Photos from Dubuque, Iowa

SOAR members and Steelworkers are working in Dubuque, Iowa, volunteering with the John Edwards campaign. After long hours of door knocking, leafleting, mailing, and phone calling, they sometimes find time to relax and share the days accomplishments.

Some photos taken of this group of volunteers can be seen by clicking here.

Edwards Moving up in the polls with help from Steelworkers and SOAR

Steelworkers and members of SOAR brave the Iowa cold to support John Edwards for President. This photo was taken in Dubuque, Iowa. All those pictured are from Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Steelworkers and members of SOAR (Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees) greet John Edwards in Dubuque, Iowa as he continues his travels throughout the state in his bid for President of the United States. Both organizations have endorsed John because of his positions on issues affecting working families and retirees.

John Edwards, "A Fight I Was Born For"

Steelworkers and SOAR members in Iowa

Go to the following website to follow the USW's efforts in electing John Edwards as the Democratic nominee for the 2008 Presidential Election.

www.activistcorps.org

New USW Local 12775 Website

USW Local 12775 has a new website. Be sure to check it out here.

Iowans--Go to caucus January 3!!

Smart And Safe Trade Policies-John Edwards

"Behind all these numbers and statistics are the faces of millions of Americans forgotten in our trade deals. Well, I can tell you that I will never forget them. I saw what happened when the mill that my dad worked in all his life, and where I worked myself when I was young, closed and the jobs went somewhere else. It wasn't just devastating to our community economically - it was devastating to the pride and dignity of the people who worked hard every day trying to make a better life for their Kids."
(Remarks on "Smart Trade that Puts Workers First," August 6, 2007)

"If we want trade policies that work for working Americans, we need John Edwards. He's the only candidate with real plans to ensure that working families get their fair share of the benefits of economic growth."
-Leo Gerard, President, United Steelworkers

Toxic Toy Jingle

The Promise of America

“I carry the promise of America in my heart, where my parents placed it. Like them, like you, I believe in people, hard work and the sacred obligation of each generation to the next."

“This is our time now. It falls to us to redeem our democracy, reclaim our government and relight the promise of America for our children.”

“We have to stop using words like ‘access to health care’ when we know those words mean something less than universal care. Who are you willing to leave behind without care? Which family? Which child? We need a truly universal solution, and we need it now.

“I donʹt believe you can sit down at a table with lobbyists for drug companies and insurance companies and negotiate your way to universal care. They are dead‐set against this. Itʹs going to take a president who can take them on and beat them. Thatʹs what Iʹve been doing my whole life."

John Edwards

Source: The Plan to Build One America by John Edwards

What's The Most Important Meeting?

"The most important meeting.............is the meeting after the meeting"

Lynn Williams, SOAR President, Emeritus

John Edwards' Declaration of Independence For Older Americans

A DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE FOR
OLDER AMERICANS

“It’s time for a new kind of declaration of independence – a commitment to helping older Americans live independently, with choice over their health care, financial security and lifestyle. It’s not enough to congratulate ourselves on living longer, if we are not living stronger.

“Social Security is one of the most successful government programs in history, but it is also more than that – it is a promise between generations. I am committed to honoring the promise and protecting retirement benefits for working Americans.”

Summary

John Edwards’ agenda for older Americans is based on the values of security, dignity and choice to help every older American live as independently as they desire.

The Edwards Plan for Seniors

• Ensure financial independence
• Guarantee health security
• Promote living with dignity

Ensure Financial Independence

• Keep the promise of Social Security.
• Honor pension promises and help families save with a universal, portable retirement account.
• Fight predatory lenders.
• Preserve older Americans’ freedom to work.

Guarantee Health Security

• Protect the future of Medicare with cost‐effective health care reform that improves quality.
• Allow Medicare to negotiate drug costs with drug makers, address the “doughnut hole” in the drug benefit, give beneficiaries the choice of a public plan for their prescription drugs and permit safe drug reimportation from Canada.
• Train more doctors and nurses in geriatrics.

Promote Living With Dignity

• Edwards will promote the choice of home‐based care, supportive living options like senior villages and accessible transportation, while improving nursing homes and cracking down on elder abuse.

For John Edwards' full plan for older Americans, visit www.johnedwards.com/seniors

Source: John Edwards08, The Plan to Build One America, Bold Solutions for Real Change

John Edwards Plan to Build One America

Dear Friend:
America is facing great challenges. We need bold ideas for change that are equal to the problems we face. And especially now, our country needs to hear the truth from its leaders.

The truth is that Washington is broken – rigged by the powerful special interests and lobbyists to benefit the very few at the expense of the rest of us. Because our government no longer works for most families, we risk becoming the first generation of Americans that fails to pass on a better life to our children.

This is not the America I believe in. Together, we can reclaim our government and redeem the promise of America for our children. You have a uniquely important responsibility. You are the guardians not only of what kind of president we’ll have, but what kind of future we’ll leave to our children.

You deserve real substance, not mere rhetoric. By describing my detailed plans, I hope this will allow you to make an informed decision. It includes my proposals to:

End the War in Iraq: We should immediately withdraw 40,000 to 50,000 combat troops and bring home the rest within nine to ten months. We also need a “diplomatic surge” to engage all nations in the region in reaching a political solution in Iraq.

Guarantee Universal Health Care: This is a moral issue. I will stand up to the big drug and insurance companies and guarantee health care for every American, while cutting costs and improving care. My plan costs $90 billion to $120 billion. To pay for it, I will repeal the Bush tax cuts for families above $200,000 a year.

Support Middle‐Class Families: I will raise the minimum wage, strengthen workers’ rights to organize and reject bad trade deals. I will help families save, cut taxes for middle‐class families, protect pensions and lift millions out of poverty.

Teach Our Children: We must end No Child Left Behind’s punitive approach and restore a comprehensive curriculum. I support universal early childhood education, smaller classes and better teacher pay. My College for Everyone plan will make college affordable for every student willing to work part‐time.

Achieve Energy Independence and Fight Global Warming: The crisis of global warming demands action today. I will cap and reduce greenhouse gases by 80 percent by 2050, as scientists say is necessary, and invest in innovation and renewable energy to create new jobs that cannot be sent overseas.

Revitalize Rural America: My Rural Recovery Act will invest in local Main Street businesses, attract new industries like renewable energy and strengthen rural schools. I will stand up for family farms with country‐of‐origin labeling, antitrust enforcement, a ban on packer ownership and a moratorium on building or expanding concentrated animal feeding operations.

Together, we can – and will – redeem our country’s promise and our children’s future.

Source: excepts from John Edwads 08 The Plan to build One America
Bold Solutions for Real Change

John Edwards will Clean up the Mess