Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/271933
By Alan Fram The Associated Press WASHINGTON » President Barack Obama sent Con- gress a $3.9 trillion budget Tuesday that would funnel money into road building, education and other econ - omy-bolstering programs, handing Democrats a play- book for their election-year themes of creating jobs and narrowing the income gap between rich and poor. The blueprint for fiscal 2015, which begins Oct. 1, is laden with populist propos - als designed to fortify those goals. It includes new spend- ing for pre-school education and job training, expanded tax credits for 13.5 million low-income workers with - out children and more than $1 trillion in higher taxes over the next decade, mostly for the wealthiest Americans and corporations. "As a country, we've got to make a decision if we're go- ing to protect tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans or if we're going to make smart investments necessary to create jobs and grow our economy and expand oppor - tunity for every American," Obama told students at an elementary school in the na- tion's capital. With an eye in part on job creation, $302 billion would be spent to upgrade roads, railroads and mass transit, with more money aimed at improvements at Veterans Affairs hospitals and national parks. Addi - tional funds would be aimed at clean energy research, creating 45 public-private manufacturing institutes for spurring innovation and training workers whose com - panies have closed or moved. To help pay for those initiatives and others and trim federal deficits as well, Obama relies in part on higher revenue. He would raise $651 bil - lion by limiting tax deduc- tions for the nation's highest earners and with a "Buffett tax" — named for billion- aire Warren Buffett — slap- ping minimum levies on the highest-earning people. Taxes would also be raised on large estates, financial in - stitutions, tobacco products, airline passengers and man- agers of private investment funds. Congress has ignored those revenue proposals and many of Obama's spend - ing ideas before. With the en- tire House and one-third of the Senate facing re-elec- tion in November, campaign- year pressures and gridlock between the Democratic-led Senate and Republican dom - inated House all but ensure that few of the president's initiatives will go far. "The president has offered perhaps his most irresponsi - ble budget yet," said House Speaker John Boehner, R- Ohio, who has participated in two failed rounds of deficit- reduction talks with Obama since 2011. "American fami - lies looking for jobs and op- portunity will find only more government in this plan." "It's disappointing that the president produced a campaign document in- stead of putting forth a se- rious budget blueprint that makes the tough choices nec- essary to get our fiscal house in order," said Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, top Republi- can on the Senate Budget Committee. Obama's budget claims to obey overall agency spend- ing limits that were en- acted in December after a bipartisan compromise was reached between Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the heads of the House and Senate bud - get committees. Yet Obama was proposing an additional package of $55 billion in spending priorities, half for defense and half for domestic programs. Without that extra money, Pentagon spending be $496 billion, the same as this year. The Pentagon plans to shrink the Army from 490,000 active-duty sol - diers to as few as 440,000 over the coming five years — the smallest since just before World War II. The extra funds would al - low steps like buying addi- tional aircraft and enhanc- ing training. Budget cutters have had the upper hand over de- fense hawks in recent years. But this year's debate over military spending will have an added element as Obama encounters Republican de - mands for a tough U.S. stance following Russia's intervention in Ukraine's Crimea peninsula. NATION Obama's budget focuses on boosting economy J. Scott Applewhite — the ASSociAted preSS copies of president Barack obama's proposed fiscal 2015 budget are set out for distribution by Senate Budget committee clerk Adam Kamp, center, tuesday on capitol hill in washington. By Chevel Johnson The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS » A cold, gray day greeted revelers — but didn't deter them — along parade routes Tuesday as the Carnival season in New Orleans headed to a crest with the unabashed celebra - tion of Mardi Gras. The first street march- ing groups, including clari- netist Pete Fountain's Half- Fast Walking Club, were to begin their marches along oak-lined St. Charles Ave - nue and into the business district. The Zulu parade began on schedule, led by a New Orleans police vanguard on horseback that included Mayor Mitch Landrieu. Later, the floats of Rex — the king of Carnival — and hundreds of truck trailers decorated by family and so - cial groups would wind down St. Charles Avenue. Rain fell, and umbrel- las and raincoats sprouted along the parade route. Sleet