The Hindu Business Line : Bush pitches for second term by pledging more jobs

MAKING his pitch for four more years in office and trying to impress the country that he is running for the highest office of the land ``with a clear and positive plan to build a safer world and a more hopeful America,'' the US President, Mr George W. Bush, said that his plan begins with providing ``security and the opportunity of a growing economy.''

In his prime time acceptance address that brought to an end the four-day protest-filled Republican National Convention in New York, Mr Bush stressed that the environment of living and work is changing dramatically.

``The workers of our parents' generation typically had one job, one skill, one career, often with one company that provided healthcare and pension. And most of these workers were men. Today workers change jobs, even careers, many times during their lives. And in one of the most dramatic shifts our society has seen, two thirds of all moms also work outside the home,'' Mr Bush remarked.

Making the point that the changed world can be a ``time of great opportunity'' to Americans and that the government must be on their side, the President promised to transform the existing systems such as the tax code, the pension plans and worker training to work to the advantage of the people.

``My plan begins with providing security and opportunity of a growing economy. We now compete in a global market that provides new buyers for our goods, but new competition for our workers. To create more jobs in America, America must be the best place in the world to do business,'' Mr Bush said.

``To create jobs my plan will encourage investment and expansion by restraining Federal spending, reducing regulation and making the tax relief permanent...we will make our country less dependent on foreign sources of energy...we will expand trade and level the playing field to sell American goods and services across the globe,'' Mr Bush remarked even while providing few specifics on how all these were going to be achieved.

In the prime time address at the Convention which was less virulent than some of the other speakers that went before him over the last three days, Mr Bush said that another priority in the second term ``will be to help workers to take advantage of the expanding economy to find better and higher paying jobs.''

And this will be done by doubling the number of people in job training programmes and a higher funding for community colleges. ``I know that with the right skills, American workers can compete with anyone, anywhere in the world,'' Mr Bush said.

The President also had a message to those states that have been hard hit by job losses and where he is looking for votes to put him back at the White House on election day.

``In this time of change, opportunity in some communities is more distant than in others. To stand with workers in poor communities and those that have lost manufacturing, textile and other jobs, we will create American opportunity zones. In these areas we will provide tax relief and other incentives to attract new business and improve housing and job training to bring hope and work throughout all of America,'' Mr Bush pledged.

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