Fox Business host Stuart Varney blasted President Barack Obama's proposal to provide high-quality early education for poor and middle-class children, saying that the plan is just Democrats handing out "goodies" and "free stuff" in an attempt to buy votes.

During a Friday segment titled "Who's Ruining the Economy?" Varney joined Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy to talk about Obama's effort to "establish a continuum of high-quality early learning for a child – beginning at birth and continuing to age 5."

"Look what the president is doing here, it's a repeat performance of his campaign, which is you raise taxes on the rich and you offer all kinds of free stuff to people who will vote for you in the future," Varney charged. "Free preschool education for 4-year-olds, it's free, here it is. Hand out the goodies.

"What the president's really doing here -- because he's not saying how he's going to pay for this -- he's buying votes with future taxpayer money, he's increasing the scope of the unions because it is the teachers' union which will staff these preschools and he's introducing big government, more big government to the states," the Fox Business host said.

Varney also lashed out at other elements of the president's plan.

"He's also going for an early Head Start program -- that's for 3-year-olds and under. He's also going for an increase in the home visiting program, where nurses and professionals go to the homes of the poor to sign them up for preschool and education, for food stamps, for cell phones!" Varney ranted. "It's entitlement!"

Doocy agreed. "It's an extension of, quite literally, the nanny state."

(h/t: Media Matters)