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Updated 06.21.

2007

Detailed Issues Menu PAGE 2

Ten Key Issues

1. Universal Health Care PAGE 3


2. International Cooperation: US out
I want to inspire America to take a of Iraq, UN in PAGE 6
new path, a different direction. 3. Jobs and Withdrawal from NAFTA
and WTO PAGE 8
I envision an America which has the capacity 4. Repeal of the "Patriot Act" PAGE 11
to reconnect with the heart of the world; an 5. Guaranteed Quality Education, Pre-
America which proceeds in the world K Through College PAGE 12
optimistically and courageously. An America 6. Full Social Security Benefits at Age
which understands that the world is 65 PAGE 14
interdependent, that it is inter-connected, and 7. Right-to-Choose, Privacy and Civil
that what we do today impacts future Rights PAGE 17
generations. 8. Balance Between Workers and
Corporations PAGE 18
I want to break the shackles of fear which 9. Environmental Renewal and Clean
have deprived our citizens of rights. We need Energy PAGE 20
to change the way this country values 10. Restored Rural Communities and
humanity, so that instead of fear and lies, we Family Farms PAGE 22
can live our lives based on principles of peace
and hope. We need to regain the trust of the
American people and we need to have a
government which trusts the American people.

It's time for America to resume its glorious


journey; time to reject shrinking jobs and
wages, disappearing savings and rights; time
to reject the detour towards fear and greed. It's
time to look out upon the world for friends,
not enemies; time to counter the control of
corporations over our politics, our economy,
our resources, and mass media.

It's time for those who have much to help


those who have little, by maintaining a
progressive tax structure. It's time to tell the
world that we wish to be their partner in
peace, not their leader in war. Most of all, it is
time for America to again be the land where
dreams come true, because the government is
on the side of its people.

Dennis J. Kucinich
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 Campaign Issues  The Arts Page 76
 Children's Issues Page 77
 Campaign Finance Page 24
 Domestic Violence Page 79
 Campaign Reform and IRV Page 25
 Education Page 81
 Electronic Voting Page 26
 Housing Page 83
 Media Reform Page 28
 Poverty Page 84
 Open Debates Page 29
 Predatory Lending Page 85
 Seniors Page 86
 Crime/Law Issues  Vouchers Page 89

 Crime Page 30
 Death Penalty Page 31
 Drug War Page 32
 Gun Laws, Gun Rights & Violence Page 33
 Mandatory Minimum Sentences Page 34  Health Issues
 Marijuana Decriminalization Page 35
 AIDS Page 90
 Complementary and Alternative Medicine P. 91
 Economic/Financial Issues
 Mad Cow Disease Page 92

 Corporate Power Page 37  Medical Marijuana Page 93

 Economic Justice Page 38  Medicare Bill Page 95

 Farm Policy Page 39  Mental Health Page 97

 H-1B and L-1 Visas Page 41  Prescription Drugs Page 98

 Jobs Programs / Infrastructure Page 42  Universal Health Care Page 100

 Manufacturing Page 45
 Minimum Wage Page 46  International Issues
 Outsourcing Jobs Page 47
 Public Services Page 48
 Aid to Africa Page 103

 Small Business Growth Page 49


 Cuban Embargo Page 104

 Social Security Page 51


 Haiti Page 105

 Taxes Page 53
 International Cooperation Page 106

 Workers' Rights Page 55


 The Kucinich Plan for Iraq Page 108
 Korea Page 113
 Middle East Page 114
 Environmental Issues
 Sweat Shops Page 116

 Clean Air Page 57  Trade Page 117

 Clean Water Page 59  World Hunger Page 118

 Electronic Waste Page 62


 Energy Page 64  Military/Defense Issues
 Environment Page 65
 Forests and Logging on Public Lands Page 67
 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty Page 119

 Genetically Engineered Food Page 69


 Department of Peace Page 120

 Hemp Page 70
 Depleted Uranium Page 122

 Nuclear Safety Page 73


 The Draft Page 124

 Organic Farming Page 74


 Military Budget Page 125
 National Security Page 126
 Nuclear Weapons Page 127
 Family/Social Issues
 Terrorism Page 128

