the havoc it wreaked on this country, in general. Many times I tried to engage you in conversation, as many of my like-minded friends have done, only to be met with scorn, ridicule, all too often ignorance and almost always the brush off. People talk a good game about robust debate, but they have shown they don’t live up to it. I’m not trying to anger you; quite the contrary. I want you to remember “your” behavior over the last 8 years and contrast it with “mine.” First, notice the congratulatory nature of the right regarding this victory; the authentic well wishing, despite the disappointment; the articulated support for all things Obama in the hopes that this man will think about his children’s future and hence will benefit the future for all of our children. And while you observe that, recall how the right was treated by the left from the moment (back to my opening salvo) Bush took office. He, we, never stood a chance. He was the original candidate outside of the beltway seeking to reach across the aisle and nearly all of his gestures were rebuffed, only to be met with a revision of events that could only occur with the complicity of the media. Second, as Obama transitions into the White House, recall again, the way the Bush team’s truncated transition was handled: from offices left in shambles, to the very juvenile prank of “w” keys missing on all the computers, to White House staff members, CIA and State Dept. employees vowing to undermine Bush and his administration at every opportunity. Contrast that with Bush’s statements and guarantees of a smooth transition; his establishment of a Transition Council to aid the Obama administration. And let’s not forget that in Bush’s attempt to govern moderately, he displayed boundless good will by leaving in powerful positions, much to his detriment as hindsight has shown, countless holdovers from Democrat Administrations, all done with the mistaken belief that good people would put partisan politics aside when it came to the defense of this country and doing what was best for it. Again, scan the annals of your memory and recall the Bush transition in the wake of Clinton and contrast that with what you are witnessing today. But most of all, I am most proud of my conservative friends and family who never gloated when Bush was elected (twice) and aren’t spewing vitriolic hatred for someone they didn’t vote for, like you all did. I recall many comments but maybe this one will jar your memory: “He’s not my President.” I may not agree with Obama on much, but, like it or not, he is my President. And, in the course of this, you closed your minds and mouths to discussion, open and robust. You had a complicit media, feeding you only the information it wanted you to have and that you wanted to hear. I’d like to think, as opposed as I am to everything Obama stands for, I will at least expose myself to the other side. Well, I know I will because I always have and frankly, you cannot live in America without being exposed to the main stream media. But it saddens me that the electorate is not exposed to a balanced media unless individuals proactively seek it, something I’ve notice few of you do. And, when some of you do take a glimpse into the alternative press, you often start asking questions and reading and pondering and you begin to see what we all see so clearly. I am always in awe of those who do; for it takes great courage to break out of one’s somnambulism. And now you seek to shut that down with the Fairness Doctrine. What are you afraid of? Our family comes from a repressive socialist regime. When children are inundated with carefully constructed programs of information at school, when their ability to speak freely is stifled, when they are given a psychological evaluation by a school because they dared to share conservative viewpoints, when the electorate is so ignorant they cannot explain the difference between socialism and democracy, when freedom to associate and speak and publish are first mocked and then stifled with the threat of legislation, when hard work and success are rewarded with punitive tax measures and wealth is randomly redistributed instead of being steered towards investment, then we are in trouble. It’s a delicate balance, a democracy. It doesn’t take much, when the winds are blowing in the same direction, to knock it off its balance and tip it towards a place we don’t really want to go. Today, all of the winds are blowing to the left and, while that isn’t in and of itself necessarily grim, the power to tip society one way or the other now lies in the hands of a Democrat President, Democrat Congress and Democrat leaning Supreme Court. I ask nothing more of my Democrat friends and family to temper your enthusiasm with caution, your call for change with reason. I do hope our fears about Obama and the power the Democrats have is unfounded. I do hope he brings continued prosperity and security to this nation (and I say continued because now that you have prevailed and the gloves are off, I think we can dispense with the charade about how bad off we all have been for the last 8 years; you did spin it brilliantly to make for a successful campaign). And I do hope all of you exercise this power responsibly. More than anything, I hope you remember to give credit to the right for its collective behavior during this transition and I ask for some intellectual honesty and historic accuracy when I beseech you to take responsibility for the lack of peace during the last transition and the downright divisiveness, even nastiness, throughout the last 8 years. Be very skeptical of a society with a biased or controlled media. Take the time to talk with a few refusniks to refresh your memories about the powerful impact a controlled media has on its population and its politics. I doubt very much that there will be a movie about Obama called “Hussein” or that there will be a ridiculous show called “L’il Obama.” Watch carefully on your TV screens for the onslaught of Obama jokes and reporters who ooze nothing but disdain and loathing for him before he even takes office. And don’t forget to check The New Yorker to see if his caricature morphs into a big eared, tiny monkey-like figure like Bush’s has. I doubt it.

