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:: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 ::

UBC Yes Weekly Summary By BBaker
UBC General President Douglas J. McCarron has once again sold-out the majority of the UBC membership by inviting George W. Bush to make a campaign stop at the newly opened Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters' Training Center in Phoenix.

This, despite the fact that right now, Bush is fighting legislation which would offer relief to multi-employer (UBC) pension plans struggling with losses due to the stock-market downturn (ENRON, WorldCom, etc.) Let alone Bush's failed 2000 campaign promise to enforce stricter pollution guidelines which would have generated thousands of jobs for UBC members re-fitting power plants, or his ban on federal PLA's, or his rollback of ergonomic rules, or the stripping of OSHA inspections, or his attempt to eliminate overtime for millions of workers, etc., etc...

During the campaign swing on Fri, Mar 26, Bush addressed a small crowd of handpicked supporters, as he did earlier in New Mexico, again touting home ownership for minorities/Section 8 renters while at the same time his administration is seeking to cut $1.1 billion from Section 8 voucher funding. ???

Also, just like in 2001 at a Wisconsin UBC training center and in 2002 at Pittsburgh's training center, Bush again reiterated his standard rhetoric of being so concerned about jobs. (After 3.2 million jobs lost, please don't be so concerned!)

Bush then thanked "Doug" and congratulated him(?) and the UBC membership on the work at the World Trade Center, though Bush made no mention of his administration's manipulation of air quality tests at ground zero and his declaration of it being safe which has resulted in a myriad of health problems for members.

After his campaign speech, instructor John Herrera, working with Jason Hemphill, a third-year apprentice, welcomed Bush to a drywall-hanging workshop and invited him to help put up a section of wallboard. "Absolutely," the president said, shedding his sport coat and telling nobody in particular, "Hold my coat." 

Mike McCarron of UBC 1506 quickly groveled to take it.
"Hold my coat" news photo

Remarks by the President in a Conversation on Homeownership
Phoenix Carpenters Training Center
Phoenix, Arizona
see the official Whitehouse movie: realplayer1 movie

posted 7:20 AM :: reference link :: 0 comments ::

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