was falling on some merry- makers in areas north and west of the city. But revelers gathered by the thousands in the French Quarter, where the bawdy side of Mardi Gras would surely be on full display. Mark Nelson of St. Louis said he would be in the mix even in a downpour for his first Mardi Gras. "That's why God made washing machines," Nelson said as he sipped on a daiquiri. Revelers lined up near a stand on Bourbon Street where artist Gail Vertucci was painting Carnival masks on faces. "These people are crazy," she said. "They'll get painted no matter what. It doesn't matter if it's pouring rain, these people will line up all day long." Die-hards braved the weather in costume in the Quarter. The weather wasn't going to stop them. "We'll drink, drink, drink until it gets drier," said Dean Cook of New Orleans as he walked Bourbon Street dressed as a pirate with vampire fangs. "Mermaids love the wa - ter," he said of his wife, Ter- rina Cook, who was dressed in a shiny blue mermaid costume.Along the Uptown parade route, Carol LeBlanc and husband Hov LeBlanc of New Orleans were stroll - ing along St. Charles Avenue with friends Vicki and Duane O'Flynn from Arabi, La. The troupe was dressed as scare - crows, stuffed with grass and wearing plaid pants and tat- tered coveralls. NATION dAvid Grunfeld — the ASSociAted preSS the Krewe of orpheus rolls in uptown new orleans, led by celebrity monarch Quentin tarantino reigning over the superkrewe's 32-float parade Monday on lundi Gras. Cold day doesn't stop Mardi Gras revelers in New Orleans "T he y' ll g et p ai nt ed n o ma tt er w ha t. It doesn't matter if it's pouring rain, these people will line up all day long." — Gail Vertucci, an artist on Bourbon Street By Paul J. Weber The Associated Press AUSTIN, TExAS » Texas is holding the nation's first pri- mary election Tuesday with a political free-for-all in Re- publican races that could push the state further right, though Democrats are call- ing it the next big electoral battleground. Republican Gov. Rick Perr y has decided this would be his last of a re - cord 14 years in office, and his looming exit has set off a scramble resulting in the most open races in Texas in more than a decade. Republicans are favored to win them all come No - vember — including Per- ry's seat, despite Demo- crat Wendy Davis build- ing a national profile and an early $16 million fund- raising haul to match. She has energized Texas Dem- ocrats, who haven't won a statewide race in 20 years but insist the tide is turn- ing. "If people don't start suppor ti ng the Demo - cratic Party and voting as a Democrat, instead of be- ing a Democrat voting in the Republican primary, then we're never going to win races and we're never going to establish ourselves as a serious party here," said Janet Veal, 43, a Texas Tech student adviser who cast a Democratic ballot in Lubbock. That possibility, and the rising influence of tea party firebrand U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, has Texas Republi - cans flanking farther right this primary season. Some have blasted an "invasion" of immigrants coming across the Texas border, where immigration arrests have almost tripled in recent years but remain at about one-third of their historic highs. Others pledged to fur - ther tighten some of the nation's strictest abortion laws and doubled down on the state's gay marriage ban — one of several state bans recently ruled un - constitutional by federal courts. "I think we need to bol- ster the border security and get tougher on immi- gration," 38-year-old con- servative Republican Glen- don Paulk said after voting in Lubbock. "I'm all for peo- ple who come over here le- gally but the illegal immi- grants, it doesn't make sense for them to get a break while we're working and having to pay taxes." A new member of the Bush dynasty was on the ballot Tuesday: George P. Bush, the nephew of former President George W. Bush and son of former Gov. Jeb Bush, is making his polit - ical debut by running for land commissioner. On the eve of Tuesday's primary, the younger Bush — who is widely considered a future Texas GOP leader — told voters the biggest opponent this year is Pres - ident Barack Obama. "This is a call to look out for the next generation of Texans," he said at a Mon - day campaign stop in El Paso. "I want to continue to fight the good fight." Frigid weather greeted some voters with a dan - gerous drive to the polls, and locations around Aus- tin opened on a four-hour delay because of icy condi- tions. POLITICS Eyes on GOP as Texas holds nation's 1st primary election John dAvenport — the ASSociAted preSS Marcus Booth, center, holds a sign at the Brook hollow Branch of the San Antonio public library on election day tuesday in San Antonio, texas. RUNNINGS ROOFING Sheet Metal Roofing Residential Commercial • Composition • Shingle • Single Ply Membrane Owner is on site on every job Serving Tehama County 530-527-5789 530-209-5367 No Money Down! "No Job Too Steep" " No Job Too Flat" FREE ESTIMATES CA. 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