George W. Bush Presented by: Nicolle Burris Neil Harrison Megan Hay Jes Petretti

Budget and Economy ★ 3 National Priorities ☆ War on Terror ☆ Protecting Homeland ☆ Strengthening the Economy ★ Budget ☆ Defense Spending up 7% ☆ Homeland Security Spending up 10% ☆ Everything Else less than 0.5% growth

Budget and Economy

★ Investment and aid to states for economic rebound ☆ $20 billion to states for necessary services ☆ Provide dividend and capital gains tax relief ★ Assistance to Small Businesses ☆ Increase in the expensing limits from $25,000 to $100,000

Budget and Economy ★ Other thoughts on economy ☆ Fewer regulations on small businesses ☆ Cut down on “junk” lawsuits ☆ Healthcare – more affordable/predictable ☆ Minimize government spending ☆ Restore consumer confidence ☆ Need sound energy policy

Budget and Economy

Tax Reform ★ Past tax relief is working ☆ New home construction and home ownership rates are high ☆ Inflation, interest, and mortgage rates are low ☆ Manufacturing activity and exports are increasing ☆ Productivity is high and jobs on the rise

Tax Reform ★ Urge Congress to make certain tax cuts permanent ☆ Tax on marriage ☆ Tax for every child ☆ Death tax

Taxes

Social Security ★ Strengthen and modernize Social Security ★ Strengthen pension plans and retirement security ★ Personal retirement accounts for young workers

Social Security ★ Create Individual Development Accounts ★ More friendly Social Security for everybody ★ Freedom of choice in retirement planning ★ Minimize investment risk – diversification ★ Catch up contributions for women’s retirement

Social Security DNC: Social Insecurity, The Sequel

Technology ★ Universal/affordable broadband ★ Ensuring privacy on the Internet ★ Ban identity theft and safeguard genetic information ★ Using technology to boost student achievements

Foreign Policy ★ Self defense ★ Believes that Democracy is the best way of government and produces any help possible for a country that is in political unrest ★ Bush Doctrine ★ Supports sanctions against Cuba

Foreign Policy ★ Help poor counties around the world ★ Compromises between internationalists and isolationists ★ US should humbly empower other countries, not dictate ★ America should act as leader of free world

Foreign Policy with China and North Korea ★ China ☆ Do “whatever it takes” to defend Taiwan ☆ China is America’s competitor, not a friend ☆ China encourages Communist growth ★ North Korea ☆ Persistent threat ☆ WMD program

Free Trade ★ Repeals steel tariffs he imposed in 2002 ★ Does not link trade to environment and labor ★ Sow free trade and farmers will reap ★ Free market promotes dreams and individuality ★ Import fees are not the answer

NAFTA and WTO ★ Establish Free Trade Area of the Americas by 2005 ★ Add/encourage to add other countries to NAFTA ★ No trade barriers in Alaska to tip of Cape Horn ★ Supports WTO, NAFTA, and anti-dumping

Military Personnel and Missile Defense ★ Military Personnel ☆ Increased military pay by 4% per year and increased military housing ☆ Better Equipment, better training ☆ More research and development for new weapons ★ Missile Defense ☆ Don’t use for military advantage ☆ Must protect all, including allies

War on Terror ★ Homeland defense ★ Increased security of critical infrastructure ★ Deter terrorists ★ Bush planned to overthrow Saddam before 9/11 ★ Defeating terrorists will take a lot of time and effort

Terrorism

Immigration ★ Support temporary worker program but oppose amnesty ★ Citizen waiting period ★ Respect other languages, children learn English

Education ★ No Child Left Behind Act ☆ Helps children master basic skills ☆ Kids falling behind identified via testing

Education ★ School choice ☆ Options to kids in failing or unsafe school systems ☆ Free tutoring ☆ Annual report cards for performance of schools ★ Jobs for the 21 st century ☆ Stronger background in math and science required ☆ Aid students falling behind in math ☆ Better AP programs

Criticism on Education ★ “When it comes to education, George W. Bush has been the photo-op President. He stands next to children and teachers for a picture, but he doesn’t stand with them when it comes to improving our public schools. By signing the No Child Left Behind Act and then breaking his promise by not giving schools the resources to help meet new standards, George Bush has undermined public education and left millions of children behind.”

