Democratic Response to President Bush's Weekly Radio Address

HEADLINE: DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT BUSH'S WEEKLY RADIO ADDRESS

BY: GOVERNOR MARK WARNER (D-VA)

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GOV. WARNER: Good morning, this is Governor Mark Warner from Virginia. Two and a half years ago, Republicans promised they could cut taxes, eliminate that national debt, and keep the economy booming. Instead, the real record is that our country lost 3.1 million jobs, and their policies have turned the $236 billion surplus they inherited into a $455 billion deficit.

A major reason for the deficits is they forced through massive tax cuts to provide the greatest benefits to the wealthiest Americans, so instead of getting our economy moving again, Republican policies have made the fiscal crises of the states even worse, forcing most states to cut vital programs or raise taxes. As Democrats, we believe working families should have access to decent health care, good schools for their children, and an affordable college education. Unfortunately, after we spent almost 10 years getting rid of our national budget deficit, the president's economic policies create new deficits, and will saddle future generations with debts that our children and grandchildren will be paying for for years to come.

This week, President Bush and members of his Cabinet launched a nationwide tour to tout their economic policies, policies that have not worked. So let's set the record straight. Right now this nation is on track for the worse job creation record since the Great Depression. No president since Herbert Hoover 70 years ago has actually lost jobs over the course of his term in office. The unemployment rate nationwide is now at the highest level in almost 10 years. Long-term unemployment remains especially high, with two million Americans having been out of work for more than six months.

As a governor, I know firsthand how the administration's economic policies are failing to deliver on the promises of creating good jobs, especially in manufacturing. Just this week, Pillowtex Corporation closed down 16 plants, including one in Fieldale, Virginia. This caused almost a thousand manufacturing jobs in my state to disappear. Others lost their jobs in our neighboring states. And the administration's tax cut policies offer little for these workers, and millions of other men and women like them.

In addition, Republicans in Congress have forced states to pick up the tab on a host of programs that they claim to support in Washington but are not willing to fund the federal share, whether it's Medicaid, prescription drugs, higher standards for education or special education. The administration and the Republican Congress have refused to live up to the federal government's partnership with state and local governments. As a result, many states and localities have been forced to raise taxes and cut essential services, like education, public safety and health care.

So while the president pats himself on the back for cutting taxes, the hard reality is that his political victory ends up simply passing the burden down to the states and your local governments. Democrats know that the way to restore our economic strength is to help families right now by securing access to health care, by creating good paying jobs, and strong schools for our kids—not by borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars to give tax breaks to the wealthiest among us, and passing on the debt to our kids. Trickle-down economics just doesn't work.erica is a strong nation, and the source of our strength is right here at home in our people and their work ethic and ingenuity. But as a nation we must be fiscally responsible. Our strength doesn't come from tax cuts we can't afford, or from a return to the massive deficits of the 1980s and early '90s. It's time for leadership here at home.

This is Governor Mark Warner of Virginia. Thanks for listening this morning.