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 Torture Page 129
 Veterans Page 130
 Weapons and Non-Proliferation Page 132 "Health care is an essential safeguard of
human life and dignity and there is an
obligation for society to ensure that every
 Race/Ethnicity Issues person be able to realize this right."
Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Chicago
 Affirmative Action Page 133
Archdiocese
 African American Issues Page 134
 Native Americans Page 136
Our health care system is broken, and H.R.
 Arab Americans Page 139 676, the Conyers-Kucinich bill, is the only
 Irish-Americans Page 141 comprehensive solution to the problem. It is
 Racial Discrimination Page 142 also the system endorsed by more than 14,000
physicians from Physicians for a National
Health Program. Nearly 46 million Americans
 Rights Issues
have no health care and over 40 million more
 Animal Rights Page 143 have only minimal coverage. In 2005 some
 Civil Liberties Page 144 41% of moderate and middle income
Americans went without health care for part of
 DC Statehood Page 145
the year. Even more shocking is that 53% of
 Disability Rights Page 146
those earning less than $20,000 went without
 Immigrants' Rights Page 147 insurance for all of 2005. In fact, the National
 LGBTQ Rights Page 150 Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine
 Patriot Act Page 152 estimates that 18,000 Americans die each year
 Reproductive Rights Page 153 because they have no health insurance.
 Voting Rights Page 154
 Water as a Human Right Page 155 The American health system is quite sick.
1. Universal Health Care Pulitzer Prize journalists Donald Barlett and
James Steele, in their stunning analysis of the
health care industry, Critical Condition (2006
Dennis Kucinich is the only Presidential Broadway Books), insist that "... U.S. health
Candidate with a plan for a Universal care is second-rate at the start of the twenty-
Single Payer, NOT FOR PROFIT first century and destined to get a lot worse
Healthcare system. and much more expensive." Considering the
following facts from Tom Daschle's article for
MEDICARE FOR ALL the Center for American Progress: "Paying
More but Getting Less: Myths and the Global
The plan in embodied in HR 676 the Case for U.S. Health Reform":
Conyers-Kucinich bill, written by Dennis
Kucinich & John Conyers • Americans are The Healthiest People
in the World.
The plan covers all healthcare needs, FACT: Citizens of 34 nations live
including dental care, mental health care, longer than Americans.
vision care, prescription drugs, and long- • The U.S. is the Best Place to Get Sick.
term care - at NO extra cost! FACT: The World Health Organization
ranked the U.S. 37th in the world for
Kucinich's plan, HR 676, is supported by 78 health system performance. Countries
Members of Congress, 250 Union Locals, like Australia and the United Kingdom
and 14,000 physicians and is endorsed by rank above the U.S. Americans have
the New Hampshire Democratic Party. lower odds of surviving colorectal
cancer and childhood leukemia than
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Canadians who do have national health with. This type of waste is easily 20%.
care. Americans also experience Also consider that 98% of Medicare
greater problems in coordination of funds are spent on medical care.
care than the previously mentioned
countries and New Zealand. IMPORTANT: The hackneyed -- and
inaccurate -- mantra of Republicans when
universal health care is introduced is to blame
trial lawyers and malpractice cases for our
• Covering All Americans Will Lead to lack of national health care. In fact, 0.46% of
Rationing. our total health spending is spent on awards,
FACT: Same-day access to primary- legal costs, and underwriting costs -- about the
care physicians in the U.S. (33%) is far same as Canada and the United Kingdom and
less available than in the United about the same amount we spend on dog and
Kingdom (41%), Australia (54%) and cat food each year. While "defensive
New Zealand (60%). Per capita medicine" may drive up the price, it hardly
spending for health care averaged accounts for our stunning health care costs.
$2,696 in countries without waiting The belief that citizens should give up their
lists and $5,267 in the U.S. right to fair legal redress for legally proven
• Global Competitiveness is Hampered medical mistakes in exchange for lower health
in Comprehensive System. care costs rings as true as the promise that if
FACT: "Health care costs are not just we must give up our civil rights to be safe
a burden and barrier to care for from terrorists.
individuals; they are taking a heavy
toll on American businesses." The Even those with coverage too often pay
strain on employers in 2005 was exorbitant rates. The current profit-driven
staggering. "The average total system, dominated by private insurance firms
premiums for an employer-based and their bureaucracies, has failed.
family plan was $9,979 in 2005 ..."
Most of our competitors in the world We must establish streamlined national health
markets finance their systems outside insurance, "Enhanced Medicare for
corporate taxes and employer Everyone." It would be publicly financed
mandates. Without Medicare for health care, privately delivered, and will put
Everyone, the U.S. will continue to patients and doctors back in control of the
hemorrhage jobs. system. Coverage will be more complete than
• We Cannot Afford to Cover All private insurance plans; encourage prevention;
Americans. and include prescription drugs, dental care,
FACT: We already spend enough to mental health care, and alternative and
have universal health care. "The truth complementary medicine.
is, we cannot afford to not reform the
health system." We spend about 50% Perhaps the clearest and most eloquent
more than the next most expensive explanation of the Conyers-Kucinich National
nation and nearly twice per person Health Insurance Bill was given on February
what the Canadians do. On May 1, 4, 2003, in Washington, D.C., by Dr. Marcia
2006 Paul Krugman explained in Angell in introducing H.R. 676. Backed by
Death by Insurance how incredibly over 14,000 doctors, this is the future of
wasteful the current system is. The American medicine.
doctor he referenced has two full-time
staff members for billing, and two "We are here today to introduce a national
secretaries spend half their time health insurance program. Such a program is
collecting insurance information on the no longer optional; it's necessary.
301 different private plans they deal
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"Americans have the most expensive health profit" insurance companies, who make
care system in the world. We spend about money by denying health care.
twice as much per person as other developed
nations, and that gap is growing. That's not It is time to recognize that all the civilized
because we are sicker or more demanding countries have a solution that we must adapt to
(Canadians, for example, see their doctors this country. American businesses can no
more often and spend more time in the longer be competitive shouldering the entire
hospital). And it's not because we get better cost of health care. Health care is a right that
results. By the usual measures of health (life all Americans deserve.
expectancy, infant mortality, immunization
rates), we do worse than most other developed
countries. Furthermore, we are the only
developed nation that does not provide
comprehensive health care to all its citizens.
Some 42 million Americans are uninsured
(nearly 46 million today -- updated figure) --
disproportionately the sick, the poor, and
minorities -- and most of the rest of us are
underinsured. In sum, our health care system
is outrageously expensive, yet inadequate.
Why? The only plausible explanation is that
there's something about our system -- about
the way we finance and deliver health care --
that's enormously inefficient. The failures of
the system were partly masked during the
economic boom of the 1990's, but now they
stand starkly exposed. There is no question
that with the deepening recession and rising
unemployment, in the words of John Breaux,
'The system is collapsing around us.'

