Kerry Press Release: America’s Values and Helping All Americans Get Ahead

[Skinner]

For Immediate Release
July 12, 2004

Kerry Pledges to Stand Up for America’s Values and Help All Americans Get Ahead

Boston, MA – Fresh off his barnstorming tour across the country with newly chosen running mate John Edwards, Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry campaigned in Boston Monday, where he spoke with leaders of the Massachusetts African American, Asian American and Latino communities about how the Kerry-Edwards ticket will restore responsible leadership and stand up for America’s values to help all Americans get ahead.

“Your presence here today sends a clear message to the people of Boston and the people of America – we are going to replace the failed policies and empty rhetoric of the last four years with the vision and values you live by every day: family, responsibility, service, opportunity, inclusion and fairness. And the most revolutionary value of all – that we are all created equal,” Kerry said. “It is time to put those values back in the Oval Office and with your help, in November, John Edwards and I are going to do just that.”

For three-and-a-half years, the Bush administration has squandered our leadership abroad and done nothing to lift up families at home. They’ve called this the best economy of our lifetime, while families across the country struggle to get ahead.

Minorities have been particularly hard hit by Bush’s policies. African American unemployment is double the national rate. In Massachusetts, 14 percent of African Americans and 22 percent of Hispanics lack health insurance, and homeownership and graduation rates for these communities are well below the average.

“We know America can do better,” Kerry said. “And it begins with the values we all share. We understand that the only way to build a stronger America at home and a more respected America around the world is by relying on the values that made this country great.”

Focusing on American values like opportunity for all and responsibility, the Kerry-Edwards ticket has a comprehensive agenda to lift up all American families and make sure no one is left behind.

They will invest in education to open the doors of opportunity to all Americans, including helping more students get into and pay for college. They will also fight for good paying jobs so that hard working families can actually get ahead, and take steps to expand access to quality, affordable health care.

As President, Kerry also will also restore responsibility to the White House, cutting the deficit in half in his first four years and restoring America’s leadership in the world.

“John Edwards and I will not rest until we build the future of our dreams for all Americans,” Kerry said. “We believe in the possibility of tomorrow and that there is nothing America cannot do if we just put our minds to it.”

-30-

JOHN KERRY AND JOHN EDWARDS: BRINGING OPPORTUNITY TO ALL OF AMERICA’S FAMILIES

John Kerry and John Edwards have a comprehensive agenda to create real economic empowerment in America. They understand that the next great civil rights battle will be won by creating economic opportunity for all Americans. Low-income and minority communities have been particularly hard hit by the Bush economy and need a change in leadership that will bring opportunity to all. Together with John Edwards, John Kerry will commit to fully fund education in America, help get more students into college and help them pay for it once there, expand access to affordable health care and create a new generation of workers ready to take new high-quality jobs. Kerry and Edwards will enforce our civil rights law and champion diversity in this country.

CREATING OPPORTUNITY BY INVESTING IN OUR COMMUNITIES:

Encourage Small Businesses. Investing in small, minority business is good bang for the buck. Minority entrepreneurs have been at the forefront of the expansion of many of our most cutting edge industries. John Kerry will increase federal contracting opportunities for minority-owned small business to simulate entrepreneurship and small businesses growth in urban areas and will use the power of the federal government to eliminate the discrimination that threatens their success. Kerry will also create a “Small Business Opportunity Fund” to ensure that small businesses have all the federal support that they need to grow and thrive by expanding loans to micro-enterprises, increasing the federal government’s venture capital investments and expand loan programs for small businesses.

Raise the Minimum Wage. John Kerry is proposing to raise the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.00 by 2007. This increase will have a major impact on American families as over 7 million Americans would receive a raise, the majority women. 18.1 percent of those benefiting will be African Americans. Increasing the minimum wage to $7.00 would raise the annual earnings of a full-time worker by about $3,800 a year – enough for a low-income family of to pay for: 9 months of groceries; 4 months rent for a two bedroom apartment in most states; or a year’s tuition at community college and an entire year of healthcare expenses.

INVESTING IN EDUCATION TO PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ALL:

A Real Plan to Leave No Child Behind. George Bush has underfunded No Child Left Behind by almost $27 billion, shortchanging America’s children and making it impossible for schools to meet the demands of the new law. John Kerry will fully fund No Child Left Behind and education for students with disabilities with a new “National Education Trust Fund.” He will also make sure that the rules under NCLB make sense and achieve the Act’s purposes.

