BUSH'S 2005 BUDGET EMPHASIZES MAKING TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHY PERMANENT -- BUT IT'S ALL FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE WORKING POOR AND MIDDLE CLASS

See, if we don't give more bilions to the mega-wealthy, our economy will stall. Since there are so many new jobs appearing, and those that ARE lucky to be the working poor are doing so well with his tax cuts that they dare not risk losing their jobs by openly OPPOSING him. We're all so lucky to have such a compassionate man of god taking care of us.

Bush said his fiscal 2005 budget, which he will send to Congress February 2, would call on Congress to make permanent all his tax cuts -- from the $1,000 child credit to breaks for small businesses, investors and estates.

"If Congress fails to act, this tax relief will disappear and millions of American families and small businesses would see tax hikes starting in 2005," Bush said.

"For the sake of our economic expansion, and for the sake of millions of Americans who depend on small businesses for their jobs, we need Congress to act to make tax relief permanent," he added.

In making his case, Bush said the U.S. economy was "strong and getting stronger," and cited recent gains in home ownership, business investment, and manufacturing activity.

In a rare reference to stocks, Bush said: "Stock market wealth has increased by more than $3 trillion over the past year."

Well, when manufacturing activity has resulted in the loss of MILLIONS (not thousands) of jobs over three years, it doesn't take much to show "gains." As for home ownership -- let's not go there. On my own single block of $400,000+ lakefront homes, a very neat diverse community, four out of fourteen homes are for sale because their owners have been laid off from their lucrative managerial and/or technical jobs. That's not unusual, and we live in what passes for a thriving economic environment in these days.

And when will the right wing "get it" that 90% of Americans don't give a daily flip about how much stock market wealth has increased when they have no share in it? When will Democrats (unfortunately the current leadership is part of that Beltway-insider mentality and privileged experience) ALSO get it? Up till now we haven't made a case for economic parity because of (1) the fact that our leadership was part of the "ruling economic class"; and (2) the American Dream was to one day be a PART of that class, so how would it appeal to the masses to destroy that possibility?

It's time for a dose of reality, folks.