Huckabee Cut Crime and Taxes?
The truth is that violent crime was higher at the end of his term than when he took office, and he raised taxes more than he cut them.
Summary
In the run-up to the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses, Huckabee is running a TV ad featuring graphics that claim he was "tough on crime" and "brought Arkansas' crime rate down," and that he "cut taxes over 90 times as governor."
In fact, the violent crime rate was higher at the end of his tenure than it was the year he took office. And the tax cuts he claims credit for were minor compared with the large increases he approved, which included an increase in the state sales tax.
Analysis
In the ad, which began running in Iowa on Dec. 28, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee talks of God, the nation's founders and the innate worth of each citizen. But on screen, graphics flash up giving Huckabee credit for bringing down both crime and taxes while governor of Arkansas. We find both claims to be misleading.
Crime Fighter?
Huckabee's ad says he was "tough on crime" and "brought Arkansas' crime rates down." But that's not quite right. While the overall crime rate did decline by 3.9 percent, that was due entirely to a 5.0 percent reduction in property crimes, such as burglaries and auto theft. When it comes to violent crimes, a category that includes murders, rapes, robberies and aggravated assaults, Huckabee's record is mixed: Murders and robberies declined, while rapes and aggravated assaults increased. Overall, the violent crime rate was actually 5.2 percent higher than in 1996, when he took office more than midway through the year on July 15.
According to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports, Arkansas' violent crime rate stood at 5.24 incidents per 1,000 people in 1996 and 5.52 in 2006. A more charitable comparison might use 1995 as the starting point, giving Huckabee credit for all the decline in 1996 even though more than six months were gone before he took office and could have done anything. But even by that measure violent crime was practically the same at the end of his term as it was the year before he took office.
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Member Comments
Posted By: celebr8inglife @ 01/15/2008 11:21:37 PM
Comment: It's entirely laughable to consider this article meritous. How can the author consider this argument viable? The two statements noted here are, quite obviously, factual. The author even states it. This "factcheck.org" arrticle states that both overall crime was lower and that Huckabee lowered taxes 90 times. How can they publish an author who verifies the facts of the statements and then claim the statements are false? It's ridiculous. Never once has Huckabee stated that he permanently lowered violent crimes, or that the net amount of taxes was lower when he left office than when he entered it. He is completely truthful and has been thus far. Quit allowing editorial articles like this publication as if they were factual.
Posted By: pacman116 @ 01/11/2008 5:17:24 AM
Comment: I don't know where you're from, but you don't know Christians well at all. I could care less if he was a pastor in the past, a Baptist one at that (my faith). All these half-truths and undisclosed facts makes him look like a Democrat rather than a Republican. Anyone within my earshot will have the facts about Mr. Huckabee. I do agree with you on one point; there will be those out there that are ignorant to the facts and will vote for him.
But you're just as gullible as they are for actually believing that all Christians will vote for him just because he was once a pastor. By the way, they are sinners just like the rest of us.
Posted By: carnabylane @ 01/05/2008 1:31:23 PM
Comment: Counting on evangelicals to shoo him into office is Huckabee"s plan. They are gullible to the half truths and outright lies of anyone who claims to be a pastor or spokesman of God. You have only to look at Jim Baker, Jimmy Sweigart and that gay guy from Colorado to realize they are easily conned. They never let facts get in the way of belief.