EDWARDS: Edwards Launches “Fighting For America’s Voice” Tour

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2007

CONTACT:
Audrey Waters

EDWARDS LAUNCHES “FIGHTING FOR AMERICA’S VOICE” TOUR

On day one of the tour across Iowa, Edwards discusses his plans to make sure the voices of rural Americans are heard in Washington


Council Bluffs, Iowa – Today, Senator John Edwards is kicking off a three-day “Fighting for America’s Voice” tour by discussing his commitment to making sure the voices of rural Americans are heard in Washington. During the three-day tour across Iowa, Edwards will discuss his plans to stand up for America’s workers, children and families – the very people who don’t have a voice in Washington. Edwards has spent his life speaking out on behalf of hard-working Americans, and as president he will fight to make sure that the American people are heard in Washington, not the special interests.
“Rural America has been ignored for too long,” said Edwards. “I grew up in a small, rural town and I know firsthand the challenges facing America’s rural communities. It’s time we had a president who will speak out for rural Americans. As president, I will help small towns and rural communities create and keep new businesses, and make sure rural Americans have access to quality, affordable health care, good schools and the support systems they need.”
During the tour, Edwards will be joined by numerous people whose voices he has fought to make sure are heard. Today, Edwards will focus on rural policy and his fight to give a voice to rural America. As part of the day’s events, Edwards will be joined by James Lowe, a former coal miner from Wise County, Virginia, who could barely speak for 50 years because he didn’t have health care and couldn’t afford the operation he needed to fix his cleft palate. Edwards met Lowe at the site of a Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic during his “Road to One America” tour in July. It was at this free rural clinic, a year ago, that Lowe finally met with medical professionals willing to donate their time to perform the surgery he needed so he could finally speak.


Tomorrow in West Des Moines, Edwards will deliver a speech about how we can help our children and make sure they have the opportunity to realize the American Dream. He will be joined in West Des Moines by Sandy and David Lakey, and their daughter Valerie, whom Edwards represented as a lawyer after Valerie was injured as a result of a faulty swimming pool drain cover that the company knew was dangerous.

On the third day of the tour, Edwards will deliver remarks on how he will fight for American jobs, smart and safe trade, and a stronger economy. Edwards will be joined by Doug Bishop who, in September 2004, was among the first wave of employees who were laid off at the Maytag plant in Newton, Iowa. Later that month, he and his family met Edwards as Edwards was campaigning for the vice-presidency on the Democratic ticket. Edwards looked Doug’s seven year-old son square in the face and said, “I’m going to keep fighting for your Daddy’s job, I promise you that.” After eight months out of work, Doug found another job and is back on his feet, a leader in his community. But many other people in Newton haven't been so lucky – the Maytag plant is now closed for good. To preview Doug’s story, today the campaign is sending an email to supporters that features a video of Doug explaining why he thinks Edwards is the best candidate to make sure the voices for hard-working Americans are heard in Washington.
Edwards grew up in a small, rural town and is committed to making sure rural Americans have a voice in Washington. In April, Edwards became the first candidate to announce a plan to help Iowa’s rural communities with his comprehensive “Rural Recovery Act,” to restore economic fairness to rural America, create new jobs and businesses in rural communities, help struggling counties and towns and protect rural people and their way of life.

At the event today in Council Bluffs, the campaign is also announcing a new effort to reach out to rural Iowans – a new rural DVD. The campaign will be showing thousands of rural Iowans the new DVD, “John Edwards: For the Country,” that discusses Edwards’ plan to revitalize rural America and his experiences growing up in his small, rural hometown of Robbins, North Carolina. The DVD, which is narrated by former Congressman and Dukes of Hazzard star Ben “Cooter” Jones, includes interviews with Edwards’ parents, Bobbie and Wallace Edwards, rural strategist Dave “Mudcat” Saunders and music from Ralph Stanley II. Additionally, the campaign is launching a new rural website, www.johnedwards.com/iowa/rural, that Iowans can visit to learn more about Edwards’ plan to restore hope to rural America.

To learn more about Edwards’ plan for rural America, please see the attached fact sheet.

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Restoring Hope to Rural America

Edwards Outlines Proposed Rural Recovery Act

Too often, the problems of rural America are forgotten by politicians living and working in far-off capital cities and undermined by corporate greed. Many rural areas are struggling: rural families earn 27 percent less than other families and 244 of the poorest 250 counties are rural. Rural manufacturing has been hit particularly hard by international trade, the offshoring of jobs and automation. Struggling family farms are another challenge for small towns. As young people move away to find opportunity, rural communities are turning into ghost towns. Over the 1990s, Iowa lost one-third of its college graduates and ranked number two in out-migration of single, college-educated youth nationwide. [Carsey Institute, 2006; Davis, 2003; Census Bureau, 2003]

As a native of a small rural town, John Edwards knows that America cannot turn its back on rural areas. Small towns and rural areas are the keepers of American values like family, work, community, and freedom. America depends on rural communities for a strong manufacturing base, reliable and affordable food, and increasingly for clean energy as well. To make sure they share in our prosperity, we must fight corporate greed and turn the tables on runaway economic disparity. Today, Edwards outlined initiatives to restore economic fairness and create new jobs and businesses in rural America, help struggling counties and towns, and protect the rural people and their way of life.

RESTORING ECONOMIC FAIRNESS TO RURAL AMERICA:

· Support Main Street Businesses and Invest Seed Money in the Rural Economy: Helping innovative small businesses is a promising approach to economic development, but only 1 percent of state economic development funds now support entrepreneurs. Edwards will create the Rural Economic Advancement Challenge (REACH) Fund to bring capital and management expertise to small town America. The REACH Fund will connect investors with rural entrepreneurs, organize businesses into networks to help them succeed together, and ensure that rural areas have access to the investment capital they need. [RUPRI, 2007]

· Creating the New Energy Economy in Rural America: Renewable sources of energy -- including ethanol, biodiesel, wind, and solar -- can make the U.S. independent of foreign oil, cut global warming pollution, and create new industries and hundreds of thousands of jobs in rural America. Edwards will create a New Economy Energy Fund – financed by pollution permits and an end to oil industry giveaways – will help develop new methods of producing and using corn and cellulosic ethanol, support loan guarantees to new refineries, and support making the renewable production tax credit permanent. It will also support locally-owned biorefineries with start-up capital, skills training to make sure the jobs go to local residents and investments in public-private research partnerships to develop ways to maximize America’s biofuel ouput while minimizing pollution, soil erosion, and water, land and energy use. He will also require oil companies to install biofuel pumps at 25 percent of their gas stations and require all new cars sold after 2010 to be “flex fuel” cars running on either gasoline or biofuel.

· Creating Fairness for Family Farmers: Edwards recognizes that the rules are stacked against family farmers. He supports the strict enforcement of laws against anticompetitive mergers, unfair pricing, and country-of-origin laws. He will enact a strong national ban on packer ownership to stop the spread of large corporate meat packers and create a national moratorium on the construction and expansion of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). To help family farmers he will also limit farm subsidies to $250,000 per person, close loopholes in payment limits, and expand conservation programs.

· Investing in Rural Broadband: Once a world leader in broadband access, the U.S. is now 21st in the world, trailing Estonia. Rural households are only about half as likely to have a broadband connection even though digital inclusion is one of the quickest and surest ways to attract businesses. Just as FDR’s rural electrification initiative brought power to every corner of the country, Edwards will set a national broadband policy with a goal of giving all U.S. homes, schools, and businesses access to real high-speed internet by 2010. Edwards will establish a national broadband map to identify gaps in availability, price, and speed and require telephone and cable companies not to discriminate against rural communities in building their broadband networks. [ITU, 2006; CWA, 2006; Pew, 2006]

· Prohibiting Banks from Discriminating against Rural America: Rural communities have fewer bank branches, fewer per-capita small business loans and more high-cost mortgages. Deregulation has led to bank consolidation while small towns rely on community banks to support local businesses. Edwards will strengthen the Community Reinvestment Act to prevent banks from discriminating against rural areas and increase investment in rural small businesses. He will also establish a strong national law against predatory mortgages common in many rural areas. [NCRC, 2007; Carsey Institute, 2006; Federal Reserve Board of St. Louis, 2004; SBA, 2004; Independent Community Bankers Association, 2006.]

· Fighting for Economic Fairness: Child poverty rates in rural areas are higher than urban rates for every racial and ethnic group. The highest child poverty rates are in the most isolated rural areas. To eliminate adult and childhood poverty nationwide within 30 years, Edwards will raise the minimum wage, cut taxes for low-wage workers, help workers save and invest, and expand affordable housing near good jobs and schools. [Carsey Institute, 2006]

HELPING RURAL TOWNS AND COUNTIES:

· Guaranteeing Rural America the Funding It Needs and Is Entitled to: More than half of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s $70 billion in rural development funds has actually gone to metropolitan regions, suburbs of midsize cities, and resort towns like Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Edwards will rewrite these funding rules and get resources to the intended isolated and disadvantaged areas. Because many small towns lack the grant-writing capabilities of larger towns, Edwards will direct federal agencies to offer a simplified, one-page grant application for small grants to rural towns and counties, based on the successful COPS program. [Washington Post, 4/6/2007]

· Strengthening Rural Schools: Iowa’s rural schools don’t get their fair share of funding, and small rural schools often struggle to provide a complete curriculum and attract and retain excellent teachers. As president, Edwards will:

· Reward Rural Teachers: Iowa’s schools are facing teacher shortages in critical areas such as science and math. Rural schools have particular difficulty recruiting and retaining teachers. Edwards will raise pay for teachers in many successful rural schools by up to $15,000 a year and offer college scholarships for students who commit to teach in rural schools. He will also create a National Teacher University to train excellent teachers to serve in rural schools and other places they are needed most. [Iowa Department of Education, 2007]

