Report Shows How Bush Is Squeezing Middle Class

Misleader: President Bush is now barnstorming the country claiming his record shows that he cares about America's middle class. On everything from taxes to health care to workers wages, the President says he has fought for average Americans. But a new comprehensive report shows that in almost every key economic area, he has actually gone to bat for his wealthiest contributors, at everyone else's expense.
According to a cover story in this month's American Prospect, Bush has pushed policies that benefit the major special interests funding his campaign, while rejecting commonsense, bipartisan proposals that would help the middle class. On taxes, for instance, Bush has claimed, "If you're struggling to get into middle class and you feel like you're paying plenty of taxes, take a look at my agenda."1 Yet, as the Prospect report points out, Bush's tax policies have actually shifted more of the tax burden off of the wealthy, and onto the middle class.2 His policies have also raised federal fees on the middle class, and forced state and local governments to raise middle class taxes to deal with the record federal deficits.

On health care, Bush has said he is working "to help more American families get health insurance."3 Yet, as the Prospect report shows, the only major initiative Bush has offered is an industry-backed proposal that experts say could further raise health insurance premiums and deductibles for average Americans. Similarly, Bush has refused to support real legislation to lower the price of prescription drugs in America. (More here how Republicans have defended big business like they’ve never before.
On wages, Bush has said he wants to help Americans earn better paychecks - but as the Prospect report shows, he has simultaneously refused to support a minimum wage increase while pushing to eliminate overtime pay protections for millions of workers.