"The underlying problem is that we treat


health care like a market commodity instead
of a social service. Health care is targeted not
to medical need, but to the ability to pay.
Markets are good for many things, but they
are not a good way to distribute health care.
To understand what's happening, let's look at
how the health care market works ... "

"Mainstream" writers like Ph. D. economist


and columnist for the New York Times Paul
Krugman now agree with those doctors and
Dennis that "covering everyone under
Medicare would actually be significantly
cheaper than our current system." They all
recognize that we already spend enough to
provide national health care to all but lack the
political courage to make the tough decisions
that doctors, nurses and medical professionals
must run our health care system -- not "for
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responses to 9/11 have made future 9/11s
more likely to occur.

In the America of my dreams, the America I


see taking root and flourishing under new
administration, other nations will encounter an
America that abides by Lincoln's precept:
"The only lasting way to eliminate an enemy
is to make him your friend." We will
accommodate rather than alienate, make
friends instead of enemies, and employ carrots
far more often than sticks. We need an
administration that will drain the swamps of
hopelessness, exploitation, and humiliation
that cause vulnerable individuals to head down
the terrorist road. We need leaders who will be
both tough on terror and tough on the causes
of terror.

We spend one-tenth of one percent of our


Gross National Income on development aid --
the lowest of any developed country. Is this a
formula for winning the hearts and minds of
the next global generation?

We must seek to re-engage the world by


2. International Cooperation: US out of collaborating with the world's nations on our
Iraq, UN in most intractable common challenges. The
Bush Administration has squandered
In the past three years, the U.S. has subjected opportunities to cooperatively address
the world community to a doctrine of environmental degradation, persistent hunger,
preventive, unilateral, and illegal first strikes ignorance and illiteracy, safe water, the AIDS
against "forces of evil" that have not attacked pandemic, the degrading status of women in
us. America has maintained into perpetuity an so many places, failed states, cultural
obsession with overwhelming U.S. military obliteration, transnational governance of
superiority. We have insisted that everyone exploitative transnational corporations, and
else adhere to rules of international order that perhaps most important of all, the desperate
we have no intention of following ourselves. grinding poverty of two billion souls -- fully
We have demonstrated a contempt for one-third of the planet. We need leadership
international organizations and any who will work to bridge the chasm between
multilateral constraints whatsoever on the the rich and the poor -- around the block and
employment of American power. around the world.

