On Feb. 17 of an ice-cold Wisconsin winter, we will all have the opportunity to help bring change to our nation and return it to the blossoming growth of spring. In a strong field of Democratic presidential hopefuls, John Edwards is the candidate with the values, life experience, courage, and vision to bring about the rebirth of the American dream.
That dream began for Senator Edwards in a rural town of 800 people as the son of a mill worker and a post woman. Through his own resolve he became the first member of his family ever to go to college and put himself through North Carolina Law School. He went on to build a successful law practice by defending people during their times of need and was elected to the Senate where he has been a leader in the fight for patient’s rights and campaign-finance reform.
Senator Edwards has succeeded beyond his wildest dreams and is using his success to bring about change for others. John Edwards understands the challenges of families living paycheck-to-paycheck or not having enough money to pay the bills. He understands these challenges because he has lived through them. As president, Senator Edwards will work to allow everyone the opportunity to achieve the American Dream through hard work, ingenuity, and determination.
To help people with this process he proposes “College for Everyone,” a plan that would allow all students willing to volunteer for 10 hours per week to go to any public university free of charge for their freshman year. To allow every child to prepare for college, Senator Edwards also plans to provide a “New Deal for Teachers” that will allow every school to attract the most qualified teachers that are sorely needed.
Two million jobs have been lost since President Bush has taken office and Senator Edwards wants to get them back. This process will require negotiating trade agreements that are not only free but also fair for American workers. It will also create tax breaks for corporations that keep jobs within our borders, while stopping tax breaks to companies that renounce their U.S. citizenship and take jobs and money overseas.
Possibly the most important way that John Edwards will help all Americans is requiring health insurance for every person under the age of 21. No one can be truly succeed with the fear that unexpected illness or injury could drive them to bankruptcy. The Senator’s plan promises a realistic solution to allow all 41 million uninsured to buy into federal insurance programs at affordable rates.
These ideas and many others are fully explained in a 50-page plan titled “Real Solutions For America.” Senator Edwards has detailed not only how he plans to return the American focus to important issues, but also how he plans to pay for his solutions. Senator Edwards intends to end pointless corporate-tax loopholes and rolling back tax breaks that went to the richest 2% of Americans. His plan also includes the most comprehensive solution to deal with mismanagement and outright corruption of corporate America.
The plan to clean up corporate America means cleaning up Washington politics. John Edwards has never taken a dime from federal lobbyists or PACs. Senator Edwards will not allow companies like Halliburton to war-profiteer at the expense of American taxpayers. When President Bush is done working for the large corporations that have exploited the American public and their taxes, John Edwards will start working for the American people.
John Edwards will pose the greatest threat to George W. Bush come November 4th. In 2000, the South was Bush Country and the Democrats did not win a single southern state. As history shows, no democrat has ever won the presidential election without winning at least five southern states. Senator Edwards is a proven winner in the South as he beat an incumbent Republican in the heavily conservative state of North Carolina. As a native son of South Carolina, he proudly proclaims, “George Bush thinks the South is his backyard. He’s wrong; the South is my backyard.”
Senator Edwards realizes that our party is at its best when we run campaigns built on optimism and ideas, not anger and frustration. He has tried to turn our collective anger into something positive, the wholesale change of American politics. By making him the democratic nominee we will be setting the stage for a better America. Vote on February 17, it will help get you out of the cold.
For more information on Students for John Edwards, email [email protected].
Andrew Nick ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science and psychology.