NEWS
The Michigan Daily .
- Tuesday, September 14, 2004 - 5
TheMiciga-Diy I Tusdy. eembr 4 2004-T .:
BUSH
Continued from page 1.
acknowledged there was more work
to be done and advanced what he
called a pro-entrepreneur, pro-agri-
culture economic policy. Bush called
for America's trading partners to
lower trade barriers, especially those
that decrease the competitiveness of
American agriculture.
"We can compete with anybody,
anytime, anywhere, as long as the
rules are fair," he said. Bush has nev-
ertheless provided
$19 billion in sub-«
sidies to American To grow1
farmers each year in
what has been criti- economy,
cized as an example must bee
ofprotectionism.
Bush also independ
addressed Michi-
gan's valuable store foreign so
of fresh water in the
Great Lakes. of energy
"My position
is very clear: My
administration will
never allow the
diversion of Great
Lakes water."
Democratic nominee John Kerry
yesterday advanced a proposal that
likewise would ban the draining of
the state's precious resource, while
Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm
has taken preliminary steps to protect
the Great Lakes with her introduc-
tion of the Water Legacy Act, which
would regulate withdrawals of fresh
water from Michigan's most enduring
symbol.
Bush seemingly paraphrased his
opponent with another remark.
"To grow the economy, we must
become independent of foreign sourc-
es of energy," he said.
The Massachusetts senator has tied
the war in Iraq to U.S. dependency on
foreign oil.
The president also talked about
Kerry's promise to rescind Bush's tax
cuts on wealthy taxpayers.
Battle Creek resident Jeremy Bus-
chlen said he did not think Bush's tax-
rebate program was skewed toward
the rich.
"We got our tax checks and spent
them," he said. "We did our part."
Hallacy disagreed with liberal
opponents of Bush, who say his tax
plan offers rebates to low- and mid-
die-income families as a ploy to gain
support for massive tax refunds to
the wealthiest. He said those who are
taxed the most should share a propor-
tional reduction in their tax burden.
Kerry has drawn ire for not speci-
fying how he will fund some of his
policies, beyond taxing the wealthiest
Americans. Bush reaffirmed his com-
mitment to lower taxes in the face of a
record federal deficit.
Buschlen said he approved.of the.
President's handling of the economy
and that he does not blame Bush for
the nation's economic woes.
"The economy was going downhill
before he got in office," he said. "He's
doing the best with what he has to
work with."
Buschlen said the states deficits
have nothing to do with federal fund-
ing.
"State and local governments need
to step up and find ways to generate
revenue and not be so reliant on the
federal government," he said.
Hallacy said the state also bore
some responsibil-
ity for the atrophy
the of the job market.
"One of the
we key questions is,
I C'What the heck
THE SEAWEED IS ALWAYs GREENER
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,
NADER
Continued from page 1
Democrat, and told him to vote for
John Kerry when Wieder replied in the
affirmative.
Michigan Democratic Party spokes-
man Jason Moon said Nader has
"chosen to abandon his integrity and
principles" by accepting help from
Republicans.
But Kevin Zeese, a spokesman for
Nader's campaign, said the campaign
never had a chance to reject the signa-
tures.
"The signatures were never given to
us; they were given to the (Michigan)
Secretary of State," Zeese said. "We
don't see ourselves as associated with
the Republicans at all."
Zeese added that the Nader cam-
paign still hopes to gain access to the
ballot under the Reform Party ticket,
in which case it will not need to rely
on petitions.
Michigan Secretary of State Terri
Lynn Land, a Republican, has refused
to put Nader on the state ballot as the
Reform Party nominee because there
are two groups in Michigan that claim
to be the Reform Party.
Nader challenged Land's decision
in federal court, but lost earlier this
month.
Nadeam Elshami, a spokesman for
the anti-Nader group United Progres-
sives for -ictory, said the fact that
Nader's Michigan campaign was able
to gather only 5.000 of the required
30,000 signatures on its own is proof
that Nader "does not have the grass-
roots support he once had."
"Progressives are united for defeat-
ing Bush," Elshami said.
Edwin Curley, a philosophy profes-
sor who was among the faculty invit-
ed by the Nader campaign to a press
conference before the speech, arrived
wearing a Kerry pin and engaged in
a heated argument with Nader volun-
teers before Nader arrived.
Curley argued that Nader cost Dem-
ocratic presidential candidate Al Gore
the election in 2000 by drawing away
valuable votes from the Democrats.
A volunteer replied that Nader
would have won the election using the
Condorset method, an obscure voting
system that allows voters to rank can-
didates in order of preference. Curley
stormed off after voices were raised
and profanities exchanged.
Cassandra Talley, an LSA sopho-
more, said she was impressed by
Nader's speech. "I'm now considering
voting for Nader, even though initially
I was a strong supporter of Kerry," she
said.
- Esther Fang and Jennifer
Myaeng contributed to this report.
ent of
:urces
.
- President Bush
is our governor
doing?' A lot of
jobs are moving
to other states, not
just other coun-
tries," he added.
As for the relo-
cation of opera-
tions overseas,
Hallacy said the
President is "mak-
ing the tax code more appealing for
businesses."
Buschlen blamed organized labor
for outsourcing.
"I think it's the unions that are driv-
ing their own work out of the coun-
try," he said, adding that they make
too many demands to companies
Buschlen cited national defense as
the issue most important to him in
this year's election. Bush devoted a
considerable portion of his speech to
this topic.
"I will never turn over America's
national security decisions to leaders of
other nations," he said, suggesting that
Kerry, if elected, would delegate such
decisions to foreign heads of state. This
remark echoed Zell Miller's speech at
the Republican National Convention, at
which the Democratic Georgia senator,
who is not running for another term,
suggested Kerry would allow President
Jacques Chirac of France to make deci-
sions on American foreign policy.
Bush praised Miller early in his
speech as a lawmaker who had shown
personal conviction in supporting
him, despite partisan loyalties.
Bush even cited Kerry as a mem-
ber of a bipartisan coalition that stood
behind Bush's war on Iraq. Kerry has
attracted the support of many anti-war
voters despite his Senate vote autho-
rizing the use of force in Iraq.
Bush pulled no punches for Kerry's
running mate, Sen. John Edwards (D-
N.C.). He repeatedly attacked personal
injury lawyers and bemoaned the rising
cost of medical malpractice insurance.
In a transparent criticism of Edwards'
lack of experience, Bush praised
Cheney's long record of public service.
Earlier in the day,Bush.also stopped
in Holland and Muskegon.
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