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Skriven 2005-02-08 23:45:46 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0502082) for Tue, 2005 Feb 8
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Fact Sheet: Ensuring America's Prosperity
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 8, 2005

Fact Sheet: Ensuring America's Prosperity



Today's Presidential Action
  þ Today, in a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, President Bush
    discussed his strategy for ensuring America's prosperity by restraining
    spending, promoting pro-growth policies, and strengthening institutions
    like Social Security for future generations.
  þ The President has put forth an ambitious agenda to ensure that
    America's economy remains the most prosperous in the world. To
    accomplish this, he has proposed a three-pillar strategy, which
    includes: restraining spending by the Federal Government; working with
    Congress to pass legislation that promotes economic growth - including
    making his tax cuts permanent; and reforming the institutions
    fundamental to American society, so that they can meet the realities of
    our new century. While he recognizes these are big goals, President
    Bush believes we have an obligation to do what Americans have always
    done - build a better tomorrow for our children and grandchildren.

Background on Today's Presidential Action
  þ The President believes that taxpayers' dollars should be spent wisely,
    or not at all. Yesterday, he sent to Congress a disciplined budget that
    keeps us on track to cut the deficit in half by 2009, while meeting the
    essential needs of our Nation - to defend and protect the American
    people. The President's FY 2006 budget:
      þ Provides our military and homeland security personnel with the
        tools they need to do their jobs;
      þ Funds critical upgrades in homeland security, including a new
        program to secure chemical plants, ports, and public transportation
        systems; and
      þ Raises defense spending by almost 5 percent.
  þ While it also:
      þ Reduces spending on non-security discretionary programs by nearly 1
        percent - the most disciplined proposal since Ronald Reagan was in
        office;
      þ Holds total discretionary spending below the rate of inflation;
      þ Eliminates, or substantially reduces, more than 150 Federal
        programs that are not succeeding, are duplicating existing efforts,
        or are not fulfilling an essential priority; and
      þ Includes vital reforms in mandatory spending that will save
        taxpayers $137 billion dollars over the next decade.
  þ President Bush is committed to building an environment that encourages
    innovation, lowers the cost of doing business, and promotes economic
    growth. His pro-growth agenda is creating jobs and continuing to
    strengthen the economy. But to sustain the growth that will help
    job-creators bring new hope to all corners of America, we must continue
    to make our economy more flexible and competitive - and ensure that
    America remains the best place in the world to do business. The
    President's six-point plan:
      þ Allows families to plan for the future by making tax relief
        permanent.
      þ Encourages investment and expansion by restraining Federal spending
        and reducing regulation.
      þ Makes our country less dependent on foreign sources of energy
        through a comprehensive national energy policy.
      þ Expands trade and levels the playing field to sell American goods
        and services across the globe.
      þ Protects small business owners and workers from frivolous lawsuits
        that threaten jobs across America.
      þ Lowers the cost of health care for small businesses and working
        families through Association Health Plans, tax-free Health Savings
        Accounts, tax credits for employer contributions to Health Savings
        Accounts, Medical Liability Reform, and health information
        technology.
  þ To ensure prosperity for future generations, we must reform
    institutions - retirement plans, the tax code, our health care system,
    and worker training programs - that were created for the world of
    yesterday, not tomorrow. We must transform these systems so all
    Americans are equipped to confront the great challenges that will
    determine the quality of life for our children and grandchildren. To
    accomplish this, the President is committed to:
      þ Strengthening High Schools: The No Child Left Behind Act is
        bringing important reforms to America's elementary schools by
        insisting on standards and accountability for results. Now the
        President has proposed to apply these high standards to America's
        high schools to ensure every student graduates with the skills
        needed to succeed in college and a globally competitive workforce.
      þ Preparing Americans for Jobs of the 21st Century: America's growing
        and transitioning economy requires new skills and new technologies,
        and the President is committed to providing American workers with
        the skills they need to succeed. President Bush believes we must
        ensure every adult, and especially low- and middle-income
        Americans, can access the training to close the skills gap in
        America, and he will work with Congress to reform workforce
        training, and increase the number of people served.
      þ Reforming Immigration to Safeguard the Liberty of America:
        President Bush called on Congress to work with him to achieve
        significant immigration reform that protects the homeland by
        controlling the borders; serves America's economy by matching a
        willing worker with a willing employer when no American is willing
        to fill the job; promotes compassion and protects workers from
        abuse; provides incentives for temporary workers to return to their
        home countries and families; and protects the rights of legal
        immigrants while not unfairly rewarding those who came here
        unlawfully or hope to do so.
      þ Reforming the Tax Code: President Bush believes that America's
        taxpayers deserve, and our future economic prosperity demands, a
        simpler, fairer, more pro-growth system. Taxes should be applied
        fairly, and reform should recognize the importance of homeownership
        and charity in our American society. As a first step in reforming
        the code, the President has created a bipartisan panel to advise
        the Secretary of the Treasury on options to reform the tax code.
      þ Fixing the Current Social Security System: The President wants to
        strengthen Social Security for the 21st century. His
        fiscally-responsible plan calls for reforms that would keep Social
        Security's promises for today's seniors and those near retirement,
        solve the financial problems of Social Security once and for all,
        and give younger workers a chance to save in personal accounts for
        their own retirement.
          þ By 2018, Social Security will owe more in annual benefits than
            the revenues it takes in, and when today's young workers begin
            to retire in 2042, the system will be exhausted and bankrupt.
            As currently structured, Social Security cannot afford to pay
            promised benefits to young workers.
          þ The President has laid out his vision for voluntary personal
            retirement accounts. Under his plan, yearly contribution limits
            would be raised over time, eventually permitting all workers to
            set aside 4 percentage points of their payroll taxes in their
            accounts.
          þ There will be careful guidelines for personal accounts to
            provide greater security in retirement including a conservative
            mix of bonds and stock funds; protection from hidden fees;
            protection from sudden market swings on the eve of retirement;
            and a requirement of pay-outs over time to prevent a person
            from emptying their accounts all at once.
  þ The President's second-term agenda will help move our nation toward a
    larger goal - an ownership society. For generations, the chance to run
    your own business or own your own home has been at the heart of the
    American Dream. In an ownership society, we will continue to expand
    that dream by rewarding enterprise, promoting home ownership, and
    giving all Americans greater control over their own health care,
    education, and retirement. By renewing these commitments, we will
    fulfill our obligation to leave a better America than the one we found,
    and we will ensure prosperity for generations to come.

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