· Break Down Educational Barriers: About one in seven rural students in Iowa receives special education services. The federal government’s failure to fulfill its obligation to special education and unique funding challenges facing rural schools mean that even a few students with significant special needs can force a rural school to make unbearable tradeoffs. This must change. Edwards will reverse the proposed Bush cuts to IDEA grants and get Washington on a path to fully funding its share of special education costs. [RSCT, 2005]

· Raise Graduation Rates: Rural teenagers are more likely than suburban teens to drop out of school and to be both out of school and out of work. Edwards will create multiple paths to graduation such as Second Chance schools for former dropouts and smaller alternative schools for at-risk students. He will keep at-risk students in school with the Striving Readers literacy program and one-on-one tutoring. [U.S. Department of Education, 2007]

· Support Education Technology: Distance learning through the Internet can bring the content of the world’s best universities, libraries, and museums to rural and remote areas. Software programs incorporating virtual reality, digital modeling, and intelligent one-on-one tutoring systems are proven to dramatically accelerate learning. Edwards will invest in cutting-edge research to integrate these new teaching tools and test them in rural America. [Digital Promise, 2003]

· Improving Rural Health Care: Over the past 25 years, 470 rural hospitals have closed. Iowa ranks 44th in the nation for physician-to-population. The Edwards plan for universal health care will cover the 7 million rural Americans that lack insurance and establish a nationwide network of safety net clinics and public hospitals. He will rewrite the unfair Medicare and Medicaid funding formulas that punish rural states and communities. He will also support investments in telemedicine to instantaneously connect distant specialists and advanced equipment with local doctors and patients, allowing better monitoring, chronic disease management, and emergency response. Health care is also an important source of economic development, creating jobs directly and attracting businesses and retirees. One study estimated that each doctor was worth more than eight jobs. [Winbush and Crichlow, 2005; Iowa Public Health, 2007; USDA, 1999; Wakefield, 2000; KFF, 2003]


PROTECTING THE RURAL WAY OF LIFE:

· Ridding Rural America of Methamphetamines: Many areas of rural America are facing the devastating effects of meth abuse. It can be easily, quickly, and cheaply produced and is highly addictive. Edwards will invest in enforcing drug laws in rural areas, help states make meth ingredients more difficult to get, and expand programs that successfully treat addicts such as the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment program for prisoners.

· Protecting the Tradition of Responsible Gun Ownership. Edwards hunted when he was young and grew up in rural areas where owning a gun was part of a way of life. He respects that way of life and the individual right to own firearms guaranteed by the Second Amendment. He believes that law-abiding citizens should be able to own firearms to protect themselves and their families, enjoy sport shooting and take part in the time-honored tradition of hunting. At the same time, we've all seen the terrible consequences when guns fall into the hands of criminals and those who could do harm to themselves and others. We can do two things at once: protect gun rights and promote gun safety.

· Expanding Access to Clean Water: Every household deserve clean, drinkable water and sanitation services, but more than 1.7 million Americans lack basic plumbing facilities. Rural households are four times more likely to lack proper plumbing than urban homes. Inadequate water and sanitation damage public health and impede economic development. Edwards will help local areas improve their infrastructure and tackle local pollution problems. He will also establish tough clean air and water requirements for concentrated animal feeding operations. [RCAP, undated]



Paid for by John Edwards for President.

EDWARDS: Edwards Campaign Responds To Underhanded Trick By Clinton Allies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2007

CONTACT:
Audrey Waters

EDWARDS CAMPAIGN RESPONDS TO UNDERHANDED TRICK BY CLINTON ALLIES

Des Moines, Iowa – Iowa caucus goers have been sent a direct mail advertisement that appears to be an attack on Senator Obama by John Edwards, but is actually produced and funded by an organization supporting Senator Clinton. Jennifer O'Malley Dillon, Iowa State Director for the Edwards Campaign, made the following statement:

“There have been a lot of misleading tactics and tricks in the last few weeks, but we've just never seen anything like this before. Either they are trying to trick people, or they've realized that on health care, John Edwards is the candidate who speaks honestly about what it really costs and what will be required to have truly universal coverage. He has led the debate on health care with the strongest, boldest plan that covers everyone and is paid for by repealing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

It's fine to have an honest debate about policy, but Iowans deserve better than planted questions and campaign fliers designed to fool them.”

More information about the disguised attack by the Clinton team is available at: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/12/19/526774.aspx

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Paid for by John Edwards for President.

EDWARDS: Edwards Campaign Announces Holiday Ad Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2007

CONTACT:
Audrey Waters

EDWARDS CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES HOLIDAY AD CAMPAIGN

New ad reminds America to remember the less fortunate this holiday season



Chapel Hill, North Carolina – As the holiday season enters full swing, today the John Edwards for President campaign announced a special holiday television ad, “Season.”

In the 30-second ad, which will begin airing on Sunday in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, Edwards asks us to remember that one out of every four homeless people on our streets is a veteran and 37 million people in our country live in poverty. He challenges Americans to promise that never again will we forget those without a voice, because “in America, the chance to build a better life is a promise made to each of us, and the obligation to keep it rests with us all.”

The full ad can be viewed here: http://johnedwards.com/ads/season/

Full Transcript of “Season:”

One out of every four homeless people on our streets is a veteran.

Thirty-seven million Americans live in poverty.

Who speaks for them? We do.

This is the season of miracles, of faith and love.

So let us promise together: you will never be forgotten again.

We see you, we hear you, and we will speak for you.

In America, the chance to build a better life is a promise made to each of us, and the obligation to keep it rests with us all.

I’m John Edwards and I approved this message.

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Paid for by John Edwards for President.

EDWARDS: On Day Two Of Graniteroots Tour, Edwards Outlines Middle Class Rising Agenda

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 19, 2007

CONTACT:
Audrey Waters

ON DAY TWO OF GRANITEROOTS TOUR, EDWARDS OUTLINES MIDDLE CLASS RISING AGENDA

Joined by Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne, Edwards discusses his bold vision to help all hard-working families achieve the American Dream

Manchester, New Hampshire – On the second day of his Graniteroots trip with special guests Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne, Senator John Edwards outlined his bold vision to lift up middle-class families and make sure that all Americans have a fair shot at the American Dream. Today, Raitt and Browne performed at town hall meetings in Portsmouth and Manchester before Edwards took the stage to discuss his Middle Class Rising agenda. Edwards’ plan will help build One America where the middle class prospers and all hard-working Americans can find good jobs, save for the future, and have guaranteed health care and retirement security.

“I take it very personally when I see powerful, well-financed interests taking over this democracy, and taking it away from regular Americans,” Edwards said. “We’ve got to stand right and reclaim our democracy to make absolutely certain that America rises again.

“Every time that we stand up for 135,000 people in New Hampshire who have no health care coverage, America rises. Every time we speak up for the 85,000 Granite Staters living in poverty, America rises. When we make sure that a high school graduate in rural New Hampshire knows that college is in the cards for them, and that they'll be able to find a good job in their community, America rises.

“And I’ll tell you this,” Edwards continued. “You can feel the New Hampshire voters rising up right now and giving voice to all those in this country who deserve a voice – for the poor, for the disenfranchised, for the working middle class in America. That’s what this election is about.”

To help the middle class rise again, Edwards' Middle Class Rising agenda will:

Create good jobs: Edwards will invest in renewable sources of energy to create new industries and at least 1 million new, good-paying jobs. He will pursue a trade policy that ends tax loopholes for companies that send American jobs overseas, and end the NAFTA trade model. Edwards will also raise the minimum wage, reform our tax code, build career ladders, and strengthen organized labor.

Give middle-class families the tools to build a secure financial future: Edwards will create Universal Retirement Accounts that people can take with them from job to job, and to respond to the mortgage crisis, he will pass a tough new national law to prevent predatory lending abuses. Edwards will also reign in credit card and other abusive lending practices by creating a new consumer watchdog agency.

Remove the burdens that are weighing families down: Edwards will help families afford rising home heating costs, make sure that college is affordable for everyone, so that every child can have a fair shot at the American Dream, help people balance their work and home lives by making sure that workplace policies are keeping up with changes in the economy, through expanding early education programs, providing paid leave, including sick leave, to all workers, and expanding job protection under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Create universal health care in America: Edwards' top domestic priority will be making sure that every man, woman and child in America is covered with high-quality care.


For more information please see Edwards’ Middle Class Rising agenda included below.

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Middle Class Rising: A Plan to Strengthen America’s Middle Class

The social compact with the middle class is under siege because big corporations and special interests have taken over Washington. That compact says that if you work hard and do what’s right, you’ll get some security and the chance to build a better life for yourself and your family. But today, middle class families are not rising, and the gap between the haves and everyone else has grown wider than at any time since the great Depression.

The American middle class is struggling. Wages are stagnant even though the economy is growing, while the cost of middle-class essentials like health care and child care continues to grow. The basic American bargain is breaking down.

· Our economy is growing only at the top: Forty percent of economic growth over the past 20 years went to the top 1 percent of households. Income inequality is at its highest since the Great Depression. [EPI, 2006; CBPP, 2007]

· Families are working longer hours, but finding it harder to get by: Families work 10 more hours a week than they did 20 years ago. But middle-class incomes have stagnated for the past seven years. [DOL, 2007]

· Higher costs for the basics: Costs for middle-class essentials – including housing, health care, college, child care and transportation – have all outpaced wage growth. A child born in 2003 will cost middle-class families 15 percent more to raise than a child born in 1960, after adjusting for inflation. [Draut, 2005; USDA, 2003]

· Powerful corporate interests have taken control of our government: The number of Washington lobbyists has tripled to 36,000 since 1996, more than 60 for every member of Congress. Their impact can be seen across our society: a broken health care system, reliance on old sources of energy, the neglect of poverty, unfair terms of credit, and subsidies for corporate agribusiness. [Senate Office of Public Records, 2006]

· Losing hope for the American dream: More Americans are worried that the next generation will face fewer economic opportunities and less security and mobility. Only 30 percent of Americans think life will be better for the next generation. [Pew, 2006]

Today, John Edwards outlined his Middle Class Rising plan to restore the American dream and meet the moral test passed by 20 generations before us: to leave a better future to our children than we inherited. We must strengthen America’s middle class to make sure that all Americans have a fair shot at the American Dream.


