Problem: Republicans: Obama's Budget Plan Adds Up to More Taxes

A possible White House contender in 2012 said in the GOP's Saturday address that President Obama and the Democrats who run Congress should lower taxes and hold down spending.

"Let hardworking American families keep more of what they earn by cutting taxes and reining in spending," said Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R-Minn. "It's just common sense."

Obama's Democratic allies in Congress have embraced providing health care to the uninsured, boosting education and promoting clean energy. But they've had differing views on how to find billions of dollars to finance the president's agenda without further exploding the deficit.

Pawlenty said Democratic president's budget will require higher taxes and unfairly loads debt onto future generations. Pawlenty also said Obama has talked about tax relief, but his budget suggests he'll be raising taxes.

"I thought President Obama's proposal to eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses was a pretty good idea. And his pledge to lower taxes for middle-class Americans was something Republicans wholeheartedly supported," Pawlenty said. "But the budget that Congress is considering doesn't provide that tax relief."

Pawlenty said the administration is not eliminating capital gains taxes for small businesses immediately so they can create jobs now but "keeps those taxes high until after Obama's term in office."

"The federal government should keep a lid on taxes, control government spending and borrow less -- rather than increase the size and scope of the federal government so much that Washington is guaranteeing future tax increases," Pawlenty said, referring to Obama's $3.6 trillion budget proposal.

Pawlenty said his anti-tax message would be welcomed with the approach of the April 15 tax deadline.

Write a one or two sentence summary.

Summary: Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty said Saturday that President Obama has talked about tax relief, but his budget suggests he'll be raising taxes.


Problem: Hotel Vendome fire 40th anniversary

The most heartbreaking tragedy in Boston Fire Department history struck without warning on a Saturday afternoon in the Back Bay. Fire broke out in the former Hotel Vendome at 2:35 p.m. on June 17, 1972, during renovations to convert the century-old luxury hotel to condominiums. Box 1571 rang first, with three more to follow. The fire was under control within two hours, but then the unexpected happened. An entire five-story section of the building collapsed, trapping 17 firefighters and killing nine of them. Forty years later the memory of that day remains sadly vivid for many. Former Boston Globe staff photographer George Rizer, who arrived on scene shortly after the collapse, described the scene: “I was only part time, in my second year in the business. I was 26. Most of the staffers weren’t working that evening because of the Boston Press Photographers Association annual awards ball. I remember standing on a mailbox on the corner of Newbury Street and Dartmouth Street making most of the pictures. I didn’t move much for the next few hours. The firefighters I photographed being rescued had been on the top floors and rode the collapse down. I don’t remember sirens or a lot of shouting. It was quiet. It was dig with your hands, dig with your tools. And they were always working under duress. They didn’t know what else might collapse. My date for the night for the ball was sitting out in front of the Globe in a white dress waiting for me for five hours.” — Lane Turner

June 17, 1972: A crowd gathered at the corner of Dartmouth Street and Commonwealth Avenue to watch the Boston Fire Department fight the four-alarm blaze in the former Hotel Vendome.

June 17, 1972: Firefighters and emergency personnel worked to remove a victim from the rubble left by the fire after a partial building collapse at the Hotel Vendome. Nine firefighters were killed in the collapse of the building, the worst loss of life in the history of the Boston Fire Department.

June 18, 1972: Still frantically searching at 1 a.m., rescue personnel dug in the rubble of the collapsed section of the Hotel Vendome to try to reach colleagues.

June 27, 1972: Ten days after the fatal fire, the former Hotel Vendome destruction remained an open wound in the city.

Write a one or two sentence summary.

Summary:
On June 17, 1972, a fire occurred during renovations to convert the century-old luxury Hotel Vendome to condominiums. Nine firefighters died in the fire, making it the most heartbreaking tragedy in Boston Fire Department history.