Dean Says Economic Priorities Are Jobs and a Tax Overhaul

[DoveTurnedHawk]

Howard Dean, the former governor of Vermont, on Thursday put forward the broad strokes of an economic plan, including $100 billion to create jobs, the elimination of $100 billion in tax loopholes and the creation of a small-business loan fund.

Dr. Dean, a Democratic presidential candidate, spelled out his proposals in a Georgetown University auditorium where Bill Clinton made several major policy speeches in his first national campaign.

The staple of the plan was a two-year, $100 billion Fund to Restore America that would give states and municipalities grants to create jobs in domestic security, infrastructure, education and health care.

But beyond the jobs fund, the economic speech was often short on specifics.

As he does every day on the road, Dr. Dean vowed to balance the federal budget but failed to say by when. He said he would restore the Clinton administration's performance review system to root out government inefficiencies but named no fat bureaucracies ripe for the knife.

As for the small-business loan program, he said only that it would be modeled on mortgage financing. He planned to flesh out the details this weekend.

<...>

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/17/politics/campaigns/17DEAN.html

DTH

[unfrigginreal]

1. For the uneditorialized version...

The Dean economic program consists of:

1. JOB CREATION: A short-term stimulus to create 1 million new jobs through a $100 billion Fund to Restore America that will help states and local governments create jobs in health, education, and homeland security, as well as build or restore schools, roads and other infrastructure.

2. FISCAL DISCIPLINE: Repeal all the president's tax cuts, pay for new programs without increasing the deficit, and a pledge to balance the budget.

3. HELP FOR SMALL BUSINESS: A new Small Business Capital Corporation to expand the secondary market for small business loans and make capital for these job creators available more easily and at a lower cost.

4. TAX FAIRNESS: An aggressive effort to clean up the tax code, end corporate welfare, close tax loopholes, enhance enforcement against tax cheats and to shift the burden of taxation back toward corporations giving fairer treatment to individual taxpayers.

5. TAX SIMPLIFICATION: A commitment to tax simplification so that at least half of American taxpayers will no longer have to fill out forms.

6. A BETTER DEAL FOR WORKING FAMILIES: Addressing working families' anxieties about making ends meet with a higher minimum wage, universal health care, greater assistance with early education and care and college for their kids and a secure retirement.

much, much more here...

http://blog.deanforamerica.com/archives/001888.html#more

[Bertrand]

2. No, your version is editorialized

While we dont know the author (which is bothering considering the bias of an official message board), what you link to is a pro-Dean biased report on his plan.

I i could just point out a few examples, "a better deal" "tax fairness" "an aggressive effort", etc. are all subjective POV remarks that are meant to convey a positive image of Dean and his plan.

[unfrigginreal]

3. Hmmm...Dean editorializing on Dean...LOL! n/t

[w4rma]

8. No. unfrigginreal's version is the original unfiltered version.

It is *always* best, when you can, to get your information directly, rather than filtered through someone who may or may not have an agenda or a bias.

[SahaleArm]

4. Tough Task.

It'll be a tough task to pay for all these programs (+ healthcare)while trying to balance the budget. Any details on where this money is going to come from? Resetting the tax codes to pre-Bush will help but won't cover the whole thing. Especially in a down-market.

[Julien Sorel]

5. The deficit is now structural, which means it cannot

be erased without a tax increase and/or substantial reduction in outlays -- period. I'm not too worried about deficit spending -- the federal government is a much different beast than the state government of Vermont -- but Dean is obsessed with it. The feds can actually run a proper-sized deficit for forever; as long as it doesn't get so big as to damage peoples' faith in the soundness of our country, it really isn't a big issue. Dean trying to balance the budget is going to be an issue, both politically and, in the unlikely event he gets into office, in reality. He's going to have to raise taxes (that's going to help his popularity), or reduce spending on things that are part of the core Democratic ethos. I think it's obvious which route he will take from what I know about how he ran Vermont, what he's said, and understanding that people take the path of least resistance, especially in politics. He's going to side with the Republicans, and further gut social programs.


People here have said the Bush plan is to cut taxes and cut taxes to the point where the country will have no choice but to substantially reduce spending just to keep solvent. In Dean, the Republicans may have found their kind of guy.

[SahaleArm]

6. Raising taxes.

Raising taxes on high earners (> $200,000) is an easy sell given the current market conditions. It'll be interesting to see how raising taxes across the board plays with the general populous. You're right about running a small deficit but the BushCo plan, if maintained, will continue to de-value the dollar. I'm also in favor of raising the long-term capital gains tax to 25%. That would bring in enough money to support safety-nets as well as reduce the debt to something reasonable.

[JNelson6563]

7. Reminds me of Clinton's priorities

He too addressed the deficits frequently while campaigning. It is a welcome change to Jr. and his no-limit-credit-card approach to the federal budget.

I look forward to reading the specifics.

Julie