Free Republic

If they retake control of Congress, Democrats will act quickly to increase the minimum wage, lower prescription drug costs and slash interest rates on student loans, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said Saturday. The ideas are part of the Democrats' new domestic agenda, named "New Direction for America," which the party rolled out during the past week. Pelosi, D-Calif., used the party's Saturday radio address to promote the plan. "A new direction means expanding access to affordable health care for Americans. We will begin by lowering the cost of prescription drugs by putting seniors ahead of pharmaceutical companies and HMOs,"...

COLTON - Calling teaching the nation's "most important work," Democratic presidential challenger John Kerry on Thursday unveiled a $30 billion, 10-year initiative to increase teacher pay while imposing stricter standards on instructors. The Massachusetts senator, on the second day of a two-day Southern California campaign swing, called for a "new bargain" for teachers and children that would recruit and retain 500,000 teachers over four years. "Children and schools together have been abandoned by misplaced priorities," he told students, teachers and supporters at San Bernardino County's Colton High School. "And teachers, the front-line troops in too many battlegrounds in our country,...

<p>In his first major address since taking office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger focused on his plans to improve the state's business climate, reduce government waste and improve public education.</p> <p>The speech, delivered to a worldwide television audience as well as a joint session of the California Legislature, set an aggressive legislative agenda for the coming year for the new administration while also marking a turning point in the transition of the Hollywood idol into the political leader of the nation's most populous state.</p>