Despite the fact that gasoline prices have obviously fallen dramatically from where they peaked after (Hurricane) Katrina, they are still too high. He (Bush) is especially concerned about natural gas prices and the impact they're going to have on people's budgets this winter. |
I can assure that this president is very concerned about the budget deficit. |
I can assure you this president is being very aggressive on spending control. |
I think it's reasonable to expect a similar approach this coming year. |
It took us a long time to get into this situation, and it's going to take us a long time to get out. We've got to use every tool at our disposal. |
It's coming from the American taxpayer. |
It's not fair for people who feel like they can't leave their job or they'd lose their insurance. And it's not fair not to know what the quality of the providers are and what kind of pricing they're being charged for services. |
It's sort of Economics 101. The demand for fuel and gasoline has been ... growing dramatically and the supply has not been growing as rapidly. |
It's unfair to treat people who don't have employer-provided insurance differently (in the tax code) from those who do have employer-provided insurance. |
Medicare is a much bigger problem than Social Security ... you can't wish away the problem, it's there and the sooner we address it the better. |
My biggest concern, to be honest, is that the tax cuts aren't made permanent. |
Poverty is a lagging indicator. It is sort of the last ratio that declines with an expanding economy. |
Right now, the president's approval rating is not that strong. That has a lot to do with Iraq. |
The American people are very, very frustrated with the health care system, for good reason. |
The bottom line is, (Bush) truly believes, as we believe, that by leaving more money in people's hands and allowing them to spend it, that has propelled the economy. |