Editor, The Chronicle

It is curious to compare the Bush view of the state of our country as supported and propounded by him and the wholly owned media conglomerates to opening your eyes and looking around. The emperor really has no clothes. Bush claims we are winning in the criminal attack on the people of Iraq but the number of attacks against U.S. occupying forces and the Iraqi army and police have increased each year we have been there. As of today 2,533 Allied soldiers, including 2,425 Americans, have died as a result of the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. Close to 20,000 Americans have come home with severe wounds. The casualties of innocent Iraqi civilians increases daily.

Bush finally notes that we are addicted to oil but his energy policies have lead to the largest profits for the oil companies in history. The current fuel standards for cars are lower than in 1987. China has higher standards. The cost of oil is well over $65 per barrel but this doesn't include the $250 billion we have wasted in Iraq.

Bush describes the economy as healthy and vigorous but real people know that their real wages fell last year. Bush claims credit for creating 4.6 million new jobs without noting that this is a real loss of jobs when accounting for the increase in population. The jobless rate has increased from 3.9 percent to 4.9 percent since Bush became President. The number of people living in poverty has increased from 8.7 percent to 10.2 percent. Personal bankruptcies are through the ceiling. Bush doesn't mention that as our trade deficit has zoomed up foreign banks are supporting our economy by buying our debts. Bush turned a $128 billion budget surplus into a $319 billion deficit for our children and grandchildren to pay.

In the health care arena Bush touts health savings accounts without noting that these are targeted as a new tax-shelter for the higher income people with the vast majority of Americans gaining no benefit. Some studies suggest that if this program were to pass the number of uninsured would actually increase as insurance rates increase. Since Bush was selected six million more people have no health insurance coverage. Over 15 percent of Americans have no health care coverage.

In his past four state of the union messages he mentioned Saddam Hussein 24 times and Iraq 78 times. Not once has he mentioned Osama bin Laden the man who actually masterminded the 9-11 attack. He doesn't mention that under the USA Patriot Act a permanent police force known as the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division can declare any event or gathering in this country as a special event of national significance. Couple this with the President's belief that as Commander in Chief he does not have to follow any laws passed by Congress or the Constitution and I see a different state of our union that the propaganda coming out of Washington D.C.

Larry Kerschner