Barkley issues statement after Bush speech

Barkley Statement on President Bush's Speech

IP Candidate: It's Time to Consider Every Option and its Consequences before Acting

For Immediate Release
Contact: Christopher Truscott
ctruscott@senatorbarkley.com

PLYMOUTH—Dean Barkley, the Independence Party candidate for U.S. Senate, released the following statement Wednesday evening in response to President George W. Bush's speech on the economy:

"I understand that people are very concerned about the economy. I'm hearing it everyday from Minnesotans and I know we're no different than the rest of the county in this regard.

"But President Bush's demand that Congress push through a rushed, patch-job solution could exacerbate problems, not solve them.

"Over the past seven years we've seen what happens when Congress and the president hurry to 'solutions' without exercising the kind of measured, responsible judgment America needs: We get bad policy like the Patriot Act and the Iraq War.

"Now, more than ever, we need to take a step back and consider every option and its potential consequences before plowing forward with a proposal that would add at least hundreds of billions of dollars to the already out-of-control $9.65 trillion national debt."

* * * * *

Earlier Wednesday, Barkley said responsible business and non-partisan political leaders, like former Medtronic CEO Bill George and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, should be included in discussions on the proposed financial bailout Congress is considering this week.

"We can't limit this to a political debate," Barkley said. "There are a lot of people out there with real world experience in the economy and that's exactly what the American people need right now."

* * * * *

Barkley, a 58-year-old Minnesota native, served as the director of the Minnesota Office of Strategic and Long Range Planning under Gov. Jesse Ventura. In November 2002, Ventura appointed Barkley to fill the final two months of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's term.

The former governor said recently that Barkley is "measured minute by minute … the most effective U.S. senator in Minnesota history."

More information is available online at www.senatorbarkley.com