Create Good Jobs that Pay Enough to Support a Family


· Invest in the Industries of the Future: Renewable sources of energy – including ethanol, biodiesel, wind and solar – can create new industries and at least 1 million new jobs. Edwards will establish the New Energy Economy Fund to jumpstart renewable energies with start-up capital and train over 150,000 workers for Green Collar jobs. He will also invest in other sources of innovation such as life sciences, technology and private-sector research.

· Enact Smarter Trade Policies: Iowa has seen the results of unfair trade – losing more than 17,000 jobs in the last six years due to growing trading deficits with China. Trade deals need to make sense for American workers, not just corporations. Edwards will reject NAFTA-style trade deals and make sure any new trade agreements include strong labor and environmental standards and will vigorously enforce American workers' rights in existing agreements. He will also expand trade adjustment assistance to do much more for the workers and communities that are hurt by global competition. [EPI, 2007]

· Eliminate Tax Incentives to Move Offshore: The U.S. tax code encourages multinational corporations to invest overseas by allowing them to indefinitely defer taxation on their foreign profits. In practice, this means that multinational companies pay little or no tax on their foreign profits. Edwards will eliminate the benefit of deferral in low-tax countries, ensuring that American companies’ profits are taxed when earned at either the U.S. rate or a comparable foreign rate, to eliminate any incentive to move overseas.

· Make Work Pay by Raising the Minimum Wage: Under Gov. Culver, Iowa has been a leader in raising the minimum wage. But even at its 2008 level of $7.25, the earnings of a single parent with two children will still be $2,000 below the federal poverty line. Edwards will set a national goal of a minimum wage that equals half the average wage. He will raise the minimum wage by 75 cents a year until it reaches $9.50 in 2012 and then set it to rise automatically with average wages, ensuring that all workers share in America’s growth. [HHS, 2007]

· Reform the Tax Code to Reward Work, Not Wealth: As a result of President Bush’s regressive tax policies, the share of the federal tax burden borne by taxpayers in the middle and fourth quintiles is increasing while the share of taxes paid by the top 1 percent fell. Edwards will overhaul the tax code with new tax breaks to strengthen the middle-class pillars of saving, work, and family. He will also ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes by raising the tax rate on capital gains to 28 percent for the most fortunate taxpayers and repealing the Bush income tax cuts for individuals making more than $200,000 a year. [Tax Policy Center, 2006]

· Build Career Ladders: Two of the fields with the largest predicted job growth – health care and education –have both low-end and high-end positions and offer the potential for mobility. Edwards will invest in career ladders in these and other fields, helping low-wage workers to train on the job, gain new skills, and move into better jobs. For example, health care aides could become certified nurse assistants and registered nurses.

· Strengthen Workers’ Right to Organize: Union families earn up to 30 percent more than non-union families, but union membership has fallen from 30 percent of private-sector workers in 1973 to just 8 percent today. The right to choose a union is poorly enforced, full of loopholes, and routinely violated by employers. Edwards will enact the Employee Free Choice Act, vigorously enforce labor laws, and ban the use of permanent replacements for striking workers. [BLS, 2007; Census Bureau, 2007]


Give Americans the Tools to Build a Secure Retirement


· Create Universal Retirement Accounts that Move from Job to Job: Only 27 percent of households within 20 years of retirement have adequate retirement savings. Americans who retire with a pension have nearly twice the annual income of those who depend only on Social Security and personal savings, but too few middle-class families are able to start saving. Edwards will create a new universal retirement account available to all workers without another pension. Workers will be able to build up these savings accounts over the course of their careers, regardless of how many times they change jobs. Edwards will match worker contributions up to dollar-for-dollar on the first $500 with a new Get Ahead tax credit, far more valuable than the 10 percent or 15 percent tax deduction that many workers get today on retirement savings. [EPI, 2006; PRC, 2007; Gale, Gruber and Orszag, 2006]

· End the Housing Crisis: Edwards has proposed a comprehensive plan to lead us out of the foreclosure crisis and help families keep their homes, without bailing out irresponsible investors and speculators. He will go further than the Bush-Paulson plan to give every family an opportunity to renegotiate the terms of their mortgage, with counseling and small amounts of aid from a new Home Rescue Fund. He will also let families adjust the terms of their mortgages in bankruptcy, like investors can on their second homes and investment properties. Edwards will prevent future crises by passing a strong national law against predatory lending and creating a new federal regulator for financial services products.

· Rein in Credit Card and Other Abusive Lending: Half of Americans say they live paycheck to paycheck – meaning millions of families rely on short-term credit just to pay the bills. Middle-class families are facing a radically transformed credit environment because interest rates were deregulated in 1978, which has led to looser lending standards and higher rates and fees. Edwards will require minimum protections on credit cards, such as restoring a 10-day grace before late fees and applying interest rate increases to future balances only. He will also create a new consumer watchdog agency – the Family Savings and Credit Commission – whose sole purpose will be to crack down on these kinds of predatory practices. [[MetLife, 2003; Draut, 2006]


Remove the Burdens that Are Weighing Families Down


· Make College More Affordable: The three-quarters of Iowa’s graduating college students who have debt owe $23,700, on average -- 25 percent more debt than the national average. Roughly one in five young adults reports that student debt caused them to delay starting a family and forced them to change careers. Edwards will create a national College for Everyone initiative to pay public-college tuition, fees and books for students who work part-time, take a college-prep curriculum in high school, and stay out of trouble. [TICAS, 2007; Nellie Mae, 2003]

· Offer Universal Preschool and Expand Affordable Child Care: More than two-thirds of mothers are working, most of them full time, but our workplace practices and public policies have not kept up with this new reality. Child care costs more than a rent for a family with two children. Edwards will create a Great Promise early childhood education program for every four-year-old. For younger children, he will more than double the child care tax credit and create a national Smart Start initiative to work with local nonprofits to make child care higher quality, more available, and more affordable. [BLS, 2005; NACCRRA, 2006]

· Create Paid Family and Medical Leave: Edwards will create a $2 billion National Family Trust to offer paid family and medical leave benefits to all workers by 2014, and he will make the federal government a model employer with a generous paid leave benefit. He will also expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover 13 million more workers by reducing the threshold for exemption for the law from 50 workers to 25 workers and help long-term part-time workers. In addition, Edwards will require businesses to offer their workers seven paid sick days a year, with pro-rated leave for part-timers.

· Help Families with Rising Home Heating Costs: John Edwards has championed the need to take on big oil and gas companies to halt global warming and build a new energy economy based on efficiency and renewable energy. Edwards has called on Congress to release some of the nation’s home heating and oil reserves to bring down prices and finally fully fund the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which could help more than 3 million more families. He has also proposed more than doubling assistance for weatherization programs and called on neighbors to help weatherize the homes of vulnerable seniors this winter. Finally, he has proposed helping states and non-profits offer low- or no-interest emergency loans so that squeezed families do not fall prey to high-cost lenders.


Guarantee True Universal Health Care


· Guarantee True Universal Health Care: Forty-seven million Americans live without health insurance. Edwards will take on the big insurance and drug companies and guarantee true universal health care for every man, woman and child in America. Employers will have to help cover their employees, the government will make insurance affordable with new reforms and subsidies, and all Americans will have insurance. His plan offers every American the option of a public plan that could evolve to a single payer system. [Census Bureau, 2007]

· Deliver Better Care at Lower Cost: Health care costs have consistently grown faster than wages for almost 50 years. Over the past five years alone, families have seen premiums grow by 90 percent while benefits have been cut. Edwards will take on the insurance and drug companies to cut needless waste in the health care system. He will also take much needed common-sense steps such as emphasizing preventive and primary care, requiring electronic medical records, and identifying and publicizing the most cost-effective treatments. Together these steps will save the average family $2,000 to 2,500 a year. [Kaiser Family Foundation, 2006]


Paid for by John Edwards for President.

EDWARDS: Edwards Launches Three-Day “Fighting For America’s Voice” Tour

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2007

CONTACT:
Audrey Waters

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

EDWARDS LAUNCHES THREE-DAY “FIGHTING FOR AMERICA’S VOICE” TOUR

Will discuss his plans to make sure all Americans have a voice in Washington, not just the special interests

Des Moines, Iowa – On, Thursday, December 20th, 2007, Senator John Edwards will kick off a three-day “Fighting for America’s Voice” tour across Iowa to discuss his plans to stand up for those who don’t have a voice in Washington. Edwards has spent his life speaking out on behalf of those who don’t have a voice, and as President he will fight to make sure that the American people are heard in Washington, not the special interests.

During the tour, Edwards will be joined by numerous people whose voices he has fought to make sure are heard – James Lowe, who went 50 years without a voice because he didn’t have health care; Sandy and David Lakey, and their daughter Valerie, whom Edwards represented as a lawyer after Valerie was injured by a swimming pool drain that the company knew was dangerous; and Doug Bishop, who worked at the Maytag plant in Newton until Maytag decided to cut costs by cutting Bishop’s job.

On his three-day trip, Edwards will discuss how we can make sure every voice is heard in Washington. On Thursday, he will outline his plans to revitalize rural communities. On Friday, Edwards will deliver a speech in West Des Moines at the Des Moines Area Community College West Campus about how we can help our children and make sure they have the opportunity to realize the American Dream. On Saturday, Edwards will discuss how we can make sure Americans can work at a good-paying jobs and that our economy works for hard-working families, not just the special interests.