All of this has estranged and frightened our We must work to replace the law of force on
allies and provoked enduring enmity in the the world stage with the force of law. By
councils of other governments and the hearts showing such open disdain for the UN Charter
of citizens around the world. George Bush's and international law during the past three
foreign policies have made us new foreign years, we have become in the eyes of many
enemies. George Bush's defense policies have the primary outlaw on the world stage. If we
weakened our defenses. George Bush's disregard the law of nations, we're left with
the law of the despot, where the only
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constraint on violence is the power and Millions of citizens of the world have taken to
ruthlessness of those who would employ it. their streets this past year to bravely protest
Rest assured, in that world we won't be the our country's launching a foolish and
only ones to use it. dangerous war whose consequences we can
still only dimly foresee. But the Department of
We must immediately move for the United Peace idea aspires to do more than just prevent
States to re-engage in the important treaties particular wars. With a Department of Peace,
that the Bush Administration has abandoned. we can articulate a vision of the future where
We must affirm and ratify treaties, beginning humanity has abolished war itself.
with:

The Kyoto Treaty on Global Climate Change


The Biodiversity Treaty
The Forest Protection Treaty
The Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
The Landmine Ban Treaty
The Biological Weapons Convention
The Chemical Weapons Convention
The International Criminal Court

Our country and all nations must review and


modify all treaties that reject national
sovereignty in the cause of a global corporate
ethic that does not respect human rights,
workers' rights, and environmental quality
standards. This means reviewing the practices
and the practical impact of the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the World
Trade Organization, the International
Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.

I am working to create a Department of Peace


to stand alongside the Department of Defense.
If our country must spend hundreds of billions
of dollars every year preparing for war, we can
spend at least one percent of that amount for a
department aimed at preventing war.

The Department of Peace will seek to make


nonviolence an organizing principle of society.
It will present a wider range of alternatives
within the councils of our government. It will
offer a new clear vision of people working out
their differences without resort to primitive
violence, of peaceful coexistence in a tolerant
world, of peace as a higher evolution of the
human psyche.

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corporations will continue to move jobs out of
the country and produce goods in developing
and third-world nations (with great costs to
those countries' workers and environment). In
order to buy American, we have to assure that
goods are still being produced in America.
That's why we must first cancel the WTO and
pull out of NAFTA, which have lost us
millions of jobs and spurred a soaring trade
deficit.

I have a Jobs Plan that will put 2 million


Americans back to work at a living wage in
such enterprises as rebuilding schools,
designing roads, refurbishing environmental
projects, and manufacturing steel for water
systems. The Kucinich jobs plan will also
increase the quality of life in America, by
making highways safer, water cleaner, and
schools more conducive to learning.

