The Associated Press

COLUMBUS - President Bush's $330 billion tax cut will help give consumers more confidence in the nation's economy, his father said Wednesday.

Former President Bush, speaking before about 1,000 people at a meeting of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, said the economy is coming out of a slump created in part by reports of wrongdoing at some of the country's largest companies.

"Consumer confidence is coming back," Bush said.

His son's plan to ease the tax burden of families has come at the right time, he added.

"He's got a rather radical idea: the more money you put into the pockets of the citizens, the better it is for the economy," Bush said.

He urged the business leaders to become involved in their communities - a lesson he learned from his father, a U.S. senator; and his grandfather, a one-time Columbus steel company owner.

The values Bush learned from his family, he said, "were cliche-like values - help the other guy, give credit and don't talk all the time."

He said a lack of communication with Americans helped lead to his loss in 1992 to former President Clinton, adding his son has no such problem because he "has proven to be a forceful advocate of his beliefs."