EDWARDS: Coming January 3, 2008: Edwards Campaign Unveils Movie Trailer

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2007

CONTACT:
Audrey Waters

COMING JANUARY 3, 2008: EDWARDS CAMPAIGN UNVEILS MOVIE TRAILER

New video promotes "Caucus Command Center" website to organize supporters and precinct captains

Des Moines, Iowa – Building on its growing momentum in Iowa following the endorsement of Iowa First Lady Mari Culver, today the Edwards campaign unveiled a theatrical trailer that encourages caucus goers to take action and make John Edwards our next President. The trailer, narrated by well-known voiceover artist and Edwards supporter George DelHoyo, is a new organizational tool to drive undecided caucus goers and supporters to the campaign’s Caucus Command Center, where they can learn more about Edwards and get all the information they need to caucus for him on January 3rd.

In addition to encouraging Iowans to visit the Caucus Command Center, the trailer also shows caucus goers the great possibilities for our country with Edwards as President and discusses the special power that Iowans have to make the big changes America needs. It encourages Iowans to join the Edwards team and help bring big change to our country. The trailer stars John Edwards, as well as his wife Elizabeth, and children, Cate, Jack and Emma Claire.

“This fun and inspiring trailer is another creative tool from our campaign to energize supporters and make sure they are ready to caucus and put John Edwards in the White House,” said Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, Iowa State Director. “We are always looking for innovative and exciting new ways to spread John Edwards’ vision of One America. As the caucuses get closer, our campaign is doing everything it can to reach out to undecided caucus goers and make sure our supporters are prepared to caucus for John Edwards.”

The trailer is posted on the Caucus Command Center (www.caucuscommandcenter.com) and is being emailed to supporters throughout Iowa and across the country by acclaimed actor Kevin Bacon. In the email, Bacon encourages Iowans to share the video, and their support for Edwards, with their friends, family and neighbors.

Last week, as part of Edwards’ successful eight-day “Main Street Express” bus tour, the campaign launched two other successful organizing tools to reach out to undecided caucus goers: “Six Degrees of John Edwards,” and the “John Edwards Book Club.” The Six Degrees of John Edwards program encouraged supporters to take action and engage undecided caucus goers in Edwards’ campaign. The John Edwards Book Club encourages supporters to invite their undecided friends and family to get together and discuss Edwards’ 80-page policy book, “The Plan to Build One America.”

To watch the video, please visit www.caucuscommandcenter.com. A higher quality version of the video can be downloaded at: http://johnedwards.com/watch/trailer/press/.

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Paid for by John Edwards for President.

EDWARDS: Iowa First Lady Mari Culver Endorses John Edwards For President

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 17, 2007

CONTACT:
Audrey Waters

Endorsement shows growing momentum, Edwards also featured on cover of Newsweek

Des Moines, Iowa – On the last day of his “Main Street Express” bus tour and following a widely praised debate performance, today Senator John Edwards will receive the endorsement of Iowa First Lady Mari Culver. Culver believes Edwards’ lifetime of fighting for those without a voice makes him the best candidate to stand up for America’s families and bring change to America. Culver will join Edwards today at his “Main Street Express” bus tour finale events in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Davenport. During the eight-day tour, Edwards has been highlighting his plans to fight for regular families like the ones he grew up with in his small, rural hometown.

“With all the challenges facing our country, we need a leader who will fight for our families,” said Culver. “I am proud to endorse John Edwards for President. John has spent his career standing up for children and families in their hour of need. I admire his commitment to speaking out for those who have no voice and look forward to working with him to make sure children here in Iowa and across the country are safe and secure and have the opportunity to realize their dreams.”

“I am honored to have Mari’s support,” said Edwards. “She has been a passionate advocate on behalf of families and children in crises. Her commitment to helping the less fortunate is exactly the kind of the leadership America so desperately needs. With Mari’s help and the help of the people of Iowa, we can build the One America we believe in.”
Culver’s endorsement adds to Edwards’ growing momentum in the final weeks before the Iowa caucuses. This week, Edwards was featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine. He was also recently endorsed by Congressman Bruce Braley and continues to gain support from community leaders and undecided caucus goers. He has strong grassroots organizations in all 99 Iowa counties, and enjoys the support of Caucus for Priorities, which represents 10,000 Iowa caucus goers. Edwards has the support of numerous labor groups who are actively working to put him in the White House. He has been endorsed by the Iowa State Council of the SEIU and 11 other SEIU state councils representing more than a million SEIU members. Additionally, he has been endorsed by the Iowa Postal Workers Union, the United Steelworkers, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, the Transport Workers Union of America, the United Mine Workers of America and the UNITE HERE Chicago and Midwest Regional Joint Board.
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Paid for by John Edwards for President.

EDWARDS: Edwards Delivers Major Speech On Lifting Up America's Middle Class

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 16, 2007


CONTACT:
Audrey Waters


Edwards Proposes Middle Class Rising Agenda; Outlines Bold Vision to Help All Hard-working Families Achieve the American Dream

Ames, Iowa - On day seven of the Main Street Express bus tour, Senator John Edwards delivered a major speech on his bold vision to lift up middle-class families and make sure that all Americans have a fair shot at the American Dream. At this critical time in our nation's history, with the economic divide wider now than at any other time in the last thirty years, Edwards unveiled his Middle Class Rising agenda that will help build One America where the middle class prospers and all hardworking Americans can find good jobs, save for the future, and have guaranteed health care and retirement security.

“America was built on an idea – that all of us are equal,” Edwards said in a town hall in Ames. “The idea that how hard you work, and what kind of choices you make will determine the kind of life you build, and what you pass onto your children – but not the circumstances you’re born into, never that. The greatness of America is that promise – that every generation will leave its children a better life. That is our social compact with the middle class – the promise that if you work hard and do what’s right, you’ll be able to build a better life for yourself and your family. But today, that compact is being threatened.

“Here’s what’s happened,” Edwards continued. “Corporate greed and political calculation have taken over our government and sold out the middle class. Our government is selling out their future at the command of lobbyists and their corporate clients and we have to rise up together and stop it.

“We need a president who will take these powers on and fight to get you your voice back, and your government back. We need a president who is going to fight every day to make sure that all Americans can find good jobs, save for the future, and be guaranteed health care and retirement security. We need a president who is going to lift up the middle class.”

Because of corporate greed and a broken system in Washington, almost half of all economic growth over the past 20 years has gone to the top one percent of American families. Middle-class incomes have stagnated for the past seven years, the number of Americans living in poverty is growing every year, and families are working longer hours, but finding it harder to get by.

To address this growing inequality and help the middle class rise again, Edwards' Middle Class Rising agenda will:

Create good jobs: Edwards will invest in renewable sources of energy to create new industries and at least 1 million new, good-paying jobs. He will pursue a trade policy that ends tax loopholes for companies that send American jobs overseas, and end the NAFTA trade model. Edwards will also raise the minimum wage, reform our tax code, build career ladders, and strengthen organized labor.

Give middle-class families the tools to build a secure financial future: Edwards will create Universal Retirement Accounts that people can take with them from job to job, and to respond to the mortgage crisis, he will pass a tough new national law to prevent predatory lending abuses. Edwards will also reign in credit card and other abusive lending practices by creating a new consumer watchdog agency.

Remove the burdens that are weighing families down: Edwards will help families afford rising home heating costs, make sure that college is affordable for everyone, so that every child can have a fair shot at the American Dream, help people balance their work and home lives by making sure that workplace policies are keeping up with changes in the economy, through expanding early education programs, providing paid leave, including sick leave, to all workers, and expanding job protection under the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Create universal health care in America: Edwards' top domestic priority will be making sure that every man, woman and child in America is covered with high-quality care.

Edwards was joined in Ames by acclaimed actor Kevin Bacon, who also traveled with the campaign yesterday as part of Edwards' Main Street Express bus tour across the state. During the eight-day tour, Edwards is highlighting his plans to fight for regular families like the ones he grew up with in his small, rural hometown. Later today, Edwards will hold events in Colfax and Ottumwa, and on Monday, he will wrap up the tour with events in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and a finale event in Davenport.

More information on the Main Street Express can be found at http://www.johnedwards.com/Iowa. Attached are excerpts from Edwards' prepared remarks. Also attached is Edwards Middle Class Rising agenda.

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Excerpts of prepared remarks by Senator John Edwards
Lifting Up the Middle Class
Ames, Iowa
December 16, 2007

“America was built on an idea – that all of us are equal. The idea that how hard you work, and what kind of choices you make will determine the kind of life you build, and what you pass onto your children – but not the circumstances you’re born into, never that. The greatness of America is that promise – that every generation will leave its children a better life. That is our social compact with the middle class – the promise that if you work hard and do what’s right, you’ll be able to build a better life for yourself and your family. But today, that compact is being threatened.

“Here’s what’s happened – corporate greed and political calculation have taken over our government and sold out the middle class. Washington isn’t looking out for the middle class because Washington doesn’t work for the middle class anymore…That is wrong. It doesn’t say life, liberty and the pursuit of endless corporate profit in the Declaration of Independence. America is about opportunity for you… and your families, your children. But our government is selling out their future at the command of lobbyists and their corporate clients and we have to rise up together and stop it. We have to rise up and say, no more. Not on our watch.
…
“We need a president who will take these powers on and fight to get you your voice back, and your government back. We need a president who is going to fight every day to make sure that all Americans can find good jobs, save for the future, and be guaranteed health care and retirement security. We need a president who is going to lift up the middle class. That is why today, I am proposing my Middle Class Rising agenda, a comprehensive plan to help hardworking families get ahead, and make sure that all Americans have a fair shot at the American Dream.
…
“None of this is going to be easy. I hear all these candidates talking about how we’re going to bring about the big, bold change that America needs. And I hear some people saying that they think we can sit at a table with drug companies, oil companies and insurance companies, and they will give their power away. That is a fantasy. We have a fight in front of us. We have a fight for the future of this country. And the change we need will not happen easily. We need someone who is going to step into that arena on your behalf, someone who is ready for that fight.
…
“Ladies and gentlemen, I have been in this fight my whole life. From the time I was young, until when I was a lawyer. For twenty years, I walked into courtrooms representing families like yours against big corporations and their armies of lawyers. Every time, they looked at me and said, we can win. But they didn’t. Because I beat them. I beat them. And I beat them again. And I learned that it may not be easy to beat these powerful interests, but if you’re right, and you’re willing to stand up, you can win.
…
“That’s what the American people have always done. Every time in our history that the American people have been faced with great challenges, they rose up and met them. They made certain that they left America better than they found it; they left their children a better life than they had. That’s what your parents did. It’s what your grandparents did. And it’s what my parents did for me.
…
“I take it very personally when I see powerful, well-financed interests taking over this democracy, and taking it away from regular Americans, people like my parents. We have got to reclaim this democracy for them. For you. For your children. For your grandchildren. Because if we don’t, we’re going to have to look our children in the eye and say, “we’re leaving this mess to you.” Our parents didn’t do that. Our grandparents didn’t do it. Twenty generations of Americans who came before us didn’t do it. And I’ll tell you something: we’re not going to do it. We’re going to make absolutely certain that America rises again.”

