John Edwards in Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards
On Welfare & Poverty:
37M in poverty is a plague on America
America is the richest nation on the face of the earth. It is the richest nation in all of history. Yet in the middle of this abundance 37 million of us live in poverty. The problem is that a number lacks a human face.
Statistics do not struggle. They do not go to bed hungry, wake up cold, or give up on hope.
The real story is not the number but the people behind the number. The men, women, and children living in poverty--one in eight of us--do not have enough money for the food, shelter, and clothing they need.
One in eight. That is not a problem. That is not a challenge. That is a plague. And it is our national shame.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.256
Apr 2, 2007
On Environment:
Katrina gave a face to millions in poverty
When Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in 2005, suddenly the 37 millions of Americans in poverty had a face, thousands of faces. They were on the evening news, packed into the Superdome, hungry and thirsty and desperate, unable to flee. There was
nowhere for the poor to go. Americans saw their faces and they--we--responded with support, with resources, and with an awakened will to make a difference.The task before us is to harness that awakened will to conquer this plague once and for all.
The sad truth is that Katrina exposed only the smallest fraction of poverty’s victims. They live across the country in circumstances as varied as they are terrible. Many of them are jobless, but many are working. Many are homeless, but many are packed
into failed housing projects far from available work. Many live in inner cities, but many live in forgotten rural communities. Many lack a good education, and many are children who desperately need good schools they do not have.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.256-257
Apr 2, 2007
On Welfare & Poverty:
Poverty is America’s greatest challenge--for citizens & govt
Poverty is America’s great moral challenge in our time, and it will take all of us to meet it. This is not a problem that can be left to the government alone. This is a problem that requires the will and commitment of all of us, working as voters,
as citizens, and as neighbors. It requires us to make demands of our leaders and ourselves. I have talked to people living on the margins. I met a single mother with two children. She has a job that pays $9.50 an hour.
She told me about winters where the “choice was between lights and gas.” She chose the lights. No one who works hard should be faced with that kind of choice or that kind of worry.
Ending poverty may seem impossible, but it is not.
If we can put a man on the moon, nearly double the length of a human life, and put entire libraries on chips the size of postage stamps, then we can end poverty for those who want to work.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.257
Apr 2, 2007
On Social Security:
Social Security has lifted 13M seniors out of poverty
The truth is that ambitious goals, creative ideas, and practical solutions can make great progress against poverty. They already have. Amid the misery of the Great Depression, President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act.
Today Social Security lifts 13 million seniors out of poverty.Thirty years later our nation made more progress through the War on Poverty.
Since Medicare’s creation in 1965, poverty among the elderly has been reduced by nearly two-thirds. Medicaid provides healthcare for more than 52 million Americans.
Head Start has improved the health and school readiness of more than 20 million children.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.257-258
Apr 2, 2007
On Tax Reform:
EITC lifted 4.4M out of poverty and helped 22M others
The record of the past is not perfect. We made mistakes in the War on Poverty. At times, new government programs failed to reflect our belief in the values of work, family, and responsibility.
They gave too much money to bureaucracies and not enough to people. Nonetheless, there has been progress. IN the 1990s President Clinton dramatically expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit, which
President Ford created and President Reagan supported. The EITC reduces the taxes of low-income workers, which gives them an incentive to earn money and helps them save for the future.
In 2003, it helped 22 million low-income working families, and the EITC alone lifted 4.4 million people out of poverty, including 2.4 million children.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.258
Apr 2, 2007
On Welfare & Poverty:
Poverty is such low priority, we have no accurate statistics
However, it is clear that progress against poverty has stalled. The poverty rate is higher than it was 30 years ago. The public debate on poverty policies is stuck in a rut. One side downplays the importance of strong families and personal responsibility
The other side is driven by a deep skepticism of what government can accomplish. Both sides are right, and both sides are wrong: greater government efforts and greater personal responsibility are both necessary.
