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From his website: Every day, 37 million Americans wake in poverty. Our response to that reality says everything about the character of America. John Edwards has called for a national goal of eliminating poverty within 30 years, with policies rooted in the core American values of opportunity for everyone and responsibility from everyone. We can reach that goal by creating and rewarding work, strengthening families, helping workers save and get ahead, transforming our schools, expanding access to college, breaking up areas of concentrated poverty, reaching overlooked rural areas, and expecting people to help themselves by working whenever they are able.
# Strengthening America's Middle Class
The backbone of America is its middle class. But middle class families are struggling. Wages have fallen in recent years even as the economy has grown. At the same time, the costs of necessities like health care, child care, and education have grown. President Bush's tax policies have increased the share of the tax burden borne by middle-class workers. Our economic policies must reward work, help families save for the future, and fight the rising costs of middle-class life. http://johnedwards.com/about/issues/From his speech at Hindustan Times Conference in New Delhi: In our world of such wealth and promise, we cannot forget another great challenge: extreme poverty... Close to half the world's population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than $2.00 a day. How do we address this human suffering? How do we win the hearts and minds of young people — the millions struggling here in India and throughout this region? How do we reach them and give them the opportunity to climb out of hopelessness and into a better life?... The time has come for all of us to fight global poverty — together.
... America must act to ensure that it stays strong and adapts. With a trade deficit of nearly $10 billion, and outsourcing an economic reality, we have a lot to do to ensure that the American people are better prepared to meet the challenges of the new world.... For example, in America we must reform our own education system. Rising tuitions are increasingly putting a college degree out of reach for many families. Fewer and fewer low-income students are attending our universities. We need to reform our student aid programs and ensure that every child who works hard can attend their first year of college for free. No one should be shut out in America from an education they need because they can't afford it.... And it is imperative that the U.S. gets its fiscal house in order. Living in deficit isn't good for families, and it isn't good for governments.
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We must also do more to help the millions of children in our countries who grow up poor.... And that is why the second pillar we must build is to ensure that people live in a world that is free from want. This starts by fighting poverty in our own countries. We will not persuade other countries to honor our ideals unless we honor those ideals ourselves.... it is critical for us to ensure that our children have the education they need to compete and thrive in this new world. That our societies have the capability to help everyone — not just those at the top, but those who are struggling. That there is capital for our new inventors and dreamers, and they can access it.... In nations of our wealth and our prosperity, to have millions working full time and living in poverty is not just bad economic policy. It's wrong. They are doing everything right and they're still struggling. http://johnedwards.com/news/speeches/20051116/From his speech to the National Press Clubin Washington, DC: What and for whom do we want our Democratic Party to stand for and fight for?... On America's leadership role in the world, we need to restore the moral core and legitimacy that has been the foundation of our influence. It's no secret that America's credibility has been tarnished during the past six years. ... I want to live in an America that is once again looked up to and respected around the world; an America that is an inspiration to common people everywhere who want to make their lives better. ... Just as we fight poverty here at home, we must show more leadership in ending extreme poverty around the globe. It is wrong that close to half the world's population — more than 3 billion people — live on less than 2 dollars a day. And it is a disgrace that millions of people suffer and die from diseases that are preventable — for example, a $5 dollar mosquito net could save a family from malaria; a few cents could vaccinate a child; and a $4 dose of medicine can help prevent a mother from transmitting AIDS to her newborn at childbirth. If we are to rebuild America's moral leadership, we must do better at home — and abroad.... On the America we want to achieve in the next twenty years, I don't think the picture is hard to draw. It is an America where we are well on our way to ending poverty. It is an America where every American has health care coverage — not access to health insurance or other wiggle-word ways we try to describe something less than health coverage for every American. It is time. It is an America where businesses and working people thrive in a competitive and fair international marketplace. It is an America where everyone can join the middle class and everyone can build a better future than their parents had.... I want to live in an America that has not sacrificed individual liberties in the name of freedom, where — in the fight to preserve the country we love — we do not sacrifice the country we love, where we don't make excuses for violating civil rights, though we understand the test of liberty is in the moments when such excuses almost sound reasonable.... I want to live in an America where the difference in our best schools and our worst schools cannot be measured by Newsweek, where those who can teach are encouraged and rewarded and where the world of learning is opened to every child. Today I will focus on the first of these goals — an America without poverty, but in the coming months, I will address each of these issues that will make such a difference to the country we can be in twenty years.
... We should also recognize that our political parties, and what they stand for, are critical in shaping our country's future. I believe in a Democratic Party of big ideas, with the courage and backbone to translate those ideas into workable policies... I believe in a Democratic Party that fights for those who have no voice: the forgotten middle class, the poor, those who have labored a lifetime, and all those who speak the truth against overwhelming public opinion... And I believe in a Party willing to take stances that are right, whether or not they are popular. This is the tradition of America, fighting for what is right regardless of the odds, regardless of the power of those on the other side. It is what the Democratic Party I believe in is all about. We do not have to posture or to accept mediocrity or compromise our values. We can decide to be great, we can address great problems, we can see great possibilities.... I do not believe in a Party obsessed with incrementalism, half-measures, and positions based on yesterday's polls. If we want to lead — and in these times we desperately need to lead in another direction — we have to represent something greater than our own self-promotion. We have to believe that our country is more important than ourselves. These times are critical, so let me be clear: in this battle for the soul of our Party, no less than the future of America and the future of the world are at stake...
As Democrats, we need to speak to these issues with specifics on how America should address them... As Democrats, we need to make clear that hard challenges don't frighten us, but call us to action.
To me, there is no better opportunity to make this clear than the enormous challenge of helping 37 million Americans who live in poverty.... America has fought poverty before. Past efforts like Social Security, Medicaid, welfare reform and the Earned Income Tax Credit have made a real difference. http://johnedwards.com/news/speeches/20060622/ |
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