Middle Class Rising: A Plan to Strengthen America’s Middle Class

The social compact with the middle class is under siege because big corporations and special interests have taken over Washington. That compact says that if you work hard and do what’s right, you’ll get some security and the chance to build a better life for yourself and your family. But today, middle class families are not rising, and the gap between the haves and everyone else has grown wider than at any time since the great Depression.

The American middle class is struggling. Wages are stagnant even though the economy is growing, while the cost of middle-class essentials like health care and child care continues to grow. The basic American bargain is breaking down.

· Our economy is growing only at the top: Forty percent of economic growth over the past 20 years went to the top 1 percent of households. Income inequality is at its highest since the Great Depression. [EPI, 2006; CBPP, 2007]

· Families are working longer hours, but finding it harder to get by: Families work 10 more hours a week than they did 20 years ago. But middle-class incomes have stagnated for the past seven years. [DOL, 2007]

· Higher costs for the basics: Costs for middle-class essentials – including housing, health care, college, child care and transportation – have all outpaced wage growth. A child born in 2003 will cost middle-class families 15 percent more to raise than a child born in 1960, after adjusting for inflation. [Draut, 2005; USDA, 2003]

· Powerful corporate interests have taken control of our government: The number of Washington lobbyists has tripled to 36,000 since 1996, more than 60 for every member of Congress. Their impact can be seen across our society: a broken health care system, reliance on old sources of energy, the neglect of poverty, unfair terms of credit, and subsidies for corporate agribusiness. [Senate Office of Public Records, 2006]

· Losing hope for the American dream: More Americans are worried that the next generation will face fewer economic opportunities and less security and mobility. Only 30 percent of Americans think life will be better for the next generation. [Pew, 2006]

Today, John Edwards outlined his Middle Class Rising plan to restore the American dream and meet the moral test passed by 20 generations before us: to leave a better future to our children than we inherited. We must strengthen America’s middle class to make sure that all Americans have a fair shot at the American Dream.


Create Good Jobs that Pay Enough to Support a Family


· Invest in the Industries of the Future: Renewable sources of energy – including ethanol, biodiesel, wind and solar – can create new industries and at least 1 million new jobs. Edwards will establish the New Energy Economy Fund to jumpstart renewable energies with start-up capital and train over 150,000 workers for Green Collar jobs. He will also invest in other sources of innovation such as life sciences, technology and private-sector research.

· Enact Smarter Trade Policies: Iowa has seen the results of unfair trade – losing more than 17,000 jobs in the last six years due to growing trading deficits with China. Trade deals need to make sense for American workers, not just corporations. Edwards will reject NAFTA-style trade deals and make sure any new trade agreements include strong labor and environmental standards and will vigorously enforce American workers' rights in existing agreements. He will also expand trade adjustment assistance to do much more for the workers and communities that are hurt by global competition. [EPI, 2007]

· Eliminate Tax Incentives to Move Offshore: The U.S. tax code encourages multinational corporations to invest overseas by allowing them to indefinitely defer taxation on their foreign profits. In practice, this means that multinational companies pay little or no tax on their foreign profits. Edwards will eliminate the benefit of deferral in low-tax countries, ensuring that American companies’ profits are taxed when earned at either the U.S. rate or a comparable foreign rate, to eliminate any incentive to move overseas.

· Make Work Pay by Raising the Minimum Wage: Under Gov. Culver, Iowa has been a leader in raising the minimum wage. But even at its 2008 level of $7.25, the earnings of a single parent with two children will still be $2,000 below the federal poverty line. Edwards will set a national goal of a minimum wage that equals half the average wage. He will raise the minimum wage by 75 cents a year until it reaches $9.50 in 2012 and then set it to rise automatically with average wages, ensuring that all workers share in America’s growth. [HHS, 2007]

· Reform the Tax Code to Reward Work, Not Wealth: As a result of President Bush’s regressive tax policies, the share of the federal tax burden borne by taxpayers in the middle and fourth quintiles is increasing while the share of taxes paid by the top 1 percent fell. Edwards will overhaul the tax code with new tax breaks to strengthen the middle-class pillars of saving, work, and family. He will also ensure that the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes by raising the tax rate on capital gains to 28 percent for the most fortunate taxpayers and repealing the Bush income tax cuts for individuals making more than $200,000 a year. [Tax Policy Center, 2006]

· Build Career Ladders: Two of the fields with the largest predicted job growth – health care and education –have both low-end and high-end positions and offer the potential for mobility. Edwards will invest in career ladders in these and other fields, helping low-wage workers to train on the job, gain new skills, and move into better jobs. For example, health care aides could become certified nurse assistants and registered nurses.

· Strengthen Workers’ Right to Organize: Union families earn up to 30 percent more than non-union families, but union membership has fallen from 30 percent of private-sector workers in 1973 to just 8 percent today. The right to choose a union is poorly enforced, full of loopholes, and routinely violated by employers. Edwards will enact the Employee Free Choice Act, vigorously enforce labor laws, and ban the use of permanent replacements for striking workers. [BLS, 2007; Census Bureau, 2007]


Give Americans the Tools to Build a Secure Retirement


· Create Universal Retirement Accounts that Move from Job to Job: Only 27 percent of households within 20 years of retirement have adequate retirement savings. Americans who retire with a pension have nearly twice the annual income of those who depend only on Social Security and personal savings, but too few middle-class families are able to start saving. Edwards will create a new universal retirement account available to all workers without another pension. Workers will be able to build up these savings accounts over the course of their careers, regardless of how many times they change jobs. Edwards will match worker contributions up to dollar-for-dollar on the first $500 with a new Get Ahead tax credit, far more valuable than the 10 percent or 15 percent tax deduction that many workers get today on retirement savings. [EPI, 2006; PRC, 2007; Gale, Gruber and Orszag, 2006]

· End the Housing Crisis: Edwards has proposed a comprehensive plan to lead us out of the foreclosure crisis and help families keep their homes, without bailing out irresponsible investors and speculators. He will go further than the Bush-Paulson plan to give every family an opportunity to renegotiate the terms of their mortgage, with counseling and small amounts of aid from a new Home Rescue Fund. He will also let families adjust the terms of their mortgages in bankruptcy, like investors can on their second homes and investment properties. Edwards will prevent future crises by passing a strong national law against predatory lending and creating a new federal regulator for financial services products.

· Rein in Credit Card and Other Abusive Lending: Half of Americans say they live paycheck to paycheck – meaning millions of families rely on short-term credit just to pay the bills. Middle-class families are facing a radically transformed credit environment because interest rates were deregulated in 1978, which has led to looser lending standards and higher rates and fees. Edwards will require minimum protections on credit cards, such as restoring a 10-day grace before late fees and applying interest rate increases to future balances only. He will also create a new consumer watchdog agency – the Family Savings and Credit Commission – whose sole purpose will be to crack down on these kinds of predatory practices. [[MetLife, 2003; Draut, 2006]


Remove the Burdens that Are Weighing Families Down


· Make College More Affordable: The three-quarters of Iowa’s graduating college students who have debt owe $23,700, on average -- 25 percent more debt than the national average. Roughly one in five young adults reports that student debt caused them to delay starting a family and forced them to change careers. Edwards will create a national College for Everyone initiative to pay public-college tuition, fees and books for students who work part-time, take a college-prep curriculum in high school, and stay out of trouble. [TICAS, 2007; Nellie Mae, 2003]

· Offer Universal Preschool and Expand Affordable Child Care: More than two-thirds of mothers are working, most of them full time, but our workplace practices and public policies have not kept up with this new reality. Child care costs more than a rent for a family with two children. Edwards will create a Great Promise early childhood education program for every four-year-old. For younger children, he will more than double the child care tax credit and create a national Smart Start initiative to work with local nonprofits to make child care higher quality, more available, and more affordable. [BLS, 2005; NACCRRA, 2006]

· Create Paid Family and Medical Leave: Edwards will create a $2 billion National Family Trust to offer paid family and medical leave benefits to all workers by 2014, and he will make the federal government a model employer with a generous paid leave benefit. He will also expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover 13 million more workers by reducing the threshold for exemption for the law from 50 workers to 25 workers and help long-term part-time workers. In addition, Edwards will require businesses to offer their workers seven paid sick days a year, with pro-rated leave for part-timers.

· Help Families with Rising Home Heating Costs: John Edwards has championed the need to take on big oil and gas companies to halt global warming and build a new energy economy based on efficiency and renewable energy. Edwards has called on Congress to release some of the nation’s home heating and oil reserves to bring down prices and finally fully fund the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which could help more than 3 million more families. He has also proposed more than doubling assistance for weatherization programs and called on neighbors to help weatherize the homes of vulnerable seniors this winter. Finally, he has proposed helping states and non-profits offer low- or no-interest emergency loans so that squeezed families do not fall prey to high-cost lenders.


