Kerry: Economy faltering under Bush; Says government slow to respond to challenges

QUINCY - The Bush administration is as slow to respond to a host of pressing demands on the nation’s economy as it was in responding to Hurricane Katrina last year, Sen. John Kerry told a breakfast meeting of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce today.

‘‘Katrina underscores lack of preparation, unpreparedness, despite all the warnings,’’ Kerry told a group gathered at the Quincy Marriott Hotel. ‘‘Katrina stripped away the confidence, the veneer that had cloaked this administration for a period of time, and people began to see a whole series of choices that have been wrong.’’

Kerry praised South Shore business leaders for laying the groundwork for economic development by making long-term infrastructure investments.

‘‘You’ve got a great investment effort going over here at the air base, you’ve got great energy in the Hingham Shipyard, you’ve got great energy in the Quincy shipyard, you’re trying to make things happen,’’ Kerry said.

‘‘You’ve got the Route 44 connection, you’ve got the Route 3 expansion, you’ve got an enormous number of housing growth, you’ve got Greenbush coming on line. That’s what we ought to be doing on a national level.’’

But Kerry said the federal government must do its part to help businesses overcome obstacles to competing in the global economy - such as rising healthcare and energy costs, and lagging investments in education and research and development.

Kerry laid out what he called a ‘‘three-pronged competitiveness challenge’’ facing the nation’s economy - energy, education and incentives for business growth.

Kerry called for focusing on new technologies and alternative fuels to reduce the nation’s oil dependence and create new jobs. His proposal includes tax incentives for automakers to produce more fuel-efficient cars and for consumers to buy them, and developing energy alternatives such as bio-fuels and wind energy.

‘‘You just heard the president give a speech in the State of the Union message and he talked about how America is addicted to oil,’’ Kerry said. ‘‘Mr. President, the nation is not addicted to oil, your administration is addicted to oil.’’

On education and business competitiveness, Kerry called for using the same money that goes for tax cuts to instead be used to improve schooling and for new investments in research and development.

‘‘We are going ahead, like it or not, with a tax cut for the wealthiest people in America yet again,’’ Kerry said. ‘‘We’re spending billions exporting democracy to other parts of the world, we need to make our own democracy work a little better right here at home.’’

"But Kerry said the federal government must do its part to help businesses overcome obstacles to competing in the global economy - such as rising healthcare and energy costs, and lagging investments in education and research and development.

Kerry laid out what he called a ‘‘three-pronged competitiveness challenge’’ facing the nation’s economy - energy, education and incentives for business growth.

Kerry called for focusing on new technologies and alternative fuels to reduce the nation’s oil dependence and create new jobs. His proposal includes tax incentives for automakers to produce more fuel-efficient cars and for consumers to buy them, and developing energy alternatives such as bio-fuels and wind energy.

‘‘You just heard the president give a speech in the State of the Union message and he talked about how America is addicted to oil,’’ Kerry said. ‘‘Mr. President, the nation is not addicted to oil, your administration is addicted to oil.’’

On education and business competitiveness, Kerry called for using the same money that goes for tax cuts to instead be used to improve schooling and for new investments in research and development.

‘‘We are going ahead, like it or not, with a tax cut for the wealthiest people in America yet again,’’ Kerry said. ‘‘We’re spending billions exporting democracy to other parts of the world, we need to make our own democracy work a little better right here at home.’’ "

There is so much there that is wrong, I'm not sure where to begin.

The federal government should get out of business and let the market run it. The federal government ruins whatever it touches. It's not in the Constitution for the government to do anything that this imbecile is proposing.

At least he didn't call it a plan this time. Instead he's now calling it a "challenge" which is humorous considering that Kerry is challenged in so many ways.

Kerry is a day late and a dollar short on the alternative fuels considering President Bush has been pushing that for years. Kerry is a just johnny come lately.

The administration is addicted to oil? Didn't know the administration used all those billions of barrels of oil. Not only is Kerry challenged, so are his handlers and speech writers.

More money for education? Mr. Kerry, how many trillions has the US government poured into the bottomless pit that is public education? Is that his answer to everything? Pour more money into it? I realize that is how he lives his life, spending his wife's money, but damn, leave mine alone ya a**hat.

I'm guessing he doesn't know that the federal revenues are up due to those evil tax cuts. Where does he suppose those 260+ extra billion dollars came from? He still doesn't get it, cut taxes and somehow more money comes into the federal coffers to get wasted by idiots like himself.

When will they learn?

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