If we care about ending poverty and if we agree that Senator John Edwards has the best plan to end poverty as we know it within 30 years, we may ask ourselves:
How do we talk about John Edwards' ideas on the issue of Poverty to our friends and neighbors?
To help you, I have broken down a speech made last fall at the University of Buffalo/Amherst campus by Senator Edwards, before he had announced his candidacy for POTUS-08 and while he was still running the Center on Poverty at Chapel Hill, NC. He gave the keynote speech at a Symposium on Poverty in Western New York.
*I apologize in advance for a few blurry parts. The film was troublesome, but most of the video is very clear.
Points to Make:
Ending poverty is a great moral cause.
Millions of people wake up each morning worrying about feeding and clothing their children. They wake up each day worrying about having a decent place to live. They worry about affording healthcare.
We're better than this.
America cares about this issue.
What we choose to do about 37 million people who live in poverty says something about who we are.
The world will see America's true and decent character when they see us acting to eliminate poverty here and around the world. It sets a great example.
After Hurricane Katrina, the government was a mess in its response. America was not. Americans volunteered and made huge contributions to help the victims.
A huge hunger exists in America to feel good about our country, to engage in a cause that is bigger than ourselves.
The will of the American people is not what is missing. National leadership has been the missing element; the hurdle we can't seem to get over when it comes to finding ways to end poverty.
21.jpg)
.JPG)
0 comments:
Post a Comment