Bush calls on voters to back tax, education plans

Bush

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Saying he is "committed to moving forward" on tax cuts and education reform, President Bush urged voters Saturday to "make their voices heard" and contact their lawmakers as they return home for the Easter process.

In his weekly radio address, the president also called on senators and representatives to "listen carefully" to their constituents ahead of crucial votes to be held when Congress returns.

"Many members of Congress are still making up their minds. Don't just send them what you earn; tell them what you think," Bush said. He encouraged voters to attend town hall meetings to be held across the nation during the Easter recess, a list of which is posted at http://www.bushtaxrelief.com.

"I hope that if you do go, you'll stand up and let your representative hear from you on school reform and tax relief. It's good citizenship, and it will make a big difference," the president said.

Meanwhile, Democrats blasted the Bush administration for "inaction and excuses" with the nation's energy problems, saying unreasonable consumer energy costs and a lack of a comprehensive plan to deal with the issue have put millions of families at risk.

The Senate Friday approved a budget blueprint calling for less than $1.3 trillion in tax cuts, smaller than the $1.6 trillion in cuts proposed by Bush and approved previously by the House.

Bush has taken an upbeat tone on the vote, saying it still paves the way for an extensive tax reduction as the House and Senate work on budget plans.

"The choices Congress makes will shape our country for decades," Bush said Saturday. "These are not routine votes. They are not ordinary business. They are decisions we cannot afford to get wrong.

"Important reform is never easy, and it will always be tempting to postpone it," Bush continued. "But I'm committed to moving forward."

Bush has said his plan would provide the federal government with $100 billion more to spend next year on areas such as education, Medicare and defense.

In the Democrats' weekly radio address, Rep. Jay Inslee of Washington state said the Bush administration's approach to solving the energy problems is inadequate.

"The Bush administration's callous reference to this simply as a 'California problem' with no short-term solution threatens not only consumers in the West but the entire U.S. economy," Inslee said.

Electricity price spikes, Inslee said, have forced people to resort to food banks for the first time, threatened senior citizens on fixed incomes and led to tens of thousands of job cuts at small businesses.

Inslee and Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-New Mexico, said congressional Democrats have started working on solutions to the nation's energy needs, including proposed legislation to stabilize consumer prices while covering costs to generators. The legislation would exempt power generated by new power plants to encourage construction of new plants.

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