Bush urges Congress to better help economy

President Bush addressed Americans' anxiety about the effects that the U.S. economic downturn has taken on their wallets Tuesday, calling on Congress to pass legislation that will help reduce energy and food costs, keep people in their homes, and make student loans more available.

Speaking at a White House Rose Garden news conference, Bush said Congress has not passed legislation that he proposed to help ease the effects of the economic slump.

"I've repeatedly submitted proposals to help address these problems, yet time after time Congress chose to block them," said Bush.

Bush said Congress failed to pass bills that expand safe oil exploration and build new refineries that would help to reduce energy prices. The president said his proposal to expand oil production at home would result in about a 20% increase of crude oil production and it would likely mean lower gas prices.

Sounds pretty reasonable doesn't it?  We've been pushing for drilling in Alaska for years now, and even now environmentalists and liberals are resisting it.  Yet, they are one of the first people to bitch about the high cost of gas.  I guess they can't put two and two together.  But let's give them a chance to respond:

Democrats shift blame to President: But Democratic leaders said the blame instead lies with the president.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a press conference the president is out of touch with the pains that Americans feel from the economic downturn.

"The president doesn't understand the struggles of American families," said Schumer. "Everyone is having a tough time to make ends meet."

Schumer also said that Bush has failed to address the most important factors that continue to drag down the economy.

"The president has lost control of the economy," said Schumer. ""He has ignored repeated shots across the bow: Record oil prices, the housing crisis ... none of these things are being addressed."

And the President is supposed to do what now about record oil prices and the "housing crisis"?  If we have a known location for a lot of oil, why aren't we drilling there while we work on getting us off of oil?  And do tell, what is the President supposed to do about people overextending themselves?  If President Bush, or any President for that matter were to say "you can't get the house you want because you can't afford it", some people would scream at him to mind his own business.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, called on the President to drop his veto threat from House legislation that would give tax credits for renewable energy.

"[The bill would] save 116,000 green jobs and create hundreds of thousands more," Pelosi said in a statement.

How's this?  How about we start drilling in ANWR, AND we start drilling in the Bakken shales formation, and in the mean time, we do a massive undertaking and make electric cars a viable option for people?  You know, just a thought.

 

Travis

travis@rightwinglunatic.com