Right now, unemployment stands at 6.2%


nationally. Long-term unemployment has
become a persistent problem. Nearly 2 million
Americans have been looking for work
unsuccessfully for over 6 months, while over 9
million Americans are unemployed. According
to the Economic Policy Institute, there are
3. Jobs Programs / Infrastructure three unemployed people for every job
opening.
Putting America Back to Work IN America
Ironically, at the same time so many
Our country is facing twin crises: high Americans can't find work, there is so much
unemployment and a decrepit infrastructure. work to do. The crisis of our decaying
At the same time, millions of manufacturing infrastructure is something we see every day
and high-tech jobs are being shipped overseas. when we sit in traffic bound by orange barrels
I have a plan that will turn our problems that line our highways. It is something that
around and put Americans back to work in school children experience at their desks,
America. crowded together under leaking roofs. In
cities, municipal sewer systems overflow into
By pulling out of NAFTA, we can return jobs rivers, streams, and estuaries. These events
that have been lost, including high-wage jobs occur with increasing regularity as systems
in the information technology field. By age. Infrastructure problems threaten our
initiating a WPA-style jobs program that puts productivity, our economy, our environment,
Americans back to work rebuilding America, and our health.
we can create millions of jobs and
simultaneously improve our quality of life. It is time to put America back to work. It is
time to address the twin crises by putting
As a nation, we face a predicament of either unemployed Americans to work rebuilding
buy American, or bye-bye America. Unless we America's neglected infrastructure. The
cancel the WTO and pull out of NAFTA, Kucinich plan will make that happen.
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The Kucinich Jobs Plan to Rebuild America This amount would be varied, so that the
funds could be used as a tool to foster stable
The Kucinich plan calls for the creation of a economic growth. During times of economic
low-cost federal financing mechanism to slowdown, the FBIM would make more loans
administer $50 billion in zero-interest loans available to spur investment. During times of
every year to localities for infrastructure economic boom, the FBIM would make fewer
projects for ten years. Twenty percent of these loans available.
funds would be targeted for school
construction and repair. All of the jobs within this new system would
be living-wage jobs, because I would raise the
The Kucinich plan also calls for a 15% minimum wage to at least $8 an hour and
reduction in the military budget, redirecting create an index so that the minimum wage
that $65 billion towards hometown security rises automatically with cost of living
issues such as education, jobs, and health care increases. If we establish both universal health
for all. care and universal pre-kindergarten, workers
will no longer be plagued by the high costs of
State and local governments would continue to health care and child care. The net savings of
issue bonds to finance infrastructure projects. these programs is enormous, and as result, I
But under the Kucinich plan, the federal believe we will have a healthier society and a
government would be authorized to buy those more resilient economy.
bonds. States would have to repay the
principal, but unlike normal municipal The Kucinich Plan to Keep Jobs in America
borrowing, these bonds would pay zero
interest. So, the cost of borrowing for The exodus of jobs from our shores and the
infrastructure improvement would be reduced "race to the bottom" for workers around the
by half. world is an obvious result of NAFTA and the
WTO, both of which make it impossible to
The federal government would hold these place taxes or tariffs on outsourced work. The
bonds in the Federal Bank for Infrastructure search for countries where workers are
Modernization (FBIM). The bank, as an unrepresented and environmental rules are lax
extension of the Federal Financing Bank under must end. NAFTA, WTO, "Fast Track"
the Treasury, would administer the loans. The legislation, and the Free Trade Area of the
loans would bear a small fee of one-quarter of Americas must be rejected and replaced with
one percent of the loan principal to cover the Fair Trade policies in which bilateral trade
administrative costs of the FBIM. In order to agreements are negotiated to provide for living
provide the money for the loans, the FBIM wages for workers and environmental
would hold a portion of the Treasury securities safeguards. Canceling NAFTA and the WTO
that the Federal Reserve normally holds. will enable the U.S. to protect high-tech jobs
from outsourcing. This, plus careful
The Fed currently holds about $300 billion in monitoring of H-1B visa practices, will slow
Treasury securities. Transferring about $50 the tide of outsourcing.
billion annually to the FBIM would still allow
the Fed to operate as it does now to add The Bush Administration has embraced the
liquidity to the system. The Fed, instead of concept of outsourcing American jobs
buying securities, would buy the mortgage overseas as a new form of international trade.
loans of the states. This way, the FBIM's Where is the patriotism in this? U.S.
finances would be integrated by the Federal companies are expected to ship 200,000 jobs a
Open Market Committee so as not to disrupt year to India in the near future, in pursuit of
its ability to promote economic stability. lower wages, and we have already lost a
significant fraction of our manufacturing jobs
to countries overseas. In this continued loss of
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control over the development of our own
technology and materials, and the continued
loss of hundreds of thousands of American
jobs, we are creating serious threats to our
national and economic security.

I am advocating a new policy to replace our


current H-1B and L-1 visas, a policy that does
not put skilled American workers in the high-
tech industry at risk. There are many tech-
industry jobs that could be done by Americans
who are out of work, and often the immigrants
who come to our country on H-1B visas find
themselves in indentured servitude situations.

We cannot continue to tolerate the loopholes


and offshore profit shifting that corporations
engage in to get out of paying their fair share
of taxes. We must also take a much harder line
on corporate crime, by increasing the roles of
the FTC, the SEC, and the Justice Department
in addressing it.

We live in strange times when patriotism


merely extends to unnecessary wars and not to
protecting the lives and welfare of American
families by keeping jobs here. It is necessary
to promote a new corporate responsibility and
sense of shared commitment, so that the race
to minimize wages for workers and maximize
shareholder profits in already profitable
businesses is considered unpatriotic and
punishable by tax policy. We must reject
Bush's efforts to transfer more and more
wealth upward, by creating an intelligent tax
structure that promotes the public good.

My entire mission is aimed at increasing the


benefits to the public good. My campaigns are
financed completely by ordinary individuals,
not large corporations. I am not beholden to
any corporate interests; there are no strings
attached. My campaigns and my work
represent all the people of our nation, not just
the wealthy elite.

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Without a warrant or probable cause, the FBI
can now search your private medical records
or access your library records. Your doctor or
local library is forbidden from notifying you
when these searches take place. The
government may search your home while you
are away and in some cases even confiscate
your property. Judicial oversight of these
measures is virtually nonexistent. These are
only a few of the PATRIOT Act's provisions
that compromise our civil liberties.

