President George W. Bush's Farewell Address.
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Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Showing posts with label Bush. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bush. Show all posts
January 15, 2009
June 18, 2008
Larson blasts Bush for cozying up to oil execs
A new press release from U.S. Rep. John Larson, the East Hartford Democrat whose 1st District includes Bristol:
Today, Democrats in Congress reacted strongly to the President’s call to increase offshore drilling for oil. Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) ¸Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, said:
“President Bush’s attempt to politicize the oil crisis that is wreaking havoc on average American’s ability to make ends meet is uncalled for and poorly informed. Time and again we have shown that more drilling for oil will do nothing to lower the prices at the pump for the millions of people who are suffering today. In fact, drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge will not produce a drop of oil for ten years. And even after waiting ten years for, the drilling won’t lower gas prices by more than a few pennies per gallon.
“The President’s speech was nothing but a gift to his friends at the big oil companies. And, it is these oil companies who already have rights to drill for 70% of the oil on the Outer Continental Shelf. They have leases to drill on 40 million acres of offshore land, yet they have put only 7 million acres into production. Why should we open more lands to oil exploration, when oil companies are not utilizing the lands they have? This is part of a trend of stockpiling leases to control oil prices and this New Direction Congress can not support it.
“The President should keep his focus on ways we can actually lower prices and help American families today. For seven years he has allowed speculators to run rampant in the energy markets. It is time for that to end.”
Here's an Associated Press story about President Bush's comments on oil drilling.
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Today, Democrats in Congress reacted strongly to the President’s call to increase offshore drilling for oil. Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) ¸Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, said:
“President Bush’s attempt to politicize the oil crisis that is wreaking havoc on average American’s ability to make ends meet is uncalled for and poorly informed. Time and again we have shown that more drilling for oil will do nothing to lower the prices at the pump for the millions of people who are suffering today. In fact, drilling in the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge will not produce a drop of oil for ten years. And even after waiting ten years for, the drilling won’t lower gas prices by more than a few pennies per gallon.
“The President’s speech was nothing but a gift to his friends at the big oil companies. And, it is these oil companies who already have rights to drill for 70% of the oil on the Outer Continental Shelf. They have leases to drill on 40 million acres of offshore land, yet they have put only 7 million acres into production. Why should we open more lands to oil exploration, when oil companies are not utilizing the lands they have? This is part of a trend of stockpiling leases to control oil prices and this New Direction Congress can not support it.
“The President should keep his focus on ways we can actually lower prices and help American families today. For seven years he has allowed speculators to run rampant in the energy markets. It is time for that to end.”
Here's an Associated Press story about President Bush's comments on oil drilling.
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
January 28, 2008
Larson: President failed to lay out vision for future
Press release from U.S. Rep. John Larson, the Connecticut Democrat who represents Bristol:
WASHINGTON, DC -- Tonight, President Bush delivered his final State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress. Following the speech, Congressman John B. Larson CT-01, Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, said:
“I applaud the President for laying out a series of issues where Congress and his administration can continue to work together. In the past weeks, we have seen the value of bipartisanship as the President accepted the olive branch of cooperation that our Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, extended to him. The outcome was an economic stimulus package that will ease the burden of a slowing economy on millions of lower- and middle-income Americans, including 35 million who would not have been included in the President’s original proposal. In the coming year, I hope we can work further with the President on issues like immigration reform and global warming.
However, I think the President’s speech feel far short of what the American people wanted and deserved tonight. The President was so focused on his own legacy that he failed to layout a vision for America’s future. The average American is looking for leadership and bold initiatives that address issues like healthcare, jobs and infrastructure. We heard none of that from the President. This country is facing new challenges and uncharted territory. Now is the time to reassure the American people. To tell them that they will be able to look across their kitchen tables each evening at their spouses and children knowing they can provide for them and their future.
I look forward to working with a Democratic President come November to meet the challenges of the future and put aside the politics of yesterday.”
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
WASHINGTON, DC -- Tonight, President Bush delivered his final State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress. Following the speech, Congressman John B. Larson CT-01, Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus, said:
“I applaud the President for laying out a series of issues where Congress and his administration can continue to work together. In the past weeks, we have seen the value of bipartisanship as the President accepted the olive branch of cooperation that our Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, extended to him. The outcome was an economic stimulus package that will ease the burden of a slowing economy on millions of lower- and middle-income Americans, including 35 million who would not have been included in the President’s original proposal. In the coming year, I hope we can work further with the President on issues like immigration reform and global warming.
