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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 2, 2003)
ptember 2,20 Ltioi ficatm fns, and they allow mf loaded gome$ onaco' f tmcs. while for otlt' nnputer crime, e, the College Sue is alive and "di. i a world of bind' ^ t»ray market. * NATION 7 A THE BATTALION Tuesday, September 2, 2003 Bush defends policy to union audience By Leigh Strope THE ASSOCIATED PRESS RICHFIELD, Ohio — President Bush vigorously defended his tax cuts against Democratic criticism Monday, telling a union audi ence that he had to move aggressively to help an economy “still bumping along.” Calling American working men and women the strength of the country. Bush used his Labor Day outing in a key battleground state to pledge anew that he will work hard to create jobs. He promised better days ahead, saying "we want every body working.” “We’re committed to helping those who’ve got a job to keep a job and for those who are looking, to find a job," Bush said to cheers. “We want people to be able to realize their personal dreams by working. That’s the commitment this Labor Day.” Bush’s trip to Richfield, Ohio, on a damp, overcast holiday marked his third visit this year to the Buckeye State, which he narrowly won in 2000. He spoke to members of the International Union of Operating Engineers, which represents 400,000 construction and maintenance workers in the United States and Canada. Tucked between the Democratic strongholds of Akron and Cleveland, Richfield has leaned toward Republicans in past elections. The site of Bush’s speech, the union’s training facility, was well-prepped for his visit. A half dozen construction cranes and other heavy machinery provided the backdrop where Bush spoke on a damp, overcast day. Bush defended his administration’s handling of the economy at a time when the civilian jobless rate is at 6.2 percent and more than 9 million people are out of work. He said the nation had suffered shocks to the economy, including the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 and the upheaval in corporate America amid a series of accounting scandals. Bush said he moved to protect the country against new terror ism and that he worked with Congress on legislation to force bet ter accountability from corporate board chairman. “Yet, the economy was still bumping along,” he said, “so we passed tax relief and we lowered taxes once again to create jobs. When you lower taxes, people have more money.” With an eye on key rustbelt states for next year’s election. Bush also said he has asked Commerce Secretary Don Evans to create the position of assistant commerce secretary for manu facturing to give more attention to a sector of the economy that has been especially hard hit. Bush will nominate that person but there is no timetable for his selection, said White House spokes woman Claire Buchan. Since the recession began in March 2001, the U.S. economy has lost 2.7 million net jobs. Manufacturing has shed 2.4 million jobs. Labor Day traditionally marks the beginning of the campaign season, when voters start paying attention to elections. With 15 months before election day, polls show likely voters are far more concerned about the weak economy than Iraq or terrorism. The administration is mindful that a poor economy cost Bush’s father a second tenn in 1992 and has vowed to show the country it is engaged in sparking a recovery. The economy still remains Bush’s greatest vulnerability because recent improvements haven’t yet trickled down to the jobs market. “Obviously, the economic recovery is not as strong as we would like, but the trend lines are positive,” Labor Secretary Elaine Chao said on CBS’s "The Early Show.” Democrats say the tax cuts passed by the GOP-led Congress have gone to the wealthiest taxpayers and have sent the deficit soaring to $480 billion for next year. “I hope his tour of the state will include the empty factories and bankrupt corporations,” said Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, one of nine Democrats vying to challenge Bush. Ohio is one of the most unionized states in the country, with about 18 percent of the work force belonging to a union. Nationwide, just 13.2 percent of the work force is unionized. Organized labor is a key constituency of the Democratic Party, yet Bush still managed to beat A1 Gore in this battleground state, 50 per cent to 47 percent in 2000. Bush has tried to woo some trades and industrial unions, which tend to be more conservative than public and service sector unions. But he’s had mixed success. One of his most high-profile targets, James P. Hoffa and the Teamsters, expressed distaste over some of Bush’s policies, par ticularly proposals to tighten reporting of union finances and to revamp overtime pay rules. The Teamsters recently endorsed Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., for president. Rural areas need benefits WASHINGTON (AP) — A Medicare drug benefit is most needed in rural areas, where recipients are twice as likely as those in the city to lack any such coverage, according to a report prepared for a think-tank run by President Clinton’s former chief of staff. The report found that fewer Medicare recipients in rural areas have drug coverage through private insurance plans or benefits provided by former employers than those in cities. It also found that rural patients spend about 25 percent more on prescription drugs NEWS IN BRIEF than those in cities. The recommendations included keeping provisions that extend the benefits to low- income seniors who may also be eligible for Medicaid. The Senate version does not offer the benefit to Medicare recipients also eligible for Medicaid. The report also calls for a stable system for administering the plan in rural areas, where pri vate companies may come and go. At a mini mum, the report recommends keeping Senate provisions that create a government "fallback” for rural areas where there are no private insurers offering the plans. China's military shrinking China on Monday announced plans to cut 200,000 more soldiers as part of efforts to mod ernize its armed forces — cuts that come on top of a 500,000-man reduction in the five years ending in 2000. Altogether, the military will shrink from about 2.5 million people to about 2.3 million. The cuts will coincide with the introduction of more high-tech battle systems, military commission chief and retired president Jiang Zemin was quoted by state television and the official Xinhua News Agency. Brazos Valley Piano Studio Vincent Campise Faculty Member National Guild of Piano Teachers 15 Years 2202 Old Hearne Rd., Bryan 778-3997 Welcome Back A&M Students, Faculty and Staff Custom Nails Complete and Professional Nail Care ! Manicure &! Full Set ! Acrylic » Solar I Spa Pedicure > S P a ^.cure J Acrylic ! Fill Set j 5 1 7 ! M0 ! ’28 ; Appointments and Walk-in Welcome M-F: 9:00 - 8:00 Sat: 9:00 - 7:00 Sun: Closed 694-8819 1504 Holleman Dr. (at Anderson), C.S. s 3 HEB ★ Holleman tok&AcW/, f ^ be a iwt <rf the show! Come to the Stagehand Meeting Tuesday, September 2 nd at 7:00 PM in Rudder Auditorium Earn $6.00 per hour Bring 2 forms of identification (Social Security card & Drivers License) * Average new textbook price It's not. 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