WASHINGTON– After addressing the National League of Cities annual convention in Washington today, U.S. Representative Artur Davis (D-Birmingham) returns to the district for two special events in Birmingham and Selma that examine the Bush Administration’s current budget proposal and efforts to privatize Social Security.

A press conference examining the impact of the Bush Administration budget is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CST at the Jefferson County Court House in Birmingham.  The Social Security town hall is set for 6:00 p.m. CST at the Selma Performing Arts Center.  Davis’ second Social Security town hall meeting comes less than a month after a similar successful event in Birmingham which drew more than 350 attendees and experts from across the country. 

This tour comes on the heels of President George W. Bush’s visit to Montgomery Thursday to promote an overhaul of Social Security that would include private investment accounts.  Davis is opposed to private accounts because they do not fix the problem outlined by the president: shoring up the apparent shortfall anticipated in the program in the next 13 years.

Davis is also concerned with the president’s proposed budget - the fourth of his tenure that does violence to programs that incentive investment in rural and urban communities all in the name of fiscal responsibility.  Threatened programs include community development block grants, the tremendously successful HOPE VI program, rural housing and economic development programs as well as youth intervention programs such as Upward Bound.

“Too many times, the least among us are asked to sacrifice for the good of the nation,” Davis said.  “It is time that we seek equity in our sacrifice as we work to establish fiscal discipline and retain one of our nation’s most successful anti-poverty programs.”

During his comments before the NLC, Davis touched on the cloud of negativity and partisanship that envelopes Washington. 

“This is the only city in America where people wake up every single day thinking of themselves as a Democrat or a Republican.  I have no problem with disagreement on issues, but where I take both left and right to task is not over who is right or wrong, but over the argument of who has good or evil on their side,” Davis said.  “The biggest problem we have in this city is that the level of anger on both sides is rapidly ratcheting up.”

Davis’ parting comments encouraged the NLC attendees to work vigorously on behalf of their communities.

“The people that you serve every single day want leadership that is passionate and that is principled,” he said. “They want leadership that asks us to put aside the things we disagree on for a moment and spend a little time casting light on the things we do agree on.”

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