Posted on 09/18/2005 2:09:26 PM PDT by lunarbicep
INDIANOLA, Iowa - Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards called Sunday for a return of depression era jobs programs to rebuild the hurricane ravaged Gulf Coast.
Edwards said those programs would give new hope and money to victims of Hurricane Katrina as well as rebuild shattered cities, such as New Orleans.
He used the Work Products Administration as an example of a depression era program that built parks, bridges and other facilities that are still being used.
"We ought to have a new WPA like was used during the depression to create jobs, and we ought to bring those folks who have been displaced back into New Orleans to rebuild their city," Edwards said. "Give them a decent wage and decent benefits. That's the way to help rebuild New Orleans they way it should be built.
"Not just rebuild the city, but rebuild people's lives," he said.
Edwards spoke to more than 1,300 hard-core Democratic activists at Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry, just outside Indianola.
Since the last presidential election, where he was nominee John Kerry's running mate, Edwards has opened a center for the study of poverty issues at the University of North Carolina.
He is traveling the country, making the case that the nation needs to face the growing level of poverty. He's made four stops in Iowa, where precinct caucuses launch the presidential nominating season.
Edwards said Hurricane Katrina has focused the nation's attention on poverty, because so many victims of the storm are poor.
He said that attention gives the country's political leaders an opportunity to make progress on the issue.
"The real issue is, in this window where people are paying attention, will we have leadership that sustains the effort?" Edwards said.
Edwards criticized President Bush's response to the storm, saying it showed a lack of understanding of the poor in America.
"He has consistently shown a lack of understanding," Edwards said.
He said a Bush relief proposal would give victims money in bank accounts that most don't have.
"He's talking about putting this money into people's bank accounts," Edwards said. "Most of these people don't have bank accounts."
Edwards said Bush also has suspended laws that require that the prevailing wage be paid on reconstruction projects.
"That's insane," he said. "What these people need is a decent wage. It's the reason so many of them are living in poverty to begin with."
Edwards has left little doubt that he's interested in another run for the Democratic presidential nomination, and being the keynote speaker at Harkins' steak fry was a plum assignment.
It's one of the largest Democratic events of the year, and allows Edwards to rebuild contacts he made during the 2004 campaign.
In his fiery speech, Edwards said the war on poverty takes Democrats back to their roots.
He said 1 million people have slipped into poverty in just the last year, a decline in living caused by Republican policies.
"We don't need another Republican party," he said. "We need to be Democrats because this party gives voice to people who have no voice, and they never needed it more than they do now."
Harkin has held his annual steak fry for 28 years and he echoed Edwards theme, pointing to the haunting images of the poor living in misery.
"I'll say this about Hurricane Katrina ... it opened our eyes," Harkin said.
Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson, who also heads the Iowa Democratic Party, said the momentum started by the steak fry is badly needed because the party faces a tough round of elections next year, including defending the governor's office.
Edwards said he'll be back often and that his theme won't change.
"Katrina has focused the country's attention on an issue that doesn't just exist on the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, but it exists all across the country and we need to take this window opportunity and act."
It doesn't take a pundit's input to achieve a liking of Judge Roberts for us who watched the "inquisition" live on C-SPAN.
"e careful what you accuse the left of because we (the right)are now giving out bigger handouts than the democrats ever did.....;)"
The Roman Empire fell in large part because of politicians increasingly handing out taxpayer money in order to get votes.
Seems history is repeating itself.
These liberals really are CRAZY. Don't they realize that FDR's welfare-state programs started us down our current socialist path?
Is it that these folks don't recognise the danger of their desires; or is it that they DO and just don't care?
No, he didn't, and he doesn't. The New Deal was a giant welfare program. What Bush was talking about is enterprise zones, job training (for private sector work), and home ownership.
Which approach don't you understand?
If John Edwards were to give back many of the millions he extracted from health-care providers and insuarnce companies with junk science lawsuits and extoll those in his profession to do likewise, just think how much there would be to rebuild.
Translation: John Edwards is depressed. He realizes that his brief political life is all but over, and so he's huffing some smoke to try to distract himself.
If you loved the New Deal you'll love the New Deal.
Sad when a political party considers its glory days those of the Great Depression, ain't it?
I don't know if the WPA fits today but I remember walking to school in NYC when Roosevelt got elected. The NRA [National Recovery Act] Blue Eagle sticker was in every store window I passed and store radios and loudspeakers were blaring "Happy Days Are Here Again". Hope was a powerful pick-me-up then. Needed today? I'll leave that to those above my pay grade.
John Edwards calls for return of depression era programs to build a Breck hair spray factory.
Not only did these alphabet programs deepen the depression, it took WWII to get us out the mess FDR was creating. And the mess keeps on today.
If we can just get the government out of our business and lives maybe we could move forward.
Problem is....do many of those people you saw on TV look like they are "starving?" People who are really POOR, do not have TV's, DVD's, and a great deal of extra body weight.
I doubt you could get welfare recipients to work for wages after 70 years of FDR handouts. My Uncle was in the WPA.
I didn't say it did. I'm saying that none of the pundist or reporters or attorneys who are conservatives dislike the man or think he shouldn't be confirmed.
Vs. freepers who tell us they are conservative but in fact, imo, are merely here to stir dissent and don't support anything the president does.
Judge Roberts will be confirmed unanimously and the focus placed upon his confirmation is nothing but political showing.
Digging of graves for politicians who are showboating IMO.
Uh, John, most people just want the money without having to work for it. This is your party's welfare state coming home to roost.
I agree the senators were showboating. They talked for 15 minutes or more, asked a question, and when Roberts tried to answer, they interrupted and said their time was running out. LOL
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