What we're fighting for: an economy that works for all

[heidi]

Yesterday, we made a spur-of-the-moment stop at a construction site in Davenport, Iowa, where we spotted a very large Kerry-Edwards banner on display. I had a chance to talk to some of the workers there and to listen to their concerns about the economy. Just an hour later, I spoke at an economic summit with business leaders where I heard CEOs of some of America's largest corporations voicing the same concerns. The day underscored that all of us are in this together.

This week, I have been writing to you each day from the road about a different piece of the plan John Edwards and I have laid out for a stronger America. Today, I would like to talk about our commonsense plan to cut the deficit in half, make health care affordable, support small business, and improve our schools:

1. Cut middle class taxes: Let me be very clear: I will not raise taxes on middle-class Americans by one dime -- I will cut them, including tax cuts to make health care and education more affordable. 98 percent of Americans will pay less taxes under my plan, period.

2. Repeal Bush's tax cuts for the elite to pay for health and education: I will make health care affordable and accessible for all Americans and invest in education by rolling back the Bush tax cuts for individuals making over $200,000 per year.

3. Get government spending under control: I will restore the spending caps of the 1990s to ensure that spending -- outside of education and security -- does not grow faster than inflation.

4. End corporate welfare to reduce the deficit: I will push the McCain-Kerry Corporate Welfare Commission to eliminate wasteful and unnecessary corporate subsidies, and I will use the savings to reduce the deficit.

5. Reduce the corporate tax rate by 5 percent by ending tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas.

6. Provide significant relief to employers who offer their employees quality health coverage. Our plan will cover certain high-cost health cases and save families up to $1,000 per year.

View our full plan here: http://johnkerry.com/plan

One of the most powerful voices we heard from at the roundtable yesterday was that of Peter Chernin, President and COO of News Corporation and CEO of the Fox Group. Here is some of what Peter had to say:

"The deficit is just plain bad for the country and bad for business. I don't think you can fight two wars, one internationally and one domestically, and at the same time cut taxes for the wealthy.

The next issue is healthcare. I think improving healthcare and supporting healthcare is not only good public policy, it's also good business policy. Healthcare costs are choking American business -- clearly small businesses -- but also big businesses like my own where healthcare costs tend to rise by double to triple the rate of inflation.

Third is help for small businesses. Small businesses are the job creation engines of America. And I think the Kerry-Edwards plan, which calls for a tax credit for the creation of new jobs and helps share the burden of health care costs, will be a real boost to small businesses."

John Edwards and I can only achieve our plan for a stronger America with your help. We have said that we want five million voices to reach out to the 55 million voters we need to win on November 2. By learning about our plan for America -- by learning the specifics of what we're fighting for in this campaign -- you can be one of those voices, spreading hope, building optimism, and bringing new energy to our campaign every day. Please take the time to read our plan today:

http://johnkerry.com/plan

Sincerely,

John Kerry

P.S. Today, I'd like to call especially on leaders of businesses large and small to join and endorse our campaign. Your leadership and experience will make our campaign stronger. Sign up here:

http://www.johnkerry.com/businessleaders


Sign up to be a volunteer today:
http://volunteer.johnkerry.com/redirs/www/

Comments

[shezan.livejournal.com]

The betas said: not all your Flist is Democrat...

*sigh*

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but I'm going after the independents, people like my husband and my father, who don't necessarily get this depth of information from tv news.

[shezan.livejournal.com]

Your father and your husband might vote for Bush?

*perks up*

;-)

[greyandgrey.livejournal.com]

I have a mother and a father who might vote for Bush, a grandmother and an aunt who definitely will, and a brother who may no vote at all. I'm trying my damndest to get them all to vote for Kerry, since I can't. I made my parents watch the entirety of the DNC, I sent my brother the link to an absentee voter website with a plee to vote KerryEdwards, and I vainly protest Bush's policies to my stubborn Republican relatives who really are a lost cause

[shezan.livejournal.com]

See, me, I'm the red-stater in a family of blue-staters, and they're all mumbling things like grumbleswitchedatbirthmuttergrumble, so the ratio in your family is making me smile...

[heidi8.livejournal.com]

Ha, not anymore! My dad is a republican and my husband an independent and they are both voting for, and donating to, Kerry/Edwards. Bush is really alienating lawyers with things like his untruths about being able to be pro-doctor and pro-trial lawyer, among other things. Why vote for someone who hates you and/or your colleagues? Why vote for someone whose idea of supporting doctors and scientists is to remove the ability of government health fund programs to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies, and restrict expert attendence at conferences because of political beliefs and, even worse, scientific specialties? My grandfather, the Nixon-supporting surgeon who battled C Everett Koop for the chance to do transplants in the hospital they both worked for, would be horrified (Koop thought organ transplants were an affront to God, back in the 50s. My grandfather thought they were lifesavers; he was right.).

[bordergold.livejournal.com]

You've gotten me to a point where, even though I don't actively support Kerry, I won't stab myself with a hair pin if he does end up in the White House.

But I don't think anything will reconcile me to Theresa =)

[airemay.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting this. I know when I tried to read this on his website I got so confused. Perhaps I should subscribe to his newsletter thing. :)

[virginia-bell.livejournal.com]

I signed up! Just this morning...well, yesterday morning, since it's now 2 AM. I'm still depressed that I can't vote yet. Oh, well, I can make others vote for me. I cannot wait for the part where I go around and knock on people's doors and tell them to vote Kerry.

Signing off, V.M. Bell

[marksykins.livejournal.com]

Since I think of you as the fandom center for Dem news, this is upsetting some people, just for the heads-up:

http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/08/080504edwardsMis.htm

I was already aware of their beliefs about this, and they're not losing my vote because I'm so anti-Bush (and, hell, it's not like he wouldn't say the same), but it still makes me sigh and shake my head sadly.

Politics make me really, really tired.

[greyandgrey.livejournal.com]

Well, at least I have a whole other side of the family which is voting Democratic: 3 cousins, an Aunt, and 2 grandparents who are all vehamently anti-Bush in addition to voting in favour of stem cell research (ie, Dem) That's really the single most important issue in my family b/c my cousin has a spinal chord injury and is paralized from the chest down. It really is making me wonder as to why my parents are so torn...

[datta.livejournal.com]

Yes, it makes me angry too. Kerry isn't liberal ENOUGH for me, but he's better than the alternative...

It just strikes me that the last time we had an issue and said individual states could decide on their own? Slavery.