Opportunities For All

America deserves a president who understands the people of this country and will stop at nothing to create opportunity for everyone. All of our children should share in the simple promise of America: if you work hard and do the right thing, our country will give you the chance to build a better life for your family.

And yet, in the first years of what ought to be America’s greatest century, too many of our leaders have walked away from the values that got us here: work, responsibility, country, a fair shake for all and a free ride for none.

We’ve lost more than three million private jobs under President Bush, and middle class families are one pink slip or one medical emergency away from bankruptcy. This president does nothing about it. Year after year, he cuts taxes on the unearned income of the wealthy and heaps more of the burden on people who work. Under George W. Bush, a multimillionaire sitting by the pool pays less in taxes than his secretary working overtime. The president’s agenda has enriched the insiders who funded his campaign, yet underfunded education and health care for all our children.

These are not America’s values. Before I ran for president, I thought long and hard about the kind of ideas and solutions we need to get our country back on track, and as the campaign has progressed, I have added more details and specifics to my proposals. I know exactly what I want to do when I walk into the Oval Office, and I want to share my ideas with every American. I think that you deserve to know where I stand on every issue and that’s why I have compiled my ideas in a 60-page book called “Real Solutions for America.”

When I am president, I will stand up for a simple principle that ordinary Americans should not pay higher taxes on the work they do than the most fortunate pay on the wealth they own. I will eliminate President Bush’s irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthiest, preserve the cuts that help the middle class and offer new tax cuts that help middle-class families achieve some financial security again. I will match every $1 in private savings with $1 in refundable tax credits, up to $1,000 each year. A worker who saves the maximum under this plan every year from age 25 to retirement will have a nest egg of $200,000. To help families realize the American dream, I’ll also give a $5,000 tax credit for struggling families to put towards the down payment on their first home.

Some in Washington are pushing tax proposals that could encourage corporations to move overseas. At a time when America has lost over 2 million manufacturing jobs, we should shut down tax loopholes that encourage companies to take jobs abroad. Instead, we should offer tax incentives for companies to manufacture here in America, like a 10 percent tax credit for corporations that produce goods here and keep jobs at home. And we should be bringing venture capital to areas hard-hit by job loss, especially rural communities with entrepreneurs eager to start small businesses if they can only get some help. We should be exporting American products, not American jobs.

And we need to invest in education again, because it is the key to every child’s future. I want to make sure our teachers get the pay and respect they deserve. My “College for Everyone” program provides every person the chance to go to college by making the first year tuition-free if they are willing to work for about 10 hours each week. Providing a free year of college tuition will eliminate the sticker shock that scares off so many kids. Having worked my own way through college, I know that the work won’t hurt young people a bit.

I’ve also proposed a series of measures to limit the influence of lobbyists and special interests in Washington. First, I’d ban members of Congress and the president from taking campaign contributions from federally registered lobbyists. I’m the only presidential candidate, Democrat or Republican, who has never taken money from federal lobbyists or Political Action Committees, and I never will.

Second, I’d close the revolving door between lobbyist shops and top government jobs. Just recently we’ve seen administration officials like former Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joe M. Allbaugh moving into the private sector to set up lobbying shops and profit from their insider connections. At the same time, President Bush has appointed top lobbyists to government positions where they are supposed to regulate their former clients. I’d close this revolving door by barring former top officials from lobbying the government for five years, and stopping lobbyists from taking high-level regulatory positions for one year.

Third, I’d shine a bright light on backroom meetings and secret favors that too often influence legislation by requiring lobbyists to disclose and report their clients and the politicians they meet with every two weeks instead of once every six months. I would also stop last-minute special-interest riders by establishing a seven-day waiting period for legislation. This will allow legislators and the public to examine bills before they are rushed through.

It is time for us to take down the “for sale” sign at the White House and put back a sign that reads “for the people.” It is our government and it should work for all of us, not just the privileged few.

For me, opportunity for all is not just another slogan. My dad worked his whole life in a mill. When I was young, my mom folded sheets on the second shift. Neither of my parents went to college. Yet they lived in a country whose dream belongs to anyone willing to work for it. That is the dream I want to make sure we give all of our children. And that is why I’m running for president—to fight for an America where opportunity is the birthright of every child.

United States Senator John Edwards, a Democrat from North Carolina, is a candidate for U.S. president. He appeared at “Conversations with the Candidates” in Kirkland House and on “Hardball” at the Institute of Politics on Oct. 13.