Mark's Voter Recommendations

From Mark D. Hill, former Chairman of the Marin Republican Party and member, Executive Committee, CA GOP.

As a moderate republican – fiscal conservative, father of three, political commentator and minor player in CA GOP circles, I am often asked for my recommendations on the ever more confusing Ballot propositions. So I thought this time around I might send my thoughts on things. If you agree with most/all of these, feel free to forward to your friends as a guide. BTW - if you want my take on Marin County Initiatives/candidates, just email me and I will forward that.

Brief commentary: Our great State is BROKE and we can't afford any more bonds because bonds need to be paid back through taxes and assessments and we pay higher state taxes and fees than any other state already.

• The state of California has the highest Workers Compensation costs in the nation. Employers pay the higher premiums for these Workers Compensation costs.

• Only Michigan and Mississippi have a higher unemployment rate than California and 39 states have substantially lower rates. Employers' unemployment insurance rates are directly affected by the rate of usage of unemployment insurance.

• California has the highest marginal tax rate for personal income on the state level, maxing out at a whopping 10.3 percent. People do consider this when they have wealth and decide where to live.

• California has the highest state sales tax at 7.25 percent and among the most inclusive of all sales taxes. This adds over $2,100 to the cost of a $30,000 car before licensing fees! New Jersey is second at 7 percent. Again, if given a choice, why not live where less of the money you spend is grabbed by the state.

• California has the highest gas prices in the continental United States due to overbearing state regulations and poor decision making by government officials, including their mandating additives that actually poisoned our public water ways, then reversing course with the costs of the refining changes being passed on to the California consumer.

• California ranks 23rd in spending on public schools but this is severely under reported as it does not include school construction costs and interest on bonds which voters regularly vote in throughout the state. Bond costs are typically added onto the cost of real estate.

• Only 66 percent of California students graduate, ranking us 29th in the nation. This affects both employers looking for a skilled work force and families worried about the environment in which they raise their family.

• We are the 10th most dangerous state in the nation to live.

This is why our neighbors in Nevada and Arizona are booming(leaving us remaining with one hell of a debt to payoff). Most of their population growth is Californians fleeing a state that has largely been without effective leadership for over twenty years. Now we find ourselves in yet another budget crisis and the first words out of the mouths of our so called leaders are "revenue enhancements" which is a polite way of saying 'raise their taxes and increase their fees.' It is akin to the Queen being told, "The people have no bread," and responding, "Well then, let them eat cake." They simply have no idea of the problem and no desire to face up to that problem.

We are already the most taxed state in the nation. Many of those taxes are hidden in fees and higher costs. When gas costs 50 cents more in California because of burdensome regulation, that is a tax on consumers. When houses costs $50,000 to $100,000 more because of government fees and regulations, that is a tax on consumers. When cars costs $1,500 more because of stricter emissions standards, that too is a tax on consumers. When you include the extra costs we incur because of government regulation, our tax rates become absolutely burdensome and confiscatory. Add the extra costs of liability insurance because we seem to all be suing each other hoping to win a chance at the "good life" that perhaps we now feel is out of our reach and the problem become worse than ever.