Guarantee True Universal Health Care


· Guarantee True Universal Health Care: Forty-seven million Americans live without health insurance. Edwards will take on the big insurance and drug companies and guarantee true universal health care for every man, woman and child in America. Employers will have to help cover their employees, the government will make insurance affordable with new reforms and subsidies, and all Americans will have insurance. His plan offers every American the option of a public plan that could evolve to a single payer system. [Census Bureau, 2007]

· Deliver Better Care at Lower Cost: Health care costs have consistently grown faster than wages for almost 50 years. Over the past five years alone, families have seen premiums grow by 90 percent while benefits have been cut. Edwards will take on the insurance and drug companies to cut needless waste in the health care system. He will also take much needed common-sense steps such as emphasizing preventive and primary care, requiring electronic medical records, and identifying and publicizing the most cost-effective treatments. Together these steps will save the average family $2,000 to 2,500 a year. [Kaiser Family Foundation, 2006]

Paid for by John Edwards for President.

Edwards Campaign Unveils New “Fight” Television Ad In Iowa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2007
CONTACT:
Audrey Waters


EDWARDS CAMPAIGN UNVEILS NEW “FIGHT” TELEVISION AD IN IOWA
In the ad, Edwards says that saving the middle class from corporate greed is the fight he was born for

Des Moines, Iowa – Inspired by the enthusiasm generated by Senator John Edwards’ discussion of economic issues during the Des Moines Register debate on Thursday, today the campaign unveiled a second new television ad in Iowa called “Fight.”
“The moral test of our generation is whether we’re going to allow this broken system to go on without a fight or take on corporate greed and stand up for the middle class and American jobs before it’s too late,” Edwards says in the ad. “They aren’t going to just give their power away. Saving the middle class is going to be an epic battle, and that’s a fight I was born for.”

The full ad can be viewed on the John Edwards for President Web site at: http://johnedwards.com/ads/fight.

Full Script of “Fight:”

This isn’t about petty politics or good intentions.
Corporate greed and influence in Washington are stealing our children’s future.
The moral test of our generation is whether we’re going to allow this broken system to go on without a fight or take on corporate greed and stand up for the middle class and American jobs before it’s too late.
They aren’t going to just give their power away.
Saving the middle class is going to be an epic battle, and that’s a fight I was born for.
I’m John Edwards, and I approved this message

Updated: Bonnie Raitt And Jackson Browne To Join John Edwards For Two Days Of Graniteroots Campaigning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2007

CONTACT:
Audrey Waters

Cate Edwards to also join her father in New Hampshire during two-day swing

Manchester, New Hampshire - On Tuesday, December 18th and Wednesday, December 19th, Senator John Edwards will return to New Hampshire for a two-day trip with special guests Bonnie Raitt and Jackson Browne. Edwards will take questions from voters about his bold, detailed plans to ensure a better future for the next generation of Americans. Raitt and Browne will perform at Edwards’ town halls in Lebanon, Keene, Nashua, Portsmouth and Manchester.

“John Edwards is a leading voice for change in our country,” said Raitt. “He's been one of the only strong, effective advocates for ending the war in Iraq and bringing our troops home. And when he talks about creating opportunity, he isn't talking about creating opportunities for corporate CEOs to get ahead, he's talking about making sure regular, hard-working Americans have a fair chance to succeed. He is willing to fight for fairness and equality for all Americans, and for tapping the immense economic and employment opportunities of safe, renewable energy."

“I am proud to support John Edwards,” said Browne. “We need someone with vision and courage to fix the big problems facing our country. We need to end the war in Iraq and make sure every American has health care. John Edwards knows what it is to have to work hard, and he’ll stand up and fight to make sure everyone in this country has the same chances he’s had.”

Raitt is a widely-respected Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter. She has been in the music business for more than 35 years and has released 18 albums. Raitt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. In 1995, she initiated the Bonnie Raitt Guitar Project with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America, currently running in 200 clubs around the world, to encourage underprivileged youth to play music as budgets for music instruction in the schools run dry.

Browne has been making music for more than three decades. He is an acclaimed singer-songwriter and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004 and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 2007. Recent humanitarian honors include the John Steinbeck Award and the World Hunger Year Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award.

Raitt and Browne are also co-founders (along with Graham Nash and John Hall) of Musicians United For Safe Energy, whose 1979 “No-Nukes” concerts remain watershed models for grassroots activism. Currently, they are mobilizing behind Nukefree.org, opposing federal bail-out of the nuclear industry.

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Paid for by John Edwards for President.

Edwards Highlights Declaration Of Independence For Older Americans On Day Six Of The Main Street Express

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2007

CONTACT:
Audrey Waters


Edwards will help seniors get the health care and financial protection they need, while allowing them to live as independently as they desire

Ames, Iowa – On the sixth day of his Main Street Express bus tour across Iowa, Senator John Edwards discussed his 11-point Declaration of Independence for Older Americans, which is based on the core values of security, dignity and choice. Joined by award-winning actor Kevin Bacon, today Edwards will hold events in Dubuque, Cedar Falls and Mason City, where he will highlight his agenda to help older Americans get the health care they need and the financial protection they deserve while allowing them to live as independently as they desire.

“The basic bargain of America – that if you work hard your whole life, you should be able to retire with dignity, security and basic lifestyle choices – is at risk,” Edwards said. “Our policies for work and savings have not adapted to the economic and lifestyle changes of the 21st century. Our commitment to a secure retirement has been undermined by corporate greed, our housing policies too often force seniors to choose between isolation or institutionalization, and our health care system is set up to treat the worst problems instead of promoting health and quality of life.

“These are huge challenges, but the great thing about our country is that the American people – just as they have over and over again in our nation's history – have the power to rise up and bring about the change America needs. I know if we rise to the challenge, we can restore the basic American bargain and reaffirm our commitment to helping older Americans live independently, with the freedom to exercise choice over their health care, financial security and lifestyle.”

To meet the economic and lifestyle changes of the 21st century, Edwards has proposed an 11-point Declaration of Independence for Older Americans, which is organized around three core principles: financial independence, health security and living with dignity:

Protect financial independence and strengthen retirement: Edwards will fight to keep the promise of social security by ending the Social Security tax exemption for workers making more than $200,000 a year. He believes employees who have worked hard all their lives should not be denied the pension benefits they have earned, and corporations must honor the pension promises they've made to workers. Edwards will protect workers pensions and also take steps to help families save, including new universal retirement accounts, new "Get Ahead" tax credits, and free savings accounts for the nearly 28 million Americans without them. He will also fight predatory lending practices that target seniors and other vulnerable Americans and will preserve seniors' freedom to work by strengthening and vigorously enforcing the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Promote health security: Edwards will protect the future of Medicare through health care reforms, and will make prescription drugs more affordable by permitting the safe reimportation, restricting direct-to-consumer advertising, allowing Medicare to negotiate drug costs, and by giving Medicare beneficiaries the choice of a public plan for their prescription drugs. Edwards will also revolutionize chronic care through proactive disease management and will strengthen geriatric health care by rewarding good primary care, encouraging experienced geriatric doctors to train the next generation of primary care doctors and training nurses to identify simple conditions that could cause downward health spirals.

Support living with dignity: Edwards will offer choices in long-term care to older Americans by reforming Medicare and Medicaid to let people elect home-based care in their communities. Edwards will also improve nursing homes and crack down on elder abuse, while at the same time promoting livable communities and accessible transportation to support independent living for older Americans.

Edwards has spent his career fighting for regular families like the ones he grew up with in his small, rural hometown. During the eight-day Main Street Express tour, Edwards is highlighting his plans to stand up to the special interests on Wall Street and help hard-working families on Main Street. Tomorrow, Edwards will hold events in Ames, Colfax and Ottumwa, and on Monday, he will wrap up the tour with events in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, and a finale event in Davenport.
More information on the Main Street Express can be found at http://www.johnedwards.com/Iowa. Included below is Edwards' Declaration of Independence for Older Americans.

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Security, Dignity and Choice:
A Declaration of Independence For Older Americans

“It’s time for a new kind of declaration of independence – a commitment to helping older Americans live independently, with choice over their health care, financial security and lifestyle. It’s not enough to congratulate ourselves on living longer, if we are not living stronger.” – John Edwards

Americans are living longer. The number of Americans over the age of 65 is expected to double by 2030, and the number over the age of 80 will more than quadruple to almost 20 million. A key part of the American Dream is that we have reasonable access to quality health care and security at retirement. Yet both of these are now gravely at risk for most Americans. Our policies for work and savings have not adapted to the economic and lifestyle changes of the 21st century. And as a result the basic bargain of America – that if you work hard your whole life, you should be able to retire with dignity, security and basic lifestyle choices – is at risk. [Census Bureau, 2006]

Today, John Edwards highlighted his 11-point Declaration of Independence agenda for older Americans – including proposals to strengthen retirement security and the basic bargain of our country.

FINANCIAL INDEPENDENCE: Strengthening Retirement

1. KEEP THE PROMISE OF SOCIAL SECURITY: Edwards is committed to protecting Social Security, because there is no more important retirement program in the country. He has strongly opposed President Bush’s efforts to privatize it, which would cut guaranteed benefits and risk individuals’ retirements in the stock market. He does not believe we need to reduce benefits, change the retirement age or increase the burden on average workers. Edwards has proposed changing the Social Security tax exemption for individuals making more than $200,000 a year, who now pay Social Security on less than half of their income violating the fundamental principles of fairness under our progressive tax system. He also supports a nonpartisan, non-ideological commission to examine ways of ensuring that every American can retire with dignity and that the life of the Trust Fund is extended.

