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February os. 2003
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W hat the President D idn’t Say
L. D uckett
In his State o fth e Union speech.
President Bush pledged that his
administration would not pass our
country’s current problems on to
the next generation o f Americans.
But that is precisely what his ad­
ministration is preparing to do with
a set o f policies that will drastically
undermine A m ericans' rights and
freedoms and radically restrict the
federal governm ent’s ability to deal
with a range o f urgent issues from
strengthening schools to protect­
ing the environm ent to saving So­
cial Security and Medicare.
There are a lot o f things Presi­
dent Bush d id n ’t tell Americans in
his State o f the Union speech. He
d id n ’t say that the trillions o f dol­
lars in new and perm anent tax cuts
he is seeking are directed over­
whelmingly to prosperous A m eri­
cans who are in the least need o f
help, or that they would m ake it
nearly im possible for the govern­
ment to deal effectively with na-
by T racy
tional priorities like education and
health care for years to come.
He did n ’t talk about the disas­
trous consequences his tax cuts
would have on the states, which are
already struggling to maintain vital
services in the face o f severe bud­
get deficits.
He didn’t say that his faith-based
initiative, which he praised with
warm words but few details, under­
mines the wall between church and
state, sets a dangerous precedent
o f allowing federally funded reli­
gious discrim ination in hiring and
requires little accountability.
R em arkably, President Bush
didn’t say anything at all about his
judicial nominees, who could have
a longer-term impact on Americans
than anything else he does as presi­
dent. He didn't tell Americans that
if the Senate allows him to fill the
federal judiciary with judges who
em brace a radical states' rights
approach to the Constitution, the
next generation o f Americans will
suffer the loss o f fundamental rights,
liberties and protections that they
have enjoyed for decades.
And the president had nothing
to say about A m ericans’ constitu­
tional liberties, which have been
s te a d ily u n d e rm in e d by his
adm inistration’s policies, such as
secret and indefinite detentions and
denial o fth e right to counsel.
The president’s State o f the
Union speech did not address the
state o f the courts or the state ofthe
Constitution. But the nation ur­
gently needs a real debate about
the future o f our constitutional lib­
erties and the future o f reproduc­
tive rights, civil rights, environmen­
tal protection, religious liberty,
worker safety and health and more.
President Bush wants to avoid that
conversation, but the American
people must demand it. There is too
much at stake to remain silent.
Tracy L. Duckett is a communica­
tions specialist at the People For
the American Wav Foundation.
hat ' s ^oRjE.t#H6ERoOS:
i THESE EMPTY WAR HEADS
ÎM
V
Predictable, but Unnecessary, Failure
by J eff T hompson
key p u b lic serv ices o n ce the
economy does recover.
Like many in the business lobby,
Kulongoski and his staff seem con­
vinced that Oregon is not "friendly
to business." The record suggests
otherwise: between 19 8 9 and 2000
O regon experienced m ore than
30,000 new businesses (38 percent
growth ) and 415,000 new jobs ( 3 5
percent growth
Oregon fell into recession be­
cause o f international economic
factors, not because o f its taxes or
regulations.
Oregon already has the lowest
business taxes am ong W estern
states, and further cuts won ’ t gener­
ate significant new jobs or invest­
ment. A big corporate tax cut from
the last legislature will cost the state
S 31 mi 11 ion per year, but is expected
to generate fewer than 100 jobs.
Ironically, by pledging not to
pursue additional funding for edu­
cation, public safety and other state
Gov. Ted Kulongoski recently
unv eiled his budget plan - deep cuts
to most state services and no new
revenues. Defending the spartan and
shrinking budget, Kulongoski ar­
gued, “We can’t solve our state
budget crisis if we can’t get the
economy moving again."
Since nothing he or his adm inis­
tration does can “get the economy
moving again," the new Governor
has inadvertently, but unnecessar­
ily, resigned him self to failure be­
fore he starts.
Kulongoski cannot alter the in­
ternational econom ic trends that
threw Oregon and the rest o f the
country into recession. O regon’s
economy is already recovering, and
when it hits full stride Kulongoski
will not be responsible for its suc­
cess. If Kulongoski pursues a pro­
gram o f tax cuts and other special
incentives for businesses, he will
leave Oregon less able to provide
services, Kulongoski is rejecting
the only thing the state can do that
actually matters for business deci­
sion making. Time after time, re­
search literature and business lo­
cation professionals have co n ­
firmed that tax cuts and incentives
matter little. Work force quality and
transportation costs, and the pub­
lic services that impact these costs,
matter a great deal.
Oregon is already a low tax state,
with an economy that has massive
excess production capacity, de­
pressed demand for output, hun­
dreds o f crumbling bridges and
soon the shortest school year in
the country. More tax cuts and
corporate incentives w o n ’t put
Oregonians back to work if the de­
mand is not there. Businesses w on’t
consider Oregon if we can't pro­
vide quality public services.
J e ff Thompson is a policy ana­
lyst and economist at the Oregon
Center fo r Public Policy.
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