Report Shows How Bush Is Squeezing Middle Class

[pinto]

August 17, 2004 | Print Now
Report Shows How Bush Is Squeezing Middle Class


President Bush is now barnstorming the country claiming his record shows that he cares about America's middle class. On everything from taxes to health care to workers wages, the President says he has fought for average Americans. But a new comprehensive report shows that in almost every key economic area, he has actually gone to bat for his wealthiest contributors, at everyone else's expense.

According to a cover story in this month's American Prospect, Bush has pushed policies that benefit the major special interests funding his campaign, while rejecting commonsense, bipartisan proposals that would help the middle class. On taxes, for instance, Bush has claimed, "If you're struggling to get into middle class and you feel like you're paying plenty of taxes, take a look at my agenda."1 Yet, as the Prospect report points out, Bush's tax policies have actually shifted more of the tax burden off of the wealthy, and onto the middle class.2 His policies have also raised federal fees on the middle class, and forced state and local governments to raise middle class taxes to deal with the record federal deficits.

http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&articleId=8344

Sources:
"President Emphasizes Minority Entrepreneurship at Urban League," The White House, 7/23/04.
"CBO Report: Bush Tax Cuts Tilted to Rich," Yahoo!News, 08/13/04.
"Remarks by the President at Traverse City, Michigan Rally," The White House, 07/23/04.

[rkc3]

1. It wouldn't surprise me if they countered with state and local gov'ts

inability to control spending - with too much money going to undeserved groups - as the cause of their financial woes.

Listen for it, they'll be saying it shortly. Pricks.