2. PROTECT PENSIONS AND HELP FAMILIES SAVE: Employees who have worked hard all their lives should not be denied the pension benefits they have earned, and corporations must honor the pension promises they’ve made to workers. Edwards opposes allowing companies to either switch out of defined-benefit plans in order to deny long-term workers their pensions, or go into bankruptcy just to avoid keeping their promises to employees. Edwards will give workers claims for lost pensions just like for lost wages, prevent corporate executives from walking away with millions while companies are going bankrupt and reform the bankruptcy laws to prevent companies from shedding their obligations to workers. At the same time, because nearly half of working Americans do not own any type of personal retirement account, Edwards has proposed a series of initiatives to help millions of families better realize financial security and retire with dignity, including
- new universal retirement accounts requiring every business to automatically enroll its workers in at least one plan: either a traditional pension, a 401(k), or an IRA – workers will be allowed to build up these accounts over the course of their careers and take them from job to job;
- new “Get Ahead” tax credits to match the annual savings of low and middle-income families, dollar for dollar, up to $500; and
- free savings accounts for the nearly 28 million Americans without them, so that they also have ways to save and avoid exorbitant check-cashing fees. [Aspen, 2007; Federal Reserve, 2007]

3. FIGHT PREDATORY LENDERS: Older Americans’ 80-percent homeownership rate makes them prime targets for predatory mortgages. Some seniors are also especially vulnerable to payday lenders, who charge over 300 percent interest on cash advances on Social Security checks. Edwards will protect families through a new federal regulator, the Family Savings and Credit Commission, whose sole job is consumer protection. He will also ban all payday loans at interest rates over 36 percent, prohibit predatory mortgage lending, and rein in abusive practices in the credit card industry. [AARP, 2007; CRL, 2006]

4. PRESERVE FREEDOM TO WORK: The freedom to work is critical to the dignity of older Americans. Edwards supports vigorous enforcement and strengthening of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and of the Americans with Disabilities Act, in order to fulfill Congress' original intent. He will also protect older workers from early retirement “incentives” that push them out of their jobs. His health care plan will guarantee quality, affordable coverage for older Americans who transition to temporary, part-time or independent work but who are not yet Medicare-eligible. He will also modernize unemployment coverage to give more security to workers.

HEALTH SECURITY

5. PROTECT THE FUTURE OF MEDICARE: Skyrocketing health care costs have put enormous pressure on Medicare and threatened its long-term solvency. The Medicare Trust Fund is projected to be exhausted in 2019. But instead of strengthening Medicare for our seniors, George Bush has surrendered it to the drug companies and the HMOs. The first step toward extending the life of Medicare is universal health care reform that makes health care more cost-effective, including investments in preventive and chronic care, electronic medical records, and promoting proven cost-effective care. Within Medicare, Edwards will also clamp down on skyrocketing drug costs and stop the overpayments to insurance companies, using the savings in part to ensure that low-income Medicare beneficiaries have access to the care they need. [OASDI Trustees, 2007]

6. MAKE PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AFFORDABLE: Drug costs have risen three times faster than inflation since 1994. Top pharmaceutical companies now spend twice as much on marketing and administration as they do on R&D. Edwards will take on the pharmaceutical and insurance industries to help seniors. He will allow Medicare to negotiate drug costs with drug makers and will give Medicare beneficiaries the choice of a public plan for their prescription drugs. He will also permit safe reimportation from Canada, restrict direct-to-consumer advertising for new drugs, ensure evaluation research is truly independent, eliminate loopholes and trade obstacles that block generic drugs, and let the FDA approve biogeneric drugs in order to bring down costs. [KFF, 2007; Families USA, 2007]

7. REVOLUTIONIZE CHRONIC CARE: The 23 percent of Medicare beneficiaries with five or more chronic conditions account for 68 percent of its costs, yet Medicare makes almost no effort to coordinate care. Doctors may unknowingly provide duplicative treatments and undercut each other's efforts, resulting in unnecessary problems and hospitalizations. Edwards will revolutionize chronic care by promoting proactive disease management, ensuring that doctors regularly check up on their patients, encouraging doctors to communicate with each other, and making sure that every American with chronic conditions has a patient-centered “medical home” allowing a doctor to coordinate their care and promote life-improving care as well as treat life-threatening emergencies. [Anderson, 2005]

8. STRENGTHEN GERIATRIC PRIMARY CARE: Patients treated by doctors trained in geriatric care are a third less likely to become disabled, half as likely to develop depression and 40 percent less likely to require home health services, according to one study. But reimbursement rates for this care are so low that the division was shut down soon after the study was completed. The number of certified geriatricians fell by one-third between 1998 and 2004 and only 330 doctors nationally will complete geriatrics training this year. Edwards will emphasize primary care in the Health Care Markets by writing reimbursement rules that encourage proven geriatric care. He will also call on experienced geriatric doctors to train the next generation of primary care doctors and nurses in geriatric care, including how to identify treatable conditions in older Americans – like depression, malnutrition, isolation and podiatric problems – that, if ignored, often lead to a downward health spiral. [Boult at al., 2001; Gawande, 2007]

LIVING WITH DIGNITY

9. OFFER CHOICE IN LONG-TERM CARE: Our long-term care system is poorly equipped to give independence to older Americans, and it forces many families to either juggle elder care, child care, and their jobs or spend themselves into poverty to pay for nursing homes. Edwards will reform Medicaid and Medicare to let people choose home-based care in their communities and to test innovations such as asset and income protection programs. He will also support states and communities offering much-needed and often less expensive alternatives – like adult day care and senior villages – that allow seniors to live at home with their loved ones.

10. IMPROVE NURSING HOMES AND CRACK DOWN ON ELDER ABUSE: Independence is the goal, but we also need to strengthen quality and safety protection in nursing homes. Edwards will establish national standards for nursing home care, increase national enforcement against abusive nursing home chains, expand inspections, and increase penalties for homes that fail to provide decent care. He will also help improve the quality of care with measures like reducing patient-staff ratios and improving care provider training.

11. PROMOTE LIVABLE COMMUNITIES AND ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION: Too many seniors are forced to move from their private homes because they lack supportive services or reliable transportation. Edwards will promote livable communities to make sure every American has the right to age in the setting of their choice. He will create new supportive housing options that give older Americans the choice of community-based living, vigorously enforce civil rights laws to ensure that federally-funded housing is accessible, and protect supportive services like meals-on-wheels and senior centers that sustain independent living. He will also meet the special needs of senior drivers by helping health professionals educate them about the interaction between health and driving and by encouraging automakers to make affordable, wheelchair-accessible vehicles. In the Edwards administration, the Department of Transportation will prioritize transportation access requirements, fund accessible mass transit like “kneeling buses” that are easier to board, and support para-transit services in rural areas.


Paid for by John Edwards for President.

Edwards Campaign Unveils New “Voice” Television Ad In Iowa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2007

CONTACT:
Colleen Murray

EDWARDS CAMPAIGN UNVEILS NEW “VOICE” TELEVISION AD IN IOWA

In the ad, Edwards says he will stop letting corporations and their lobbyists run the country so that people like James Lowe can get the health care they need

Des Moines, Iowa –Today, the John Edwards for President campaign unveiled a new television ad in Iowa called “Voice.”

In the ad, Senator Edwards shares the story of James Lowe, a former coal miner from Wise County, Virginia, who could barely speak for 50 years because he didn’t have health care and couldn’t afford the operation he needed to fix his cleft palate. Edwards met Mr. Lowe at the site of a Remote Area Medical (RAM) clinic during his “Road to One America” tour in July. It was at this free rural clinic, a year ago, that Mr. Lowe finally met with medical professionals willing to donate their time to perform the surgery he needed so he could finally speak.

“Fifty years without a voice – in America,” Edwards says in the ad. “This is wrong. It is immoral. When are we going stop letting drug companies, insurance companies and their lobbyists run this country? America belongs to us. James Lowe finally got his voice, now it’s time for yours.”

“I am proud to support John Edwards and to lend my story to his fight to stand up for the millions of hardworking Americans who don’t have a voice in Washington,” said Mr. Lowe. “The American people need health care, and we need it badly. When John Edwards is president, I know that’s exactly what we will get.”

Edwards was the first candidate to propose a plan for true universal health care. As president, he will take on the drug and insurance companies and guarantee health care for every American, while cutting costs and improving care.

The full ad can be viewed on the John Edwards for President Web site at: http://johnedwards.com/ads/voice/. A higher resolution version can be downloaded at: http://johnedwards.com/watch/voice/press/



Full Script of “Voice:”

I met a man named James Lowe who was born with a cleft palate.

He had no voice for 50 years, because with no health care, he couldn’t get a simple operation.

Fifty years without a voice – in America.

This is wrong. It is immoral.

When are we going to stop letting drug companies, insurance companies and their lobbyists run this country?

America belongs to us.

James Lowe finally got his voice, now it’s time for yours.

I’m John Edwards and I approve this message.

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Paid for by John Edwards for President.

Edwards Unveils Young Families Rising Agenda To Help The Next Generation Of Americans Build A Better Future

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 14, 2007

CONTACT:
Colleen Murray


EDWARDS UNVEILS YOUNG FAMILIES RISING AGENDA TO HELP THE NEXT GENERATION OF AMERICANS BUILD A BETTER FUTURE

On day five of his Main Street Express bus tour, Edwards outlines proposals to help young adults gain a foothold in today’s economy through proposals to build savings

Manchester, Iowa – On the fifth day of his Main Street Express bus tour across Iowa, Senator John Edwards will unveil new proposals to address the challenges of today’s economy that are hitting young Americans just as they try to start their lives and begin families. Edwards believes our government should help hard-working families get ahead, instead of looking out for special interests. At events in Manchester and Elkader today, Edwards will discuss his Young Families Rising agenda that will protect young adults from debt and help them save, assist young families in balancing their jobs and home life, guarantee true universal health care and create more good jobs.

“My grandparents and parents worked in the mills because they wanted their children to have a better life,” said Edwards. “That’s the great promise of America – that if you work hard, and you’re responsible, you can make certain that your children have a better life. But young adults are struggling to gain a foothold in today’s economy. This generation is the first to start their adult lives in a nation where wages are stagnant, benefits are disappearing, college and credit-card debts are larger than ever, and the cost of middle-class necessities like affordable housing, health coverage and child care keep going up.

“Young mothers face additional challenges,” Edwards continued. “Two-thirds of mothers now work – most of them full time – but our workplace practices and public policies don’t reflect this change. It’s time we offered universal preschool and expanded affordable child care. We must also extend the Family and Medical Leave Act so that working parents don’t have to choose between taking care of a sick child and losing their jobs. And we need to make sure every American has access to quality health care and a good-paying job. As president, I will fight to make sure young families can succeed and build a better life for their children.”

