President talks economics in visit to Davenport

President George W. Bush visited Iowa today where spoke this morning in front of a couple hundred people — labor and management — at Sears Manufacturing in Davenport. Bush says he’s working with Congress to be sure that they hear the message of fiscal responsibility. Bush says Congress first needs to understand where the money comes from.He says it’s not the government’s money, it’s the people’s money. Bush says Congress has to learn to control its spending.He says “every idea sounds like a brilliant idea in Washington.” But has says those ideas come with billion-dollar price tags, and we need to work together to set priorities, the most important of which is defending America against killers. Bush praised the Republican-controlled House, and Iowa Congressman Jim Nussle, for passing a budget bill. He castigated the Democrat-controlled Senate for not following suit.He says there has been no budget plan from the Senate. He says no budget means no discipline and no discipline means the Senate will likely overspend. Bush says he also wants Congress to get moving on defense plans.He says Congress should stop talking and “get a defense bill to my desk.” Bush says, if the number-one priority is to defend the American people, you need a defense bill so you can do it. Bush says he is optimistic about the future of the economy because interest rates and inflation are down and productivity of the American worker is the best in the world. But he says people need to get to keep more of their own money, and the tax cuts needs to be made permanent. Bush attended a noon hour fundraiser for Nussle’s re-election campaign before returning to Washington, D.C.