April 1, 2003
Blazing the Campaign Trail
Presidential Candidate Sen. Edwards Addresses Family
Policies at GW
Presidential hopeful Sen. John Edwards (DNC)
chose the Jack Morton Auditorium in GWs Media and Public Affairs
Building to outline his plan to strengthen American families March 12.
In describing the challenges facing parents today, he outlined an ambitious
agenda to strengthen American families, the centerpiece of which is
a $2,500 tax credit for new parents so they can afford to spend more
time with their children.
Edwards plan for American families calls for expanding of quality
after-school programs, cracking down on alcohol ads aimed at youths,
curbing teen pregnancies, and blocking unwanted E-mail messages that
foil anti-pornography filters on the Internet.
I believe we can do better by Americas families, Edwards
said. First, we need to give parents more choices at work and
more time at home through tax breaks and family leave. Second, we should
offer high-quality after-school opportunities for every child who needs
somewhere to go. Third, we need to make sure we underscore, not undermine,
the good values parents teach. And fourth, we have to demand that both
parents take responsibility for their children.
Before Sept. 11, this administrations central domestic policy
was budget-busting tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Today, even
as the bill for those tax cuts continues to climb, the cost of war is
terribly unclear, the litany of unmet domestic security needs remains
ignored, and families are struggling to make ends meet, what is the
administrations central domestic policy? Budget-busting tax cuts
for the wealthiest Americans.
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