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  The Associated Press President George W. Bush delivers his address to a joint session of the 107th Congress at the Capitol in Washington on Tuesday.

By David Drucker

Daily Bruin Reporter

President George W. Bush presented his budget proposal to Congress Tuesday night in a speech that criticized not only big government, but non-responsive government as well.

In another departure from typical Republican rhetoric, the president acknowledged the “vestiges of racism” and “persistent poverty” often mentioned by Democrats to underscore the need for a strong federal bureaucracy and government spending.

“An artist using statistics as a brush could paint two very different pictures of our country,” Bush said. “One would have warning signs ... and another would be full of blessings.”

Speaking from the House of Representatives chamber on Capitol Hill, Bush laid out a 10-year fiscal plan that included spending increases in areas as diverse as Medicare, the military and taxes.

He called education his “top priority,” and asked the legislature to add an additional $5 billion to the current education spending over the next five years.

“I like teachers so much, I married one,” Bush said. He announced that his wife Laura has already begun a nationwide campaign to recruit qualified teachers and “promote sound teaching practices and early reading skills.”

The president offered Medicare funding to the tune of $238 billion for the fiscal year of 2002, which he said would fund all existing programs and include a new prescription drug benefit for low income seniors.

“My budget puts a priority on access to health care,” Bush said.

He explained that his budget proposes tax credits that people can use to buy health insurance, and added his intention to double the amount of people who currently work at community health care centers in low income neighborhoods.

But despite Bush’s focus on these traditionally liberal objectives, his speech was devoted in large part to appealing directly to the American people to support his 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax cut.

“Unrestrained government spending is a dangerous road to deficits, so we must take a different path. The other choice it to let the American people spend their own money to meet their own needs ...” Bush said.

“I hope you will join me and stand firmly on the side of the people,” continued Bush, to thundering applause from the GOP and sporadic enthusiasm from Democrats.

The President also announced his intention to reform social security by allowing younger workers to invest their funds in private accounts.