However, I think the President’s speech feel far short of what the American people wanted and deserved tonight. The President was so focused on his own legacy that he failed to layout a vision for America’s future. The average American is looking for leadership and bold initiatives that address issues like healthcare, jobs and infrastructure. We heard none of that from the President. This country is facing new challenges and uncharted territory. Now is the time to reassure the American people. To tell them that they will be able to look across their kitchen tables each evening at their spouses and children knowing they can provide for them and their future.
I look forward to working with a Democratic President come November to meet the challenges of the future and put aside the politics of yesterday.”
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
Hillary focuses on Bush during Hartford campaign stop
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton relegated her chief Democratic rival to the rhetorical sidelines Monday and focused her criticism on President Bush, saying he had lost touch with the concerns of an anxious public.
In a speech to more than 1,000 people jammed in a gymnasium, Clinton did not refer to the fight with Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. Her audience, which included an equal number listening in an adjoining room, roared with approval when the former first lady took note of the Republican president's dwindling time in office.
"Tonight is a red-letter night in American history," she said. "It is the last time George Bush will give the State of the Union. Next year it will be a Democratic president giving it."
Bush is isolated at the White House, Clinton said, inviting the president to join her in meeting the kind of people she has come across during her campaign. "Sit at tables at diners and hear what's on America's mind," she suggested.
"I have been in and out of the homes and work places and community centers across America. What they want to talk to me about is the insecurity they feel and the fears they are confronting," she said.
The competition between Clinton and Obama has grown increasingly testy heading into next week's enormous round of primaries. But at least on this day, Clinton took on Bush, using the State of the Union address to highlight her differences with the commander in chief.
Bush is certain, she said, to assert that the state of the nation is strong even though "we are sliding into a recession. We have as lot of concerns we need to deal with," including a mortgage crisis that is driving people from their homes.
In Clinton's estimation, Bush "has never understood is that the State of the Union is not about a speech in Washington. It is about the lives of the American people who feel they are moving toward the American dream."
The woeful housing market, she said, is evidence of the economic insecurity that millions of people are sensing — concerns she said are not registering in the White House.
"It is about people and will they be able to stay in their homes or will they lose their homes," said Clinton. "It is about where we as a nation will restore our leadership and our moral authority."
Clinton's scheduled included stops in Hartford and then Massachusetts before returning to Capitol Hill for Bush's final State of the Union address.
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
In a speech to more than 1,000 people jammed in a gymnasium, Clinton did not refer to the fight with Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nomination. Her audience, which included an equal number listening in an adjoining room, roared with approval when the former first lady took note of the Republican president's dwindling time in office.
"Tonight is a red-letter night in American history," she said. "It is the last time George Bush will give the State of the Union. Next year it will be a Democratic president giving it."
Bush is isolated at the White House, Clinton said, inviting the president to join her in meeting the kind of people she has come across during her campaign. "Sit at tables at diners and hear what's on America's mind," she suggested.
"I have been in and out of the homes and work places and community centers across America. What they want to talk to me about is the insecurity they feel and the fears they are confronting," she said.
The competition between Clinton and Obama has grown increasingly testy heading into next week's enormous round of primaries. But at least on this day, Clinton took on Bush, using the State of the Union address to highlight her differences with the commander in chief.
Bush is certain, she said, to assert that the state of the nation is strong even though "we are sliding into a recession. We have as lot of concerns we need to deal with," including a mortgage crisis that is driving people from their homes.
In Clinton's estimation, Bush "has never understood is that the State of the Union is not about a speech in Washington. It is about the lives of the American people who feel they are moving toward the American dream."
The woeful housing market, she said, is evidence of the economic insecurity that millions of people are sensing — concerns she said are not registering in the White House.
"It is about people and will they be able to stay in their homes or will they lose their homes," said Clinton. "It is about where we as a nation will restore our leadership and our moral authority."
Clinton's scheduled included stops in Hartford and then Massachusetts before returning to Capitol Hill for Bush's final State of the Union address.
*******
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
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