To address the challenges of today’s economy that impact the lives of young families, Edwards will introduce a four-part Young Families Rising agenda. Edwards’ agenda calls for:

Protecting young adults from debt and helping them save: Edwards will make college more affordable, reign in credit card and other abusive debt, offer a new “Get Ahead” tax credit for savings, create universal retirement accounts that move from job to job, and support young homebuyers with a tough new national law to prevent lending abuses.

Helping young families balance their jobs and home life: Edwards will support young families by offering universal preschool and expanding affordable child care. He will expand job protection under the Family Medical Leave Act, and offer paid leave, including paid sick days, to all workers.

Guaranteeing true universal health care: Under Edwards’ plan, employers will have to help cover their employees and the government will make insurance affordable with new reforms and subsidies, including the option of a public plan that could evolve to a single-payer system. Edwards will also deliver better care at a lower cost by cutting needless waste in the health care system.

Creating more good jobs with a future: Edwards will invest in the industries of the future and create economic fairness for independent workers. He will also strengthen workers’ right to organize and build career ladders, helping low-wage workers to train on the job, gain new skills, and move into better jobs.

Edwards has spent his career fighting for regular families like the ones he grew up with in his small, rural hometown. During the eight-day Main Street Express tour, Edwards is highlighting his plans to stand up to the special interests on Wall Street and help hard-working families on Main Street. Joined by award-winning actor Kevin Bacon, Edwards will visit Dubuque, Cedar Falls and Mason City on Saturday, and on Sunday, Bacon will join Edwards at a community meeting in Ames. Edwards will also hold events in Colfax and Ottumwa on Sunday.

More information on the Main Street Express can be found at www.JohnEdwards.com/Iowa http://www.johnedwards.com/Iowa. For further details on Edwards’ plan to address the challenges facing young Americans, please see his Young Families Rising agenda included below.

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Young Families Rising Agenda

“The greatness of America is the promise that every generation will give children the chance to rise higher, dream bigger, live greater. But today’s young adults are the first to come of age during the middle class squeeze, facing high levels of debt, stagnant wages, and rising costs of things like health care and energy. I am fighting to make sure every family has the same chance to get started in life and build a better future” – John Edwards

Today’s young adults are struggling to gain a foothold in an increasingly slippery economy. Over the course of the 20th century, America built the strongest middle class in history due to a basic bargain that delivered to millions of workers job security, upward mobility, and critical benefits like health coverage and a secure retirement. But globalization, technology and demographic changes have transformed our economy in challenging ways, while Washington puts narrow interests ahead of the middle class. This generation is the first to start their adult lives in a nation where wages are stagnant, benefits are disappearing, college and credit-card debts are larger than ever, and the cost of middle-class necessities like affordable housing, health coverage and child care keep going up.

America’s challenge today is to help young families pass on a better life to the next generation. Today, John Edwards announced his four-part Young Families Rising agenda: (1) helping young adults out of debt and start saving, (2) helping young families balancing their jobs and home life, (3) guaranteeing true universal health care, and (4) creating more good jobs.

The Edwards agenda will address the challenges of today’s economy that are hitting young Americans just as they try to start their lives and begin families:

Young Men and Women Earning Less: Young men in their late 20s and early 30s earn less today than their fathers did at the same age, regardless of education. While young women have greater economic opportunities than before, they are still paid less than men. Families are working longer hours but their incomes remain stagnant. [Economic Mobility Project, 2007; IWPR, 2007; EPI, 2006]

Higher Costs for the Basics: Costs for middle-class essentials – including housing, health care, college, child care and transportation – have all outpaced wage growth. A child born in 2003 will cost middle-class families 15 percent more to raise than a child born in 1960, after adjusting for inflation. [Draut, 2005; USDA, 2003]

Losing Hope for the American Dream: More Americans are worried that the next generation will face fewer economic opportunities and less security and mobility. Only 30 percent of Americans think life will be better for the next generation. [Pew, 2006]

Protecting Young Adults from Debt and Helping Them Save

Make College More Affordable: The three-quarters of Iowa’s graduating college students who have debt owe $23,700, on average -- 25 percent more debt than the national average. Roughly one in five young adults report that student debt caused them to delay starting a family and forced them to change careers. Edwards will create a national College for Everyone initiative to pay public-college tuition, fees and books for students who work part-time, take a college-prep curriculum in high school, and stay out of trouble. [TICAS, 2007; Nellie Mae, 2003]

Rein in Credit Card and Other Abusive Lending: Today’s young adults are facing a radically transformed credit environment because interest rates were deregulated in 1978, which has led to looser lending standards and higher rates and fees. Today’s young adults spend more than double what their parents spent servicing debt. Edwards will require minimum protections on credit cards, such as restoring a 10-day grace before late fees and applying interest rate increases to future balances only. He will also create a new consumer watchdog agency – the Family Savings and Credit Commission – whose sole purpose will be to crack down on these kinds of predatory practices. [Draut, 2006]

Create Universal Retirement Accounts that Move from Job to Job: Americans who retire with a pension have nearly twice the annual income of those who depend only on Social Security and personal savings, but too few young families are able to start saving. Edwards will create a new universal retirement account available to all workers without another pension. Workers will be able to build up these savings accounts over the course of their careers, regardless of how many times they change jobs. Edwards will match worker contributions up to dollar-for-dollar on the first $500 with a new Get Ahead tax credit, far more valuable than the 10 percent or 15 percent tax deduction that many workers get today on retirement savings. [PRC, 2007; Gale, Gruber and Orszag, 2006]

Support Young Homebuyers: Home ownership is the foundation of the American Dream. But in recent years, unfair and irresponsible mortgages with “exploding” interest rates and hidden fees – combined with the housing slump – have meant quick profits for lenders and brokers but put millions of families at risk of losing their homes. Edwards will pass a tough new national law to prevent predatory lending abuses. The new Get Ahead tax credit will help families save for a home downpayment.

Helping Young Families Balance Their Jobs and Home Life

Offer Universal Preschool and Expand Affordable Child Care: More than two-thirds of mothers are working, most of them full time, but our workplace practices and public policies have not kept up with this new reality. Edwards will create a Great Promise early childhood education program for every four-year-old. For younger children, he will more than double the child care tax credit and create a national Smart Start initiative to work with local nonprofits to make child care higher quality, more available, and more affordable.

Provide Paid Leave to All Workers by 2014: Edwards will create a $2 billion National Family Trust to offer paid family and medical leave benefits to all workers by 2014, and he will make the federal government a model employer with a generous paid leave benefit.

Expand Job Protection under the Family and Medical Leave Act: Edwards will expand the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover 13 million more workers by reducing the threshold for exemption for the law from 50 workers to 25 workers. Because workers today often work one or more part-time jobs, he will also help long-term part-time workers.

Offer Paid Sick Days: Nearly half of all private-sector workers – and nearly 80 percent of low-wage workers – cannot miss a day’s work without losing pay or, in many cases, risking their jobs. Edwards will require businesses to offer their workers seven paid sick days a year, with pro-rated leave for part-timers. [IWPR, 2007]

Guaranteeing True Universal Health Care

Guarantee True Universal Health Care: In part because of the cost of health care, adults younger than age 35 are almost twice as likely as adults older than 45 to lack health insurance. There are now 18 million young adults without insurance, the largest single group. Edwards will take on the big insurance and drug companies and guarantee true universal health care for every man, woman and child in America. Employers will have to help cover their employees, the government will make insurance affordable with new reforms and subsidies, and all Americans will have insurance. His plan offers every American the option of a public plan that could evolve to a single payer system. [CDC, 2007; Demos, 2006]

Deliver Better Care at Lower Cost: Health care costs have consistently grown faster than wages for almost 50 years. Over the past five years alone, families have seen premiums grow by 90 percent while benefits have been cut. Edwards will take on the insurance and drug companies to cut needless waste in the health care system. He will also take much needed common-sense steps such as emphasizing preventive and primary care, requiring electronic medical records, and identifying and publicizing the most cost-effective treatments. Together these steps will save the average family $2,000 to 2,500 a year. [Kaiser Family Foundation, 2006]

Creating More Good Jobs with a Future

Invest in the Industries of the Future: Renewable sources of energy – including ethanol, biodiesel, wind and solar – can create new industries and at least 1 million new jobs. Edwards will establish the New Energy Economy Fund to jump start renewable energies with start-up capital and train over 150,000 workers for Green Collar jobs. He will also invest in other sources of innovation such as life sciences, technology and private-sector research.

Strengthen Workers’ Right to Organize: Union families earn up to 30 percent more than non-union families, but union membership has fallen from 30 percent of private-sector workers in 1973 to just 8 percent today. The right to choose a union is poorly enforced, full of loopholes, and routinely violated by employers. Edwards will enact the Employee Free Choice Act, vigorously enforce labor laws, and ban the use of permanent replacements for striking workers. [BLS, 2007; Census Bureau, 2007]

Create Economic Fairness for Independent Workers: Nontraditional workers – those who hold part-time, seasonal, temporary and freelance jobs or who work as independent contractors – now make up 30 percent of the labor force, and young adults hold nearly one-third of these jobs. Edwards will crack down on employers who misclassify their employees as independent contractors in order to avoid paying taxes and benefits. Independent workers will save thousands of dollars on individual premiums thanks to group purchasing pools in the health care market. [BusinessWeek, 5/23/2007; Freelancers Union, 2006; BLS, 2005]

Build Career Ladders: Two of the fields with the largest predicted job growth – health care and education –have both low-end and high-end positions and offer the potential for mobility. Edwards will invest in career ladders in these and other fields, helping low-wage workers to train on the job, gain new skills, and move into better jobs. For example, health care aides could become certified nurse assistants and registered nurses.


Paid for by John Edwards for President.