I believe the only way to stop these


unconstitutional infringements on basic
American freedoms is to revoke the exorbitant
powers the PATRIOT Act has granted the
government. I voted against the PATRIOT Act.
I am working to repeal it.

Along with 20 other members of Congress, I


have introduced the Benjamin Franklin True
Patriot Act, which would repeal several major
sections of the law. It would eliminate the
PATRIOT Act's subjective search-and-seizure
provision, unwarranted incarcerations, and the
authority of federal officials to search our
private records without probable cause. The
act would restore the fundamental right of
4. Patriot Act attorney-client privilege, revoke various
Department of Justice secrecy orders, and
It's time for our Party to show some backbone. repeal provisions harmful to the rights of
It's time to stand for the repeal of the immigrants. In addition, it would restore
PATRIOT Act. As a member of the U.S. transparency to Department of Justice and
House of Representatives, I spoke against it, I Department of Homeland Security
voted against it, and I introduced legislation administrative procedures by revoking
for its repeal. From traveling across America, Freedom of Information Act secrecy orders.
it's unmistakably clear to me that there is an
almost universal rejection of the PATRIOT Benjamin Franklin said: "Those who would
Act. give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor
Just 45 days after the September 11, 2001 Safety." In eroding our civil liberties,
attacks, President Bush rammed the President Bush has taken our freedom while
"PATRIOT Act" through Congress with making us no safer, no better protected against
virtually no debate. This law poses an terrorism. The "PATRIOT Act" is not what
unprecedented threat to Americans' individual American patriots fought and died for. As
freedoms and is a violation of our civil Americans, we cannot allow fear and scare-
liberties. Many provisions of the act had been mongering to lead us to a place where we
long sought after by law enforcement and abandon our most precious traditions.
repeatedly rejected by Congress in the past.

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reason I have been a leading advocate for
early childhood education, with a special
emphasis on the support and care of low-
income infants and toddlers.

I am a strong supporter of the keystone federal


educational program for poor children, Head
Start. In the House Education Committee, I
have offered an amendment that would vastly
expand Head Start by allowing all centers to
run for a full day and by increasing the
number of children who qualify for the
program, raising family eligibility thresholds
to twice the federal poverty line. By tripling
the Head Start budget, we could bring an
additional 1.5 million children into the
program.

