Chris Dodd: “as a statement of priorities and a vision of where we want our nation to be in the years to come, this budget fails the…”

“as a statement of priorities and a vision of where we want our nation to be in the years to come, this budget fails the test of responsible leadership. Instead of correcting the mistakes of the past few years, this budget repeats and compounds those mistakes. It adds to record levels of national debt. It favors the fortunate few over everyone else who is working hard and playing by the rules. It does far too little for the most vulnerable and needy Americans--our children, our seniors, our veterans. Unlike China, India, and other countries, it invests only a minute fraction of our resources in research and development. We've seen where this agenda has led us--it represents a stunning failure to address any of the major challenges of our era, like globalization, security, stagnant incomes, and rising income inequality. America has always been blessed with great natural resources. But in spite of these physical resources, our greatest strength has always been our human ones--the American spirit of ingenuity, creativity, and old fashioned hard work. Regrettably, the budget before this body fails to make the necessary investments to build and maintain the strength of our human capital, America's greatest asset. This may not be intentional; I presume that President Bush and my colleagues across the aisle believe just as strongly in boosting our nation's economic competitiveness.…”