The real economic policy

Greed is good once again.\nBefore you could spit in the new Oval Office spittoon, President George W. Bush started pushing his $1.3 trillion tax cut. Dubya has been using his famous charm assault. This apparently involves a clever nickname for starry-eyed representatives who still get gushy when they're invited to the White House. The alias that gets kicked around in the media is "Freddo."\nAnd this is supposed to work with grown men and women?\nLast weekend, Dubya showed up at a couple of Democratic retreats to push his "Devil-May-Care" tax plan. This is unprecedented, as President Bill "I-don't-wanna-play-with-you-guys" Clinton would never have showed up at a Republican retreat. Speaker Newt "You-Mr.-President-are-the-Anti-Christ" Gingrich would have set the dogs on an approaching Clinton.\nBut Dubya is trying to be a uniter, not a divider. Well, at least he is when it comes to his tax plan. I'm not so sure he did the job when he selected John Ashcroft to head the Justice Department.\nAs far as the tax cut plan is concerned, the president wants to bring everyone on Capitol Hill together for a big group hug. The catch is that they can't get out of that hug until they agree to vote for this big ol' cut.\n"Big ol'" is now official White House terminology. Right along with "hunka," as in, "Thanks for that hunka cash you donated to my campaign."\nGeorge W. has promised this big ol' tax cut will not only hand citizens a hunka money that rightfully belongs to them, it will also jump-start the economy which, despite signs of a downturn, must go faster if we are all to continue owning our four wheel drive vehicles.\nWhether that will work is the object of some dispute. Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said he isn't sure and thinks it will be too long before the tax cut takes effect to do any good for the economy. \nHe supports the cut because, if we don't have it, we might have too much money in 10 years. Is that what they said during the roaring '20s? Because if that's the case, they must have made real sure it wouldn't happen.\nSecretary of the Treasury Paul H. O'Neill is fairly certain a cut won't boost the economy, having said as much during his confirmation hearing. He supports the plan because, well, because his boss does.\nWith all of these ringing endorsements, why not cut taxes?\nMaybe because it makes more sense to continue the Clinton policy of paying down the national debt, which in the end will make our economy that much stronger. Where do you think the Good Times came from in the first place? Clinton's economic advisers knew that paying down the debt was smart policy. Like Thomas L. Friedman of The New York Times said, "Politicians are always telling you that the government's surplus belongs to the people; then who does the national debt belong to?"\nOr perhaps because the projected $5.6 trillion surplus includes social security and medicare funds that so many of our lawmakers promised not to raid. Remember the lockbox?\nOr because the combined cost of all the social programs promised to us by the Bush campaign -- education plans, a prescription drug benefit that already looks like it won't happen and all that money for faith-based initiatives -- is just too much to shoulder along with a tax cut.\nBut to make these arguments is to ignore the essential facts of G.W.'s economic policy. It has nothing to do with clean air, better schools or even a better funded military (a campaign promise that the president has already broken -- his generals are fuming). The aim of the Bush economic policy is to make sure that the wealthy can continue to ride around in their four wheelers.\nGas prices are too high for even the rich to refuel their luxury SUVs? Let's drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge! Are you worried you won't be able to afford your new Lexus RX 300? You'll get a big ol' luxury tax cut to help you pay the bills.\n"But this isn't me!" you say. I want clean air, good schools and social security. I can do without a big tax cut as long as the economy grows and supports my new job. I want them to pay down the debt, because that's the kind of policy that produced the prosperity in the first place.\nA huge tax cut might be nice for the wealthy, but it sure will lose its novelty once we head into hard times. Why isn't the president concerned about my interests? The interests of most Americans?\nDid you give him a big ol' hunka campaign cash?