In the 107th and 108th Congresses, I


introduced the Universal Pre-Kindergarten
Act, a bill to create a free, universal, and
voluntary pre-kindergarten program for 3- to
5-year-old children across the county.
Universal pre-kindergarten would
revolutionize America's commitment to early
childhood education and change the nature of
child care provision for the better. The cost of
this program is $60 billion per year, which I
plan to pay for by cutting the bloated Pentagon
budget by 15%.
5. Guaranteed Quality Education, Pre-K
Through College
Pre-kindergarten programs prepare children to
meet the challenges of school. Studies show
The right of every American child to a high-
that young children who have access to a
quality free public education is one of
quality education benefit with higher
America's most treasured principles. We must
academic achievements, increased graduation
improve the quality of public education in
rates and decreased juvenile delinquency.
those schools that are struggling and expand
Nationwide, there's a severe shortage of
public education to include pre-kindergarten
affordable, quality education programs. By
beginning at age 3 for any families that want
providing universal pre-kindergarten, we are
it, as well as tuition-free college for millions
ensuring that all of our children are ready for
of students.
school. The Universal Pre-Kindergarten Act
will provide funding to states to establish
I am here to act on my view that the education
universal pre-kindergarten programs that build
and well-being of our nation's children is a
on existing federal and state pre-kindergarten
collective responsibility that all Americans
initiatives. The program is voluntary and will
share, and that education is a life-long process
be available free of charge to all families who
beginning long before a child enters
choose to participate. The legislation requires
kindergarten. Studies have shown that the
pre-kindergarten programs to meet quality
most critical cognitive development occurs in
standards of early education and provides
the years from birth to age 3. That is one
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resources for the professional development of pave a path out of poverty for many families.
teachers. Five years ago when welfare was reformed,
recipients were discouraged and even
For grades K through 12, my priorities are prevented from earning a higher degree.
based on the bedrock principle of a free,
universal, and high quality public education Since 1996, the City University of New York
for every child in America. I strongly oppose experienced annual declines in the number of
initiatives that seek to undermine that students who were welfare recipients, from a
commitment and have established a strong high of 22,000 students in 1996 to only 5,000
anti-voucher voting record. I believe that we welfare students in 2000. As soon as welfare
cannot improve education by draining funding reform passed, some recipients were even
from our public schools. kicked out of school, some only a few months
from graduation. What improved condition
In Congress, I have proposed a constitutional worthy of the name of reform would create
amendment to codify the right of all citizens to barriers to a college degree? Congress should
equal, high-quality public education. To allow and encourage people to obtain career
achieve that goal, I support a substantial training; work toward a college degree, GED,
reinvestment in the infrastructure of our or other degree; or learn English. It should
nation's public schools. I co-sponsored the create exemptions from time limits so welfare
Better Classroom Act and the Expand and recipients aren't prevented from earning a
Build America's Schools Act, two bills to help college degree.
communities make needed school repairs and
expansions. I have supported additional If an individual has a bachelor's degree, the
funding for teacher training. average yearly wage is $30,730, nearly three
times as much as the $11,432 that non-degree
employees earn. A college degree translates to
a living-wage job that allows people to live
I was also an original co-sponsor of HR 935, self-sufficiently and move from welfare
the most comprehensive child care and programs for good. I believe Congress should
education bill in the U.S. Congress, allow home child care to count as an allowable
encompassing 33 federal programs to improve work activity. For women on welfare, child
child well-being and education in America. In care during evening and weekend hours is
addition to universal pre-kindergarten, I have notoriously difficult to find and is too costly
a plan to provide tuition-free higher education for a welfare recipient. In 1998, 43 states
to millions of students in state universities. reported waiting lists for child care, and only
12% of those eligible for child care are getting
There are 12 million young Americans who it. Not only does it make practical sense to
attend public institutions, colleges, and allow mothers to take care of their own
universities. They now pay, on average, over children; it makes sense for families to stay
$10,000 a year. That adds up to $120 billion a together.
year. That's less than the President's most
recent tax cut for the wealthy. Even allowing The current Administration wants to box our
for an increase in the cost per student and in young people in with standardized tests and a
the number of students enrolled, this remains a limited focus on math and science. These
question of shifting priorities, not a need for days, American students are tested to an extent
new resources. that is unprecedented in American history and
unparalleled anywhere in the world. Education
Education is the only solution proven to must emphasize creative and critical thinking,
reduce poverty levels. This conclusion is not just test taking.
backed by thousands of national studies.
Given the opportunity, education and training
13
I believe we can take our children and society predatory lending practices that have
in a new direction by challenging this notion victimized so many American seniors, while
that education should be so limited. We ought simultaneously establishing a federal Office of
to be encouraging art, music, and creative Elder Justice. Rights for the disabled are
writing in our schools. In doing so, we fundamental rights, for which I continue to
recognize and fuel the wide range of talents fight.
our children possess. Also See: Vouchers Floor
Statements, 109th Congress: Reporting of By establishing a universal single-payer health
School Bus RR Crossings Funded H.R. 609 plan, we can ensure that seniors never again
Will Not Help Students Don't Let the War on resort to splitting pills or skipping medication
Drugs Become a War on Children Students to save costs, because they will already be
Pay for Tax Cuts for the Rich covered. This plan, "Enhanced Medicare for
All," provides comprehensive health coverage
including prescription drugs, dental care, and
complementary or alternative medicine. By
removing the profit from health care coverage,
patients and doctors will be put in charge of
health care, instead of HMOs. My plan will
cost employers, on average, less than they
now pay -- those that provide coverage at all.
Corporations don't heal people; people do.

