What are the splintery facts on Shrubs Timber Co?

[Indie Media Magazine]

Gimme the juicy facts.

[Jade Fox]

1. Apparently, he's got wood. ;)

[TrustingDog]

4. was he going for the poplar vote with that statement?

[htuttle]

2. The Skinny

http://factcheck.org/article.aspx@docID=275.html

Bush's Timber-Growing Company

Bush got a laugh when he scoffed at Kerry's contention that he had received $84 from "a timber company."  Said Bush, "I own a timber company? That's news to me."

In fact, according to his 2003 financial disclosure form, Bush does own part interest in "LSTF, LLC", a limited-liability company organized "for the purpose of the production of trees for commercial sales." (See "supporting documents" at right.)

So Bush was wrong to suggest that he doesn't have ownership of a timber company. And Kerry was correct in saying that Bush's definition of "small business" is so broad that Bush himself would have qualified as a "small business" in 2001 by virtue of the $84 in business income.

[PartyPooper]

3. Thank you. John Kerry needs to bring up this fact in the next debate!

He needs to address this issue along with all of the other lies, distortions, and falsehoods perpetuated by Junior and Rove during the campaign...and, especially during the debates.

:-)

[Roland99]

5. From Bush's 2003 tax returns

Page 8, Item #9 -- LSTF, LLC, a limited liability company organized on 02-10-03 for the purpose of the production of trees for commercial sales. Company is owned equally by The Lone Star Trust (George W. Bush, Grantor) and John Taylor. No commercial sales are anticipated until the year 2007. 100% of the Assets consist of:

Wells Fargo Bank - ckg Value: $6,386 Income: $0
Inventory - Cost of trees Value: $219,538 Income $0

[gulliver]

6. I thought it was a loophole.

I thought maybe Bush had just gotten some of his private (i.e. residential) property listed as a small business so he could avoid taxes. I hope someone has the facts on this. It is not enough to say that Bush has a "timber company" on paper with $80 bucks of income. The real question is whether the timber company is really a timber company or just a stand of trees on one of his properties.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

7. I think this was a great deal for JK because it shows that he knows

more about shrub than shrub himself. That he's a careful guy who does research. It was a bit of a trap for shrub, he should have been a bit more wary before trying to get snarky with Kerry about it, just makes him look more the ass now. Should have realized that Kerry knew something about this to make such a comment.

Good analogy with blundering into Iraq on sloppy Wolfowitz/Chalabi sales job without doing his homework.

[Indie Media Magazine]

8. OMG. I can't believe Kerry let him get away with that!

I would have sold my soul to the devil to see him stomp all over Bush about that outright LIE.

And all those people there at the debate who were chuckling were blissfully unaware of that lie.