As a Veteran, the hardest thing for me not to support was the Veteran's Bond Bill…but again, we are broke… nationally and statewide already….and we need to make hard choices. Supporting redistricting is critical so we can "throw the bums (current Congressmen, State Senators and legislatures) out"….. today our voting districts looks like a crazy jigsaw puzzle…as it should …given the politicians (Democrats and Republican incumbents) made the lines to ensure re election.

Below are MY personal recommended positions (and its just fine if you disagree with me on any of them).

Nationally: McCain for President

2008 Ballot Propositions PROPOSITION 1A – HIGH SPEED RAIL - OPPOSE PROPOSITION 2 – FARM ANIMALS - OPPOSE PROPOSITION 3 – CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL BOND ACT- OPPOSE PROPOSITION 4 – PARENTAL NOTIFICATION - SUPPORT PROPOSITION 5 – DRUG OFFENSES, SENTENCING, PAROLE - SUPPORT PROPOSITION 6 – POLICE AND CRIMINAL PENALTIES - SUPPORT PROPOSITION 7 – RENEWABLE ENERGY GENERATION - OPPOSE PROPOSITION 8 – PROTECT MARRIAGE – SUPPORT PROPOSITION 9 – VICTIMS' RIGHTS -SUPPORT PROPOSITION 10 – ALTERNATIVE ENERGY BOND - OPPOSE PROPOSITION 11 – REDISTRICTING - SUPPORT PROPOSITION 12 – VETERANS' BOND ACT OF 2008 - OPPOSE Proposition, but support the Vets...the Feds should fund this...not the State.

Better, not less oversight needed

By Mark Hill Published Marin Independent-Journal, Oct. 20

THE BALLOT proposal by the Marin County Board of Supervisors to replace two key elected financial officials is the most brazen attempt yet by Marin's elected representatives to subvert taxpayers' interest in this county.

Measure B would merge the county auditor and treasurer-tax collector into a single finance chief's job appointed by and accountable only to the Board of Supervisors.

Representative democracy in this country has, for over 225 years, been built on the foundation of "by for and of the people" in order to protect citizens, and their tax dollars from an over-reaching, profligate and power-hungry government. Over the course of the last decade, the supervisors - all Democrats - have awarded pay packages, benefits and lifetime pensions to retiring municipal union members that in some cases total over $10 million per employee for that retiree's lifetime.

These pension benefits include lifetime salaries (70 percent to 100 percent of their final salary), full medical and dental (worth $750,000 alone) and cost-of-living increases for life. It far exceed anything available to workers in the private sector.

These egregious giveaways have saddled Marin with a conservative estimate of $1 billion in unfunded liabilities to date. That's tax dollars committed by our elected officials to the same Marin public employee unions that are their source of large campaign contributions.

These commitments will crowd out future spending for our children, our roads, our seniors, parks and health care and the environment.

The incredulous rationale from our supervisors is that by eliminating these two elected positions, we might save $100,000 a year.

We should be asking, what is the financial cost of losing the accountability that keeps our elected officials honest? The supervisors have recently recused themselves from membership on the county pension board, citing an appearance of "conflict of interest." The 250,000 residents in Marin County have been burdened with this onerous debt by our supervisors, with the complicity of 2,400 current and 3,000 retired public employees. These unilateral giveaways, "negotiated" and signed by our supervisors (all of them entitled to receiving county pension benefits) will eventually need to be paid through additional property taxes, sales taxes, service fees, user fees, higher parking fines, or whatever new scheme they come up with that will pick our pockets to preserve the status quo that provides for public employees first, and leaves taxpayers to pick up the tab. By eliminating elected financial positions and creating instead appointed "toadies," the supervisors are eliminating oversight and removing any accountability. This will allow the unions to continue to hold sway over county revenues to meet their own needs. More importantly, this move puts a padlock on the auditing and treasury functions which will further remove transparency as it relates to more giveaways.

The county already has gone out of its way not to be transparent when it comes to disclosing public employee salaries and benefits. The Marin IJ had to pressure county supervisors and fight a lawsuit filed by county managers in order to gain access to salaries paid to our public employees with taxpayer monies.