Social Security

My platform is centered upon a non-


negotiable commitment to preserve Social
Security against all assaults. I stand to return
full Social Security benefits to senior citizens
at age 65 -- a rollback from the present age of
67. In addition, I staunchly oppose all efforts
to privatize Social Security, thus diverting
payroll tax dollars into individual accounts. I
am against raising the retirement age, against
raising the cap on taxable wages, and against
6. Full Social Security Benefits at Age 65
means-testing for benefits.
I see a new vision for American seniors. I see
There is no question that America can afford
a country where all citizens can retire with full
to uphold its social compact with its senior
benefits at age 65, where social security will
citizens. The finances of the Social Security
never become privatized, and where
system are more secure now than ever.
retirement years won't land in the hands of the
America is wealthier than at any previous
stock market. I see an America where equal
point in Social Security's history, and the fund
access and equal rights are obtained by all;
is solid through 2042 with no changes
where health care is regarded as a human
whatsoever. I believe the interest rate on the
right; and where the people who have lived to
Social Security trust fund is too low. It is
see this country grow can continue to grow old
much less than the average interest rate for
with it in peace.
U.S. Treasury-backed securities. If Congress
changed the law to credit the trust fund with
I encourage programs that support the public
the average interest rate, we could reduce
good, such as community-based senior
long-term financing problems by 30%.
services and home care. We must stop the
14
Medicare and Prescription Drugs The Kucinich plan for Universal Health Care
is "Enhanced Medicare for All": non-profit,
The compact with America's seniors to universal, single-payer national health
provide them with health care is now at risk, insurance. It would be publicly funded health
because the new Medicare bill passed just care, privately delivered -- similar to that used
before Thanksgiving is not reforming in most of the other developed countries of the
Medicare, it is dismantling it. It is a windfall world. It will decrease total health care
for HMOs and big insurance companies and spending, while providing more treatment and
obscenely profitable drug companies -- but a services. It will remove private insurance
debacle for America's senior citizens. This bill companies from the system, along with their
does nothing to restrain the skyrocketing bloated bureaucracies, blizzards of paperwork,
escalation of drug prices. The Republican excessive executive salaries, mammoth
refusal to confront the pricing power of the advertising budgets -- and, above all, profits.
drug companies is the #1 cause of the bill's
exorbitant price tag -- $400 billion -- for Since Medicare was enacted in 1965, seniors
American taxpayers. Several studies indicate went from being the group least likely to have
that my plan for universal, single-payer health health insurance to the group most likely --
care would save at least $200 billion annually because of Medicare. Medicare has achieved
-- more than enough to provide health care and goals that Congress has not been able to
prescription drugs to all those currently left accomplish for the rest of our population, by
out. keeping millions out of poverty, increasing
access to health care, improving quality of
I have a long record of addressing issues life, and even extending life expectancy by
related to Medicare and prescription drugs in 20%. The new Medicare bill just passed will
the U.S. Congress. Recently, I co-sponsored eliminate guaranteed health care for the only
legislation to provide for a voluntary part of our population that has it. American
prescription benefit, to provide greater access seniors, however, are concerned not only with
to affordable pharmaceuticals, to negotiate fair their own health care, but with the health care
prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers, to of their children, grandchildren, and all
provide for accelerated generic drug Americans. There is no more comprehensive
competition, and to allow for the importation solution to the nightmare that is American
of prescription drugs from Canada after health care today than the one I propose and
meeting strict guidelines for safety and will stand by 'til the end.
effectiveness.
I was one of the leading voices in the U.S.
Our government must be empowered to lower Congress trying to prevent the disgraceful new
prices and impose windfall profits taxes on the Medicare bill from becoming law. Medicare
exorbitant pricing of an out-of-control drug privatization is bad for seniors, bad for
industry. retirees, bad for employers, and bad for the
economy. The only ones who benefit from this
We need a new Prescription for America, a plan are the pharmaceutical companies and
regulatory structure that puts a ceiling on drug insurance giants, who seek to continue health
company profits, the same way credit laws care for profit in this country. I am fighting to
establish what constitutes usury and the way reverse this shameful bill and to make
utility rates are controlled. Medicare a solemn contract with America's
seniors again. Eventually, we should extend
We're already paying for national health the essentials of the Medicare social contract
insurance that could include prescription drug not just to seniors, but to all. I believe that
benefits. The only problem is, we're not health care should be a public good, rather
getting it. than a private commodity. Health care is not

15
just a privilege for those who happen to have Executives, it turns out, often get very special
the right job. Health care is a human right. treatment with their pension plans: more
investment choices, no lock-down restrictions,
Older Americans Act and Elder Justice generous deferred compensation plans without
requirements that they be disclosed,
Throughout my career in public service, I have guaranteed rates of return, and "golden
been a strong supporter of seniors' issues. In parachutes" when a company begins to get in
advocating for the amended Older Americans trouble. Employees, on the other hand, are
Act, I have shown my support for older treated very differently. The most egregious
Americans' need for adequate income in disparity is that during a bankruptcy, executive
retirement, the best possible physical and pension plans are totally protected from
mental health, suitable housing, long-term creditors. Employees, however, stand at the
care services (with special attention to those end of the line and must wait behind other
who wish to stay in their homes and for their creditors -- to claim what rightfully belongs to
caregivers), help for grandparents raising them for compensation that they have already
children, and efficient community services. earned! All of this must change.

There are few