Welfare and Poverty ★ Religious Charity ☆ Open billions of dollars in grant money ☆ No religious discrimination ★ USA Freedom Corps ☆ Help all Americans answer call to service ☆ Federal government combines resources with many other sectors ☆ “Volunteers for Prosperity”

Welfare and Poverty ★ Fighting Poverty ☆ “Compassionate conservatism” ☆ White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives ☆ Brings together all the charity groups ★ Fighting HIV / AIDS ☆ Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief ☆ Prevention, treatment, and care for regions all over the world

Welfare and Poverty ★ Fighting Drug Addictions ☆ Vouchers for addicts seeking treatment ☆ Help to find treatment from appropriate organizations ☆ Make treatment more readily available

Health Care ★ Affordable health care coverage ☆ Less restrictions on Health Savings Accounts (HSA) ☆ Easier for small employers to offer better health coverage ☆ Support to Medicaid and S-CHIP ☆ Tax exemption for long-term assistance ★ High-Quality care

Health Care ★ Modernize Medicare ☆ Choice of doctors, hospitals, treatment centers ☆ Prescription drug coverage ☆ Disease prevention coverage ★ New treatments

Criticism on Health Care ★ “George Bush has chosen to lavish tax cuts upon the wealthiest among us while working Americans struggle to afford health care for their families.”

Abortion ★ Abortion ☆ Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 ★ Stem-Cells ☆ Supports Adult Stem-Cell Research ☆ Limits on embryos ★ International family-planning groups ☆ No U.S. funding if group offers abortion or abortion counseling

Criticism on Abortion ★ “G. W. Bush has the power as the President of the United States to overturn this legal child-killing, but refuses to exercise this power, and so is responsible for all the child-killing he is allowing.”

Families and Children ★ Prevention STDs ☆ Double funding for programs that encourage abstinence ★ Relief for families ☆ Quicken marriage penalty relief ☆ Raise child tax credit

Crime ★ Wants stricter enforcement of national hate crimes law ★ Believes in “tough love” ☆ Supports capital punishment ☆ Does not grant clemency easily ★ Wants increased penalties for juveniles ★ Supports trying minors as adults for violent crimes

Death Penalty ★ Death penalty for deterrence, not revenge ★ Death penalty for hate crimes ★ DNA evidence for death penalty cases

Gun Control ★ Basic right to gun ownership ★ Hunting and personal protection ★ Legal age for gun ownership to 21 ★ Ban on assault weapons ★ The right to carry a concealed weapon

Drugs ★ Aggressive drug education, treatment and enforcement ★ Feds must help border countries fight drug traffickers ★ Stronger penalties for first time cocaine possession ★ Parents should make up the past by warning kids against drugs

Alcoholism ★ Identifies with former addicts based on his former alcoholism ★ Wants more federal funding for all aspects of the Drug War

Civil Rights ★ Local control with consequences if racial profiling occurs ★ Ten Commandments in schools for “inherent values” ★ Confederate flag left up to the states

Affirmative Action ★ Supports affirmative access ★ Reach out to minorities without quotas ★ Signed legislation for top 10% of graduates from Texas schools to be automatically accepted to any public university in Texas

Gay Rights ★ Claims gay tolerance ☆ On the record as adamantly opposed to hiring an openly gay person in his Administration ☆ Blocked hate-crimes legislation ★ Equal rights, not special rights ☆ Opposed to gay marriage – constitutional ban ☆ Private organizations (such as Boy Scouts) have the right to decide whether they will accept homosexuals

Environment ★ Public value ★ Impressive results ★ Federal government important role in protecting the environment ★ Common-sense approaches ★ $1.2 billion hydrogen fuel initiative

Questions???