Posted on 01/31/2006 8:28:29 PM PST by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in a nationally televised Spanish-language speech, faulted the White House Tuesday for policies he said pushed more Americans into poverty and failed to address a crisis in education.
"America can do better," the mayor said in response to President Bush's State of the Union address.
"Under this administration, 4 million people have fallen from the working class into the ranks of the poor," the mayor said. "Six million children are on the verge of failing out of school and 11 million Americans can't read a bus schedule or fill out a job application.
"I'm worried that too many hardworking Americans are earning less and losing faith. And I'm concerned that we're not investing enough in our children," he said in the address carried on the Univivision network. Excerpts of his remarks were also released before the speech.
Villaraigosa, the first Hispanic to lead Los Angeles in more than a century, was selected by Democratic leaders in Congress to deliver remarks aimed at the nation's Spanish speakers. Hispanics are the nation's largest minority group.
Although mayor of Los Angeles is a nonpartisan office, Villaraigosa is a longtime Democrat and former speaker of the California Assembly.
His speech was broadly critical of the White House on issues from the national debt to job training, but at the same time he appealed for unity to address those problems.
"Above all, Democrats want to unite this country again," he said. "We are all in this together."
Villaraigosa was one of two Democrats selected to provide the party's official response to Bush's speech. Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine was chosen to deliver a Democratic response in English.
Villaraigosa, a national co-chair of Sen. John Kerry's 2004 Democratic presidential campaign, is no friend of the White House. In a speech in Washington last week, he criticized the level of federal aid for the poor and tax cuts for the wealthy.
In his remarks Tuesday, Villaraigosa, the son of a Mexican immigrant, referred to his hardscrabble youth and his single mother's efforts to hold her family together. There is an obligation to help those less fortunate, he said.
He also noted that 39 percent of the nation's Latinos don't have access to health insurance.
"We can't be a healthy nation if we don't face this challenge once and for all," he said.
With his election last year, Villaraigosa became one of the nation's most prominent Hispanic politicians. Spanish, however, is his second language; he spoke English growing up.
He also noted that 39 percent of the nation's Latinos don't have access to health insurance.
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39% are probably illegal as well.
Speak English, Tony.
Go back to Mexico and see what you get.
Hey Villaraigosa, get the BLEEP out of my country.
Ladrar es el murciélago de Luna.
(Barking is the bat of the moon.)
After hearing Gov Kaine's speech - I see the new talking points are "we can do better" - meaning the dems want the public to believe they can do better than repubs in running the government.
But .. when the first 5 items in their agenda DO NOT INCLUDE NATIONAL SECURITY .. surely they jest that they can "do better".
Is he speaking for MECHA, or the Democratic Party?
Or in Spanish that was, "América puede hacer mejor"
Well, my sentence structure probably sucks pretty bad. :-)
It's either "pendejo" o "palo de la luna el raspar." Take your pick. :)
Well, they do work cheap. But, you get what you pay for, lol.
Could it be Mexico is pulling US down with them.
"Mierda", I think...although "puto", "payaso" and "cabron" would work just as well.
?Hay una diferencia?
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