Drum Major Institute on State of Union Address
Michael Givel
Drum Major Institute For Public Policy Releases
"Instantaneous Analysis" Of State Of The Union Address
Bush Pursues Ideological Agenda At Expense Of Middle Class
Within hours of its conclusion, the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy
released its annual "Instantaneous Analysis" of the State of the Union
address. DMI's report is unique because it analyzes the speech from the
perspective of what is in the best interest of America's middle class and
those aspiring to join the middle class. DMI's commentary on the
President's
proposals includes:
On balancing the federal budget: "The President's refusal to reduce his war
expenditures or to take back any of his staggering tax cuts for the richest
Americans means he intends to balance the budget on the backs of average
Americans."
On health care reform: "The State of the Union's health care proposals share
three common themes: (1) they shift the cost of health care from employers
to individuals and families; (2) they threaten the existing health benefits
middle-class Americans get through their jobs; and (3) they pressure
ordinary Americans to cut back on needed care."
On immigration reform: "While the President is right about the need for
immigration reform, we need a plan that focuses first and foremost on the
needs of middle class Americans, not the big business lobby. [P]roposals
that undercut America's middle class by creating a permanent class of
exploited immigrant workers should be vigorously opposed."
On the American economy: "The President's glowing report of the condition of
the American economy, while reflective of the views of corporate CEOs and
Wall Street bankers, is out of touch with the average American's
experience."
On improving public education: "Lacking any original new ideas, the
President turned to reauthorizing No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and offering
school vouchers as his routes to improving public education. . . . Unless
the President reforms and fully funds NCLB, it will stand no chance of
helping American children. . . . Likewise, moving children from one school
to another is an inadequate substitute for a broad, aggressive effort to
improve all of our public schools."
DMI's full "Instantaneous Analysis" is available online at
http://drummajorinstitute.org/sotu2007/.
-------------------------------------------------
Progchat_action is a non-partisan and progressive political news weblog,
chat, and action discussion alternative in cyberspace:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/progchat_action/