THE ECONOMY
The middle class has now reaped what the Bradley/Bush team has sown. Two years ago, I said I was running for the bottom 99% of us because I could see the financial difficulties middle-class families were enduring. As I often said in 2006, the middle class is stumbling and the poor have fallen. George Bush and the Republican leaders were consistently supporting the very wealthy and against the middle class, and Jeb Bradley voted with them more than 85% of the time. Unfair tax advantages, deceptively packaged as "cuts," have helped out the richest 1% of the country (those individuals making $400,000 or more), who now hold 40% of the wealth. The loss of this vital tax money (an estimated 48% of the deficit is caused by the Bush tax breaks for the wealthy), coupled with an inconceivably expensive war (a billion dollars every other day) has left the middle class struggling with the burdens of taxes, high insurance and medical costs, soaring energy and housing prices, and reductions in services.
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HEALTH CARE The United States is on the forefront of medical technology and has some of the world's best doctors, but many of our own citizens can't afford it. About 46 million Americans are uninsured, even those who hold down full-time jobs, and millions more are underinsured. More than two-thirds of those filing for bankruptcy due to medical expenses had health insurance, and medical expenses cause about half of all bankruptcies in the US. A single, serious illness can send a hard-working middle class family into bankruptcy, and every 30 seconds one more American does exactly that.
It is time for all Americans to have health insurance.
read more here>>ACHIEVING ENERGY INDEPENDENCE Achieving energy independence in 10 years is critical to America’s economic health and national security. We strengthen our enemies by purchasing billions of dollars of their oil, and we bleed billions from our national wealth to buy their oil. We need that money in our country to serve our own people and our needs.
The Bush Administration’s Energy plan, formulated by two oil men for the oil industry, has been wildly successful—for Big Oil. The profits reaped by our biggest oil companies are literally the greatest in history. Our dependence on oil doesn’t just cause higher energy prices, but presents a national security threat that throws us into greater danger, since the oil supply is controlled in large part by countries not friendly to us.
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CIVIL LIBERTIES Our founding fathers peeked into the future and wrote a Constitution that is the envy of the world. They protected us against government misbehavior, because they understood human nature and government abuse of power.
Now we have a president and many legislators who believe that those laws don't apply to them. They are spying on American citizens through electronic home invasion, snooping on phones and computers. They search the bank, phone, library and medical records of law abiding Americans. We must eavesdrop on terrorists and search their homes to find out what evil they are planning, but America should not abandon its laws governing invasive searches and surveillance.
America must be vigilant, but not bullying, alert, but not fearful, careful, but not liberty-trampling. These attitudes have given us the freest nation in the world, and the next generation deserves the same gift of freedom.
EDUCATION The high cost of Education is forcing many Americans into a permanent
underclass. America is the richest, most powerful nation in the world.
No one among us wants to lose that status, so we should be willing to
offer eligible students no-cost or low-cost loans that will allow them
to study, then graduate , without a debt that cripples their future.
Teachers are under increasing duress and feel unappreciated. Their schools are often under funded, they are underpaid in many districts, and they are asked to wear many hats. Most of these dedicated professionals spend their own money to provide teaching tools in their classrooms. They need our help to accomplish our shared mission, which is to arm each child with a defense against poverty--a quality education.
We must scrap the No Child Left Behind Act and allow teachers to teach kids the skills they need for life, not just the skills they need to pass testing. We are crippling the teachers and kids with this “teach to the test” mentality. Also, the methods that the Government uses to measure success are unfair to teachers and children whose schools face more challenges than other schools. While I do support measures that help schools improve, these measures must be fair and take into account the realities of the community that these schools serve. The Federal Government must stay out of this and allow states to work on solutions.
THE WAR IN IRAQ Americans have spent billions on this unnecessary war only to see tragedy, fraud, and waste. We need to concentrate now on protecting our own country from terrorists and natural disasters, while we repair our international relationships.
I carry the knowledge from my father's generation that sometimes there is no alternative to war, but I know that we must pursue every option before we use force. I know first-hand how tough it is to be in a military family, away from home and loved ones. Their sacrifices are daily and enormous, and I have great respect and appreciation for the job they do and the struggles they face. Military families and veterans can count on my support in Congress.
