An Economy That Works

February 11, 2004

Mine is a record of getting things done, not just talking about getting things done. And we can do it for all Americans if we stand together. George W. Bush wanted enormous tax giveaways for the richest people and corporations, creating enormous deficits that mortgage our children's future. The Washington Democrats went along. I said America can't afford them-and that ordinary Americans will end up paying more-with higher tuitions, higher property taxes, fewer services.

As Governor, I balanced eleven budgets in a row, because I know that getting our fiscal house in order is needed for a strong economy.

America needs tax fairness for the middle class, but first we must roll back George Bush's dangerous policy of borrow and spend. Wisconsin knows the toll of the Bush economy. Manufacturing provides nearly 19% of all Wisconsin jobs, but you're losing jobs here, not gaining - 75,000 manufacturing jobs lost in the past three years, out of 3 million lost jobs nationwide. The unemployment rate in Wisconsin is 28% higher than the day George Bush took office. Our laid off workers need retraining more than ever, and yet George Bush has proposed more than $1.5 billion dollars in cuts to job training.

In Vermont, we cut unemployment in half. As President, I'll start a fund to create at least a million jobs rebuilding America in the first two years. We'll train workers for the new economy, raise the minimum wage to $7, and give people fair overtime pay and unemployment benefits. We'll invest in small businesses, which create 70 percent of our jobs and don't send them out of their communities. And we'll have a tough policy on trade, to keep jobs here and protect labor and environmental standards.

Wisconsin knows that what is on the line in this primary is the very heart and soul of the Democratic Party - and the very heart and soul of this country.

Wisconsin knows that today working families struggle to make ends meet in the Bush economy. Wisconsin knows we need a president who will truly fight for ordinary Americans.

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