Poverty is such a low priority in Washington that politicians are not even interested in developing an accurate statistic. The official measure of Americans living in poverty is incomplete and out-of-date, according to the
National Academy of Sciences, and probably undercounts the number of the poor. We do not even count all the poor; this is a perfect metaphor for how poverty is ignored.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.258
Apr 2, 2007
On Civil Rights:
Equal opportunity needs to be active principle, not passive
Our nation was founded as the land of opportunity, and we should strive to provide equal opportunity. Americans willing to work should have access to entry-level jobs. Equality is one of the abiding principles on which
America is based; we need to make it an active principle, not a passive one. Every single child should attend a good school, and every adult would be able to get the job training he or she needs.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.259
Apr 2, 2007
On Welfare & Poverty:
Principles against poverty:work, opportunity, thrift, family
The seemingly unrelated problems faced by poor Americans are actually inextricably connected. The problems of poverty--too few jobs, debt, bad housing, bad schools, illness, and fragile families--cannot be understood or solved in isolation.However,
these problems do share one characteristic: the surest route to addressing them is by applying the time-tested ideals at the heart of the American bargain. Our nation was built on the values of hard work, equal opportunity, thrift, and strong families.
Today these principles light the way forward.
- Americans believe deeply in the value of work. Work is the pathway to success and security, but also the source of dignity and independence and self-respect.
- Our nation was founded as the land of
opportunity, and we should strive to provide equal opportunity.
- Anti-poverty programs should recognize the importance of savings.
- Americans believe in the importance of community, responsibility, and, most of all, family.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.259
Apr 2, 2007
On Families & Children:
Our nation was built on institution of strong families
Our nation was built on the values of hard work, equal opportunity, thrift, and strong families. Americans believe in the importance of community, responsibility, and, most of all, family. We need to strengthen this institution that--for most of us--
is the central work of our lives and the foundation of our own and our children’s success. The first financial cushion we need is a stable family, and the first lessons we learn about responsibility are learned in our homes.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.259-260
Apr 2, 2007
On Education:
Invest in rural community colleges as practical job training
It is important not to overlook rural America, as policymakers too often do. We should invest in community colleges, which provide practical job training, and rural small-business centers to help entrepreneur get off the ground.
Some willing workers cannot find jobs without skills, experience, or references. We know that innovative programs can help these workers.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.260
Apr 2, 2007
On Tax Reform:
Shift burden from taxing work to taxing wealth
We must build an economy that values work. For starters, that means reversing tax cuts that have shifted the tax burden away from wealth & onto work. Americans aspire to wealth, surely, but we honor and respect work, and our tax code should reflect that.
It also means guaranteeing workers a meaningful right to organize. With strong unions, service jobs can be the foundation of the middle class, as manufacturing jobs once were.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.260
Apr 2, 2007
On Jobs:
Strong unions can make services foundation of middle class
We must build an economy that values work. That means guaranteeing workers a meaningful right to organize. With strong unions, service jobs can be the foundation of the middle class, as manufacturing jobs once were.
That means raising the minimum wage, which in 2006 reached its lowest point since 1955. Some willing workers cannot find jobs without skills, experience, or references.
We know that innovative programs can help these workers. And we know--because we have seen it work--that the government can create short-term jobs to serve as stepping-stones,
helping people work their way out of poverty now and get the experience they need for better jobs in the future.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.260-261
Apr 2, 2007
On Budget & Economy:
Asset gap: Poorest 25% of Americans have negative net worth
Savings are a key to financial security and a better future, but they are a missing part of the equation for many American families. The poorest 25% of American households have a negative net worth. The asset gap divides America along racial lines.
While the typical white family has nearly $90,000 in assets, the typical Hispanic family has only about $8,000 and the typical African-American family only about $6,000.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.261
Apr 2, 2007
On Tax Reform:
Progressive tax credit for first-time homebuyers
Homeownership is important in promoting economic security and building household wealth. A progressive tax credit could remedy inequalities in our tax code and help millions of first-time homebuyers.
I have previously proposed a work bonds tax credit that would give low-income workers $500 toward a new bank account or safe investment fund.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.261
Apr 2, 2007
On Welfare & Poverty:
Give poor a stake with “automatic 401k” & kids’ savings
There are a variety of strategies to give more Americans a stake in our economy. - Children’s Savings Accounts have real potential. Imagine how a few thousand dollars in the bank can transform a poor child’s sense of hope and possibility for the
future.
- A progressive tax credit could remedy inequalities in our tax code and help millions of first-time homebuyers.
- A work bonds tax credit that would give low-income workers $500 toward a new bank account or safe investment fund.
-
An “automatic 401(k) ” proposal is a proven method to encourage retirement savings.
- An initiative to establish bank accounts for the 22 million American households without them. These families--who can ill afford any unnecessary expenses--pay check
cashers billions of dollars every year for services most banks provide for free.
