Under his presidency, George Bush has increased our tax burden by crippling proportions. In the last two years alone, federal spending has incresed by 22 percent. And so has our tax burden. All of president Bush's increased spending will be paid in taxes. But president Bush doesn't want to be held responsible for any of those enormous tax increases, so he has shifted them onto our children's backs in the form of the largest budget deficits in American history.
In addition, two of president Bush's largest new programs -- the Department of Homeland Security and the No Child Left Behind Act -- are left unpaid by the federal government. Instead, president Bush makes our states pay for them, in the form of increased property taxes, increased income taxes, increased sales taxes, and increased gas taxes. Again, president Bush accepts no responsibility for the increased tax burden that he rests squarely on our shoulders.
When spending goes up, taxes go up. There's no way around it. The only difference with Bush is that he doesn't take responsibility for it.
Howard Dean will take responsibility for our tax burden, and he will give us real tax relief in the form of decreased spending and decreased burden, not the mirage of relief Bush creates with slickly titled tax decreases that are negligible for almost everyone.
If Bush and Rove want to fight Howard Dean on tax issues next year, bring them on.