Mesa Legend - ARCHIVES - Vol. 40, Issue 9


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Volume 40, Issue 9.
February 4, 2003

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Bush delivers State of the Union address to concerned nation
By Carly Schorman
Mesa Legend


	President Bush focused on the economy, the environment, Medicare, and the continuing war on terror.

Tuesday, Jan 28, President Bush delivered the annual state of the union address.
In his speech, Bush recounted the previous year’s success and revealed his plans for the year to come.

First and foremost, Bush promised that Americans “will answer every danger and every enemy that threatens the American people.”

“I call it a good start,” Bush stated in reference to his administration’s work throughout his presidency.

Among the previous year’s successes, Bush cited “we’ve have achieved historic education reform which must now be carried out” reorganizing the government to lead to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, “the largest tax relief in a generation,” and “holding corporate criminals to account.”

Aside from promising to take “whatever action is required, whenever action is necessary” to “defend the freedom and security of the American people,” Bush listed four main goals.

The first goal was “an economy that grows fast enough to employ every man and woman who seeks a job.”

“Recession, terrorist attacks, corporate scandals, and stock market declines” were reasons offered by Bush to explain the current state of the economy.

The president’s plan to improve the economy include large tax cuts because “the economy grows when Americans have more money to spend and invest; and the best, fairest way to make sure Americans have that money is not to tax it away in the first place.”

Washington state Governor Gary Locke, who spoke on behalf of the Democratic Party, disagreed with Bush’s plan to cut taxes in a rebuttal speech later that same day.

Locke stated that the tax break “must benefit middle class families rather than just a few” and “must be fiscally responsible, so we have the savings to strengthen Social Security and protect our homeland.”

The democratic plan promises “over $100 billion in tax relief and investments,” according to Locke.

Calling Bush’s plan “upside down economics,” Locke alleged “it will create huge, permanent deficits that will raise interest rates, stifle growth, hinder homeownership and cut off the avenues of opportunity that have let so many work themselves up from poverty.”

Bush declared “92 million Americans will keep, this year, an average of almost 1,100 dollars more of their own money.”
However, Locke held that these tax cuts are only for the “top one percent- that’s people who earn over $300,000—would get more tax relief than the bottom 95 percent of taxpayers combined”
“After gaining 22 million jobs in eight years, we’ve now lost 2 million jobs in the last two years since President Bush took office—100,000 lost last month alone,” Locke said of the Bush Administration’s work to date on the economy.

“Two years ago, the federal budget was in surplus,” said Locke in reference to the economy at the end of former President Clinton’s term in office. Furthermore, Locke claimed “(the Bush) administration’s policies will produce massive deficits of over a trillion dollars over the next decade.”

In addition, Bush asserted that “high quality, affordable health care for all Americans” was a priority.

Seniors, who are hit hardest by rising medical costs, “should have the choice of a health care plan that provides prescription drugs,” as indicated by Bush. In order to achieve this, Bush plans on adding to the budget “400 billion dollars over the next decade to reform and strengthen Medicare.”

Furthermore, Bush also plans on reducing medical costs by removing the “constant threat that physicians and hospitals will be unfairly sued” defining that threat as “excessive litigation.”

Locke contradicted Bush claiming his plan “only helps seniors who leave traditional Medicare.”

“Democrats will insist on a Medicare prescription drug benefit for all seniors,” Locke asserted.

By promoting “energy independence for our country,” Bush believes his plan will “improve the environment.”

His administration has developed an “energy plan to promote energy efficiency and conservation, to develop cleaner technology, and to produce more energy at home,” affirmed Bush.

The president added that his plan “mandates a 70 percent cut in air pollution from power plants over the next 15 years.”

In order to accomplish this drastic cut Bush suggested a “1.2 billion dollars in research funding to develop clean hydrogen-powered automobiles.”

The democrats also feel an emphasis should be placed on environmental issues, however, Locke proclaimed “instead of opening up the Alaskan wilderness to oil drilling, we should be committed to a national policy to reduce our dependence on oil by promoting American technology and sustainability.”

Bush’s fourth goal is “to apply the compassion of America to the deepest problems of America.”

Bush explained that “the homeless and the fatherless, the addicted” need help.

Through his “faith based initiative and the Citizen Service Act,” Bush announced his creation would be a “$600 million program to help an additional 300,000 Americans who receive the treatment over the next three years.”

The president’s plan also includes fighting HIV/AIDS at home and abroad. To aid the fight Bush aspiration to spend “$15 billion over the next five years, including nearly $10 billion in new money, to turn the tide against AIDS in the most afflicted nations of Africa and the Caribbean.”

During this address, Bush vowed to “end the practice of partial-birth abortion” and “pass a law against human cloning.”
But ultimately, the focus of the evening’s speech was on the war on terror.

“The war goes on, and we are winning,” emphasize Bush.
Bush listed advancements in this war including the arrest of many of the “key commanders of al-Qaida.”

Bush also added that many that weren’t arrested were “otherwise dealt with.”

The president didn’t elaborate other than saying, “Put it this way… they are no longer a problem for the United States and our friends and allies.”

“Terrorists are learning the meaning of American justice,” according to Bush.

Bush affirmed his plan calls for “almost $6 billion to quickly make available effective vaccines and treatments against agents like anthrax, botulinum, Ebola, and plague” as well as offering strong support to the “International Atomic Energy Agency in its mission to track and control nuclear materials around the world.”

Locke maintained that democrats fully “support the president in the course he has followed so far.”

In adding that the United States is “far stronger when we stand with other nations than when we stand alone,” Locke expressed the desire of most democrats to gain support of the United Nations or other countries before full-fledged war is thrust upon the U.S.
Bush maintained that he has no intent on passing “along our problems to other Congresses, to other presidents, and other generations,” continuing his push for action overseas while asserting that America can act without the support of other governments.