- Finally, strong protections against predatory lending would protect the assets that families have worked hard to build.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.261
Apr 2, 2007
On Education:
College for Everyone pilot: $300,000 to 80 N.C. students
My program “College for Everyone” would make the 1st year of college free for all qualified students who take a part-time job. Over the last 2 years this idea has become a reality. A pilot program in Greene County SC has provided over $300,000 in aid to
more than 80 students, & college enrollment has increased by 25%. Many of these students never dreamed of going to college, & they now know that if they are willing to work hard, college is a real option. Every child deserves the same opportunity.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.262
Apr 2, 2007
On Education:
Create “Second Chance” schools to get dropouts back on track
There is no challenge more central to the fight against poverty than giving every American the opportunities created by a good education. Our nation is failing to offer an adequate education to every child. Today almost one in three students does not
graduate from high school. The numbers are even higher for minority students, who on average, are four years behind their peers by the end of high school. Meanwhile those students who do graduate from high school are finding college tuition growing
faster than family incomes, student debt rising, and scholarship aid failing to keep pace. Not surprisingly in this environment, qualified students from low-income families are far less likely to enroll in college than their peers. We need to
transform education at every level, from expanding preschool opportunities to paying teachers more to teach where we need them most, from reforming our underperforming high schools to creating 2nd -Chance schools to help former dropouts get back on track
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.262
Apr 2, 2007
On Welfare & Poverty:
Housing vouchers, not housing projects
We should fight concentrated poverty with a combination of strategies for both inner-city neighborhoods and the broader regional economies. We should also expand housing vouchers. Vouchers--rather than housing projects built in low-income areas--allow
families to escape to safe communities with good schools. We can get better results at lower cost by radically overhauling the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and giving more authority to states and cities.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.262
Apr 2, 2007
On Families & Children:
End marriage penalty for absent poor fathers
In too many poor communities marriage is the exception, and male responsibility is not what it should be. Children who grow up without fathers are much more likely to be poor and at greater risk for a host of problems into adulthood.
To strengthen families, we should address the marriage penalty that still hits many poor workers with a massive tax increase if they choose to get married.
Welfare reform has helped reduce poverty rates among single mothers., but too many young men, particularly young black men, remain cut off from the hopes and routines of ordinary American life.
We need to finish the job of welfare reform by encouraging young fathers to work and take responsibility for their children. Low employment levels for single men are linked to low levels of marriage and high levels of out-of-wedlock births.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.262-263
Apr 2, 2007
On Families & Children:
Invest in proven programs to reduce teen pregnancy
We can build on recent progress in reducing teen pregnancy by investing in proven programs. At the same time, we must recognize that the government cannot do everything. Teens are profoundly influenced by the attitudes & behaviors of adults. All of us
need to send an unambiguous message to the young people in our communities. We need to clearly say that it is wrong when young men father children but do not support them. And it is wrong when girls & young women bear children they are not ready to raise
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.263
Apr 2, 2007
On Corporations:
Record corporate profits don’t benefit tenuous middle class
Millions of families have only the most tenuous hold on their middle-class status. While corporate profits have increased over the last several years, most working Americans have not reaped the benefits.
Median household income fell by 2.7% between 2000 and 2005 after inflation. Corporate profits now make up a larger portion of America’s gross domestic product than at any other time since the1960s.
In contrast, salaries and wages now make up a lower share of the economy than they have at any time since the government began recording the data in 1929.
The rate of upward mobility--the core of the American dream--is stagnant or even declining.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.263-264
Apr 2, 2007
On Welfare & Poverty:
30-year goal: Ending poverty in America
People ask what they can do to fight poverty. Getting involved in your community is the first step. That is as simple as finding some place to volunteer--as a mentor for a young person, a caregiver for an elderly person, or a homebuilder for a homeless
family.If we are going to build a national movement that demands actions from our leaders, each of us also needs to participate in the policy debate and raise awareness among friends and neighbors. We should all pledge to keep talking about poverty
until it is at the top of the national agenda. And we should pledge to hold our government accountable for ignoring the suffering of so many for so long.
We should not be satisfied with a modest improvement. Let us set a national goal--the elimination
of poverty in America in 30 years. It will not be easy, but I believe in the unlimited power of the American people to accomplish anything we set our hearts and minds to achieve. If we do not rest until poverty is history, it will be.
Source: Ending Poverty in America, by John Edwards, p.266
Apr 2, 2007