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Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Humbled Bush Writes in WSJ
President Bush has fired the opening shot of the 2007 budget battle, writing an op-ed in today's WSJ. The piece is mostly PR, which is an encouraging sign that the President is more interested in repairing his image than pursuing harmful policy. Substance-wise, the President is not asking for much more than the continuation of the status quo.
Some notable budgetary policies and goals mentioned in the op-ed:
- No new taxes:
"Now is not the time to raise taxes on the American people."
- A balanced budget by 2012:
"By continuing these policies, we can balance the federal budget by 2012 while funding our priorities and making the tax cuts permanent. In early February, I will submit a budget that does exactly that."
- An vague reference to entitlement cuts as a way to balance the budget:
"By balancing the budget through pro-growth economic policies and spending restraint, we are better positioned to tackle the longer term fiscal challenge facing our country: reforming entitlements -- Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid -- so future generations can benefit from these vital programs without bankrupting our country."
- Legislative process changes and a line-item veto:
"It's time Congress give the president a line-item veto. And today I will announce my own proposal to end this dead-of-the-night process and substantially cut the earmarks passed each year."
Posted by Matt Lewis
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