A New ‘State Tax Relief and Education Fund’. Bush’s economic policies have left states with nearly $90 billion in budget deficits, forcing lay offs, education cuts, and tax increases. This fund will help states struggling to bridge deficits resulting from Bush’s economic policies with an additional $25 billion to stop the education cuts, tuition increases, and tax and fee raising that are inhibiting our economic growth and causing layoffs.

Expand After-School to 3.5 Million Children and Make Child Care More Affordable. Today, about 1 in 3 middle school students care for themselves after school, hours during which students are more likely to encounter drugs, alcohol and gangs. Kerry has offered a new plan to expand after school care programs to keep schools open “’til 6” for 3.5 million children. John Kerry will also raise the child care tax credit to cover the first $5,000 of expenses per child (currently the limit is $3,000). In addition, Kerry will ensure that the credit benefits moderate-income families by making it partially refundable. And Kerry will allow stay at-home moms of infants receive support from the tax credit.

Support At-Risk Youth and Serve 2 Million Children Through GEAR UP: GEAR UP asks universities to adopt entire grade levels of students in high-poverty schools to provide mentoring and counseling to encourage more kids to go to college. John Kerry will expand GEAR UP by two-thirds so that it will serve 2 million children each year. Kerry will also provide support to Youth Build, a program he helped found that provides support to at-risk youth.

Make College More Affordable With Tax Credits and Service Plan. Over the last three years, tuition at a public university has increased by a record 35%--over $1200. John Kerry has a plan that will help all Americans afford college by providing a tax credit on up to $4000 of college tuition for all four years. John Kerry’s service plan will engage half a million Americans per year in service within 10 years.

Simplify the Financial Aid Process. To make it easier for students and families to learn how student aid will help them pay for college, John Kerry will create faster applications by allowing students to get estimates on their financial aid packages beginning in their junior year of high school. Kerry will also create simpler applications, including an “EZ” form.

ENSURING ACCESS TO QUALITY, AFFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE:

Saving workers up to $1,000 with premium relief. John Kerry’s plan will provide relief for employers who do the right thing by offering their employees quality health care coverage with choices. His plan will help make health care more affordable for all employers and employees by helping out with certain high cost health cases – providing approximately 10 percent in annual savings.

Allowing Americans to buy into the same health plan available to members of Congress. John Kerry’s plan will allow Americans to access the same range of affordable health care plans that members of Congress get today. This plan will give Americans more choices for high-quality affordable health care – providing better coverage at lower prices than is generally available for people who do not have access to high-quality employer-sponsored insurance today.

Expanding state-based programs to insure all children and millions of adults. The Kerry plan will pick up the full cost of more than 20 million children enrolled in Medicaid. In exchange, states would have to expand eligibility for children’s coverage to 300 percent of poverty, as well as expand coverage for families up to 200 percent of poverty and for adults up to 100 percent of poverty.

PROTECTING OUR COMMUNITIES TO PROVIDE A REAL OPPORTUNITY:

Rigorous Enforcement of the Nation’s Civil Rights Laws. John Kerry and John Edwards understand that discrimination remains a problem in America and that strong enforcement of our nation’s civil rights laws is critical to ensuring equal rights and opportunities for all Americans. As a former prosecutor Kerry has the strength and skills to enforce civil rights laws, reduce discrimination and expand opportunity.

Strengthen Civil Rights Laws Damaged by Right-Wing Judges and Strengthen Hate Crime Laws. John Kerry supports the Fairness Act to reverse damage done to civil rights laws by right-wing judges. He wants to ensure that every American can get their day in court and have access to fair and meaningful remedies for injustice. John Kerry supports strong enforcement and equal justice for all victims of hate violence.

Improve Voting Rights and Election Reform. Even before he is elected President, Kerry will protect voting rights by providing teams of election observers and lawyers to monitor elections and enforce the law. He supports efforts to reform our national election system and to correct the problems revealed by the 2000 Presidential election. He will also seek new ways to improve election fairness and agrees with the bipartisan recommendations that once people have served their time in prison they should be allowed to participate fully in our democracy.

End Racial Profiling. As a former prosecutor Kerry knows that racial profiling is nothing more than ineffective law enforcement and must be prohibited. He also supports strong and effective remedies for victims of racial profiling.

www.johnkerry.com

Paid for by John Kerry for President, Inc.

[wryter2000]

1. Thank heaven

For a while there, I thought Kerry/Edwards were going to let the other side define "values" as anti-sex.