Way to Go Snow-man!

I knew from the very start i would love having Tony Snow as the new Press Secretary for President Bush. Nothing against Scott McClellan, he was a good guy...but he wasn't fiesty enough. But Tony on the other hand...after spending the last few years working in the media, he knows how to deal with these yo-yo's!

Already he is getting after the lies and distortions that have made the drive by media of 2006 the worthless "4th branch" of government that it has become.

*Beginning with USA Today. They claimed "Poor, Often Minority" Medicare Beneficiaries Are Not Enrolling In Medicare Drug Coverage. "While millions of seniors and people with disabilities are signing up and saving money, the program is being used least by those who could benefit most: poor, often minority Medicare beneficiaries." (Richard Wolf, "Those Most In Need May Miss Drug Benefit Sign-up," USA Today, 5/9/06)

The truth, according to a press release from Tony Snow found on the official White House website reports, "By April, More Than 70 Percent Of Eligible African Americans, More Than 70 Percent Of Eligible Hispanics, And More Than 75 Percent Of Eligible Asian Americans Are Enrolled Or Have Retiree Drug Coverage. "

Let me do my math here...70%, 70% and 75%; yep that sounds like the "vast majority" of minorities are not utilizing these services that being made available to them by MY TAX MONEY!

*Next our friends at CBS, former home of truth tellers Dan Rather-be lying and Mary Mapes were corrected for more of their embellishments, distortions and lies. CBS News Misleadingly Reports That Only 8 Million Seniors Have Signed Up For Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage. JIM AXELROD: "Hoping to nail down at least one clear success story for Republicans to run on this fall, Mr. Bush wants to add another million seniors to the 8 million already signed up." (CBS' "Evening News," 5/9/06)

Once again, Mr. Snow is setting the record straight on the official White House website with a news release that reads, "But 37 Million Seniors Have Coverage. Of the more than 42 million people eligible for Medicare, more than 31 million people with Medicare now have Part D-related prescription drug coverage and hundreds of thousands more are enrolling now. Nearly 6 million more eligible beneficiaries have an alternative source of coverage (i.e., they are covered by VA, Indian Health, or they are still working). "

8 Million or 31-37 millions...you know, with that new math they are teaching in places like Sacramento, CA there probably isn't much difference between them; after all they are just numbers, aren't they?

* And then there is everyone's favorite over priced toilet paper, The New York Slimes...oops, i meant Times. Well, the old grey mare wanting to downplay the much improved US economy (compared to the end of the Clinton era) by reporting, "Fixed Costs, Like Housing, Health Care And Gasoline" Are "Rapidly Outpacing" Paychecks And Benefits. (Editorial, "Barely Staying Afloat," The New York Times, 5/10/06)".

Truth be told, and Tony Snow is doing that, they are wrong...as usual. Once again, a White House presse release reports:
"But Average Hourly Earnings Have Risen 3.8 Percent Over The Past 12 Months, Their Largest Increase In Nearly Five Years. Hourly compensation rose at a 5.7 percent rate in the first quarter. Personal income rose 0.5 percent in March.
Real After-Tax Income Has Risen By 13.8 Percent Since January 2001. Real after-tax income has risen by $2,398 (8.2 percent) per person since January 2001.
Securities Prices Show The Market Believes That Inflation Is Expected To Remain In Check.
More Than 5.2 Million Jobs Have Been Created Since August 2003, And 138,000 Jobs Were Created In April. The unemployment rate is 4.7 percent.
Yesterday, The Dow Jones Industrial Closed Within 83 Points Of An All-Time Record High. The Dow is up 8.6 percent this year and closed yesterday at a six-year high.
GDP Grew At A Strong 4.8 Percent Annual Rate In The First Quarter. This follows our economic growth of 3.5 percent in 2005 - the fastest rate of any major industrialized nation.
At $52 Trillion, Household Total Net Worth (Assets Minus Liabilities) Is At An All-Time High And Has Increased 8 Percent Over The Past Year And 33 Percent Over The Past Three Years. The growth is due to both real estate and other financial investments (i.e. it's not just a result of rising housing prices). Household financial net worth (which excludes housing and other tangible assets) is also at an all-time high.
The Conference Board Index Of Consumer Confidence Increased In April To Its Highest Level In Almost Four Years.
Productivity Increased At A Strong Annual Rate Of 3.2 Percent In The First Quarter.
Real Consumer Spending (Which Adjusts For The Price Of Gasoline) Grew At A 5.5 Percent Annual Rate In The First Quarter And 3.4 Percent Over The Past Four Quarters."

Too make a long story short...the President's tax relief and cuts that i as a middle class American was able to benefit from is helping spur the US economic momentum.

* And finally, the AP had to weigh in on a faulty scale concerning military recruitment. Apparently the AP reported, "Army Guard, Reserve Fall Short Of April Recruiting Goals." (Lolita C. Baldor, "Army Guard, Reserve Fall Short Of April Recruiting Goals," The Associated Press, 5/10/06) "

And once again, by getting the facts from the actual source you find something totally different being reported. The White House provides the following:
"But The Army National Guard, Air Force Reserve, And Marine Corps Reserve All Have Exceeded Or Achieved Their Year-To-Date Recruitment Goals.
The Army National Guard Has Recruited 103 Percent Of Its Year-To-Date Goal.
The Air Force Reserve Has Recruited 105 Percent Of Its Year-To-Date Goal.
The Marine Corps Reserve Has Recruited 100 Percent Of Its Year-To-Date Goal. (Department Of Defense, "DoD Announces Recruiting And Retention Numbers For April," Press Release, 5/10/06)

For Active Duty Recruiting, All Services Exceeded Their Recruiting Goals In April For The 11th Consecutive Month And Remain Ahead Of Their Year-To-Date Goals. All services are also projected to meet their retention goals for the current fiscal year. (Department Of Defense, "DoD Announces Recruiting And Retention Numbers For April," Press Release, 5/10/06)

The Army Reserve, Air National Guard, And Navy Reserve Fell Short Of Their April Goals Partially Because Of High Active-Duty Retention. "Former active servicemembers have long been the biggest source of reserve-component recruits and a valuable resource, [Air Force Lt. Col. Ellen] Krenke said." (Donna Miles, "Active-Duty Recruiting Tops Goals For 11th Straight Month," American Forces Press Service, 5/10/06)

In April, The Marine Corps Reserve Exceeded Its Recruiting Goal By 1 Percent, And The Air Force Reserve Met Its Goal. (Department Of Defense, "DoD Announces Recruiting And Retention Numbers For April," Press Release, 5/10/06)

Reserve Forces Retention Is High. For April, Army National Guard retention was 110 percent of its cumulative goal, and Air National Guard retention was 102 percent of its cumulative goal. (Department Of Defense, "DoD Announces Recruiting And Retention Numbers For April," Press Release, 5/10/06) "

WAIT A MINUTE! Does that mean the AP was wrong? It's not like it's the first time (inluding but not limited to calling USC the 2003 National Champion when LSU rightfully won the BSC Title game!).

Way to go Tony! Keep up the great work and we are looking toward great things from you!