Citizen G'kar: Musings on Earth

October 22, 2004

Doublethink "Dubya"

Great post by Kevin:
Preemptive Karma: The Pork Barrel President
Bush is the first President ever to not veto a single piece of legislation. He talks on the campaign trail about the need to instill fiscal discipline in Congress. What kind of a spineless twerp can't locate his own damn cajones long enough to veto a single Pork Barrel Bill in nearly 4 years? George "Dubya" Bush, that's what kind. Today President Bush quietly signed the latest Corporate Tax Break that landed on his desk. Long-time opponent of Pork Barrel politics Senator John McCain called the measure, "the worst example of the influence of special interests that I have ever seen."

Another great example of how Dubya provides substantial meaning to where his politics are in his actions, and his words are often deceptive. Doublethink Dubya, ala Orwell's 1984.


Complete Article
Bush Signs Corporate Tax Cut Bill
By Adam Entous
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Without fanfare, President Bush (news - web sites) signed into law on Friday a nearly $140 billion corporate tax cut bill derided by both Democratic presidential rival John Kerry (news - web sites) and Republican Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) as a giveaway to special interests.
Reuters Photo
The new law aims to end a trade fight with the European Union (news - web sites) by repealing U.S. export tax subsidies that violate global trade rules. But the EU has objected to some of the provisions and has yet to say whether it will remove its sanctions on $4 billion worth of U.S. goods.
Bush signed the measure into law aboard Air Force One en route to a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, forgoing a public signing ceremony that would have attracted attention to the tax cuts less than two weeks before Election Day.
The White House had marked the signing of Bush's other major tax bills with lavish public ceremonies. This one was marked with a one-paragraph statement by the press secretary.
Asked why there was no signing ceremony for the corporate tax bill, White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said: "There are a variety of ways the president signs legislation."
The $140 billion in new business tax breaks included many special interest provisions sharply criticized by public interest groups and fiscal conservatives, which congressional aides said explained Bush's decision to sign it in private.
McCain of Arizona, who has been campaigning for Bush, called the measure "the worst example of the influence of special interests that I have ever seen."
TAX HOLIDAY
Kerry campaign spokesman Phil Singer said: "George Bush (news - web sites) filled the bill up with corporate giveaways and tax breaks for multinational companies that send jobs overseas."
He said the Massachusetts senator, if elected, would repeal of "all the unwarranted international tax breaks that George Bush included in this bill."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan defended the measure: "This is legislation that is good for America's workers because it will help create jobs here at home by promoting the competitiveness of our manufacturers and other job creators."
Bush campaign spokesman Scott Stanzel said the bill was supported by a majority of Democrats, but that Kerry "failed to show up" for the vote. "Once again John Kerry's rhetoric doesn't match his record," he said.
The legislation would repeal illegal export subsidies and lower tax rates for domestic manufacturers to 32 percent from the top corporate rate of 35 percent.
The bill includes a $10 billion industry-financed buyout for tobacco farmers.
The bill also includes tax breaks for U.S. multinational companies, some of which critics say will encourage companies to ship jobs overseas.
A one-year tax holiday for multinationals was included that will allow them to return billions of dollars in profits to the United States at a dramatically lower 5.25 percent rate instead of the normal 35 percent top corporate rate.
Copyright © 2004 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
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