Posted on 03/27/2004 10:45:10 AM PST by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON -
The Republican budget plan would create record deficits, hurt the economy and reward wealth rather than work, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Saturday.
In the weekly Democratic radio address, Pelosi, D-Calif., used the federal budget passed by the House this week to deliver an election-year attack on GOP priorities. She said the budget would award tax cuts to rich people and corporations while increasing health-care costs for veterans and doing nothing to produce new jobs.
Democrats, by contrast, want to balance the budget, spend more on education and protect benefit programs like Medicare, she said.
The budget alternative proposed by Democratic leaders was defeated 232-194 but allowed the party to showcase alternatives to Republican proposals. The Democrats' plan rolled back future tax cuts on the wealthiest Americans, using the savings for education, veterans and domestic security.
It also had deeper deficit reduction than the GOP plan, letting Democrats claim they would balance the budget by 2012.
"Democrats presented a budget of hope and opportunity. Our budget is paid for and promotes economic growth. Republicans presented a budget which creates historic deficits of over one half-trillion dollars — and that's just for this year alone," Pelosi said.
Republicans pushed a $2.41 trillion budget blueprint through the House on Thursday by a mostly party-line vote of 215-212, with all Democrats there voting no. The GOP plan trims President Bush (news - web sites)'s tax reductions and spending proposals and accelerates his goal of halving deficits in five years. The proposal must now be reconciled with the budget plan approved earlier by the Senate.
Pelosi said the fight shows Democrats want to help working families and small businesses while Republicans favor the rich and corporations that send jobs overseas. She said budget deficits hurt average Americans by driving up interest rates and dampening economic growth.
"Nothing illustrates more clearly the differences between the Democrats and the Republicans than the battle of the budget," she said. "As every family must, the federal government should live within its means."
And while news about rising home sales is giving Bush something to brag about, job growth is still persistently slow, handing Democrats an issue to use against GOP budget plans.
"The Republican budget will create record deficits, but it will not create jobs," Pelosi said.
Translated it's their dogma of the last 40 years:
Democrats, by contrast, want to raise taxes, then spend the revenue on special interest groups and PAC's agendas in return for political favor.
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