To think this was even necessary is as startling as it is telling. Our county taxpayers, residents and children deserve better and the Marin supervisors should be made to better explain why they support less transparency and less accountability by the removal of top managers elected to provide independent oversight.

This flawed plan, if successful, will surely keep our public employee union bosses happy with continued, unfettered, budget-busting giveaways by county supervisors, and ultimately put our county in even more financial peril.

Mark Hill of Tiburon is former chairman of the Marin Republican Party.

Obama's sleazy friends

By Frank Gaffney, Washington Times, Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2008. Not just William Ayers.

McCain Vision

Click on image to enlarge. Source: NFRW’s Republican Woman Fall 2008

Joe Biden Lies 14 Times During Debate...

 

Each time Senator Biden was on his heels, he looked directly into the camera and lied -- more than a dozen times by our count.  He lied about John McCain's record, his own record, and Barak Obama's dangerous policies.  Governor Palin showed the American people tonight why a McCain-Palin Administration will bring real reform, leadership, and straight talk to Washington." --Tucker Bounds, spokesman McCain-Palin 2008  

 

1. TAX VOTE: Biden said McCain voted "the exact same way" as Obama to increase taxes on Americans earning just $42,000, but McCain DID NOT VOTE THAT WAY.  

 

2. AHMEDINIJAD MEETING: Joe Biden lied when he said that Barack Obama never said that he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran. Barack Obama did say specifically, and Joe Biden attacked him for it.  

 

3.  OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING: Biden said, "Drill we must." But Biden has opposed offshore drilling and even compared offshore drilling to "raping" the Outer Continental Shelf."  

 

4.  TROOP FUNDING: Joe Biden lied when he indicated that John McCain and Barack Obama voted the same way against funding the troops in the field. John McCain opposed a bill that included a timeline, that the President of the United States had already said he would veto regardless of it's passage.  

 

5. OPPOSING CLEAN COAL: Biden says he's always been for clean coal, but he just told a voter that he is against clean coal and any new coal plants in America and has a record of voting against clean coal and coal in the U.S. Senate.  

 

6. ALERNATIVE ENERGY VOTES: According to FactCheck.org, Biden is exaggerating and overstating John McCain's record voting for alternative energy when he says he voted against it 23 times.  

 

7. HEALTH INSURANCE: Biden falsely said McCain will raise taxes on people's health insurance coverage -- they get a tax credit to offset any tax hike. Independent fact checkers have confirmed this attack is false  

 

8. OIL TAXES: Biden falsely said Palin supported a windfall profits tax in Alaska -- she reformed the state tax and revenue system, it's not a windfall profits tax.  

 

9. AFGHANISTAN / GEN. MCKIERNAN COMMENTS: Biden said that top military commander in Iraq said the principles of the surge could not be applied to Afghanistan, but the commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force Gen. David D. McKiernan said that there were principles of the surge strategy, including working with tribes, that could be applied in Afghanistan.  

 

10. REGULATION: Biden falsely said McCain weakened regulation -- he actually called for more regulation on Fannie and Freddie.  

 

11. IRAQ: When Joe Biden lied when he said that John McCain was "dead wrong on Iraq", because Joe Biden shared the same vote to authorize the war and differed on the surge strategy where they John McCain has been proven right.  

 

12. TAX INCREASES: Biden said Americans earning less than $250,000 wouldn't see higher taxes, but the Obama-Biden tax plan would raise taxes on individuals making $200,000 or more.   

 

13. BAILOUT: Biden said the economic rescue legislation matches the four principles that Obama laid out, but in reality it doesn't meet two of the four principles that Obama outlined on Sept. 19, which were that it include an emergency economic stimulus package, and that it be part of "part of a globally coordinated effort with our partners in the G-20."  

 

14. REAGAN TAX RATES: Biden is wrong in saying that under Obama, Americans won't pay any more in taxes then they did under Reagan.  

Source:  NFRW Points Forward; www.JohnMcCain.com