Bush asks newspapers to back his budget

President Bush addresses the National Newspapers Association on Thursday

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush on Thursday appealed to the nation's newspapers to embrace his budget proposals as a way to prevent the slowing U.S. economy from worsening.

At a National Newspapers Association conference, Bush won applause for his call to end federal estate taxes, labeled by opponents as the "death tax."

He quoted an editorial written by Joel Smith, publisher of the Eufala, Alabama, Tribune. "'I hope the president and Congress will repeal the death tax and help my family keep publishing our 72-year-old, twice-weekly newspaper.'"

	MESSAGE BOARD
Taxing and spending

"It doesn't matter whether you're a newspaper publisher or a farmer or a rancher or a small businessperson, many folks have got the dream of working hard as they can to build an asset base and to have the pleasure of knowing a family member is going to run the newspaper or manage the farm," Bush said. "And yet our tax code makes it awfully hard for people to realize that dream."

The Bush proposal includes a $1.6 trillion tax cut over ten years. The president promoted his across-the-board income tax cut proposal, his call to link federal education funds to student achievement tests and his campaign to increase funding for the U.S. military.

Following a theme used often to defend his budget, Bush mentioned the slowing U.S. economy three times, saying tax cuts would help fight a national economic threat.

"It's important to remember there are people struggling to get ahead, particularly with energy bills going up, and the economy slowing down."

Opponents recently have criticized Bush for mentioning national economic troubles, saying such comments themselves are worsening the economy.

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