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George Bush's new budget proposal continues the Republican war on the poor
February 8, 2006
As a Bangor Daily News reporter and Bureau Chief in the 1970s and 80s, I covered countless town and county government meetings and hearings on state/town issues. Over those years I watched local and state office holders constantly wrestle with the delicate balance between essential community services and a fair tax structure. I see no sign of that balance, or even recognition of the need for that balance, in the budget proposals of the Bush Administration or the Republicans in Congress. Beyond the unnecessary and tragic military and civilian deaths, the destruction of an entire country, and the loss of our moral standing in the world, George Bush's illegal war in Iraq is driving this country into bankruptcy. Medicare, Medicaid, student loans, food stamps, home heating assistance and other essential services are under constant threat. But the wealthy keep getting those tax breaks. Just last week, the choice in the Senate was between keeping $18 billion in tax breaks on UNEARNED income (capital gains and dividends), or using that $18 billion to fund better medical care for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. Senator Olympia Snowe had the gall to vote AGAINST better medical care for our veterans. Click here to see the official Senate Roll Call vote. We just started running an ad on Air America (870 AM) in the Portland area, addressing this issue. Click here to check out the text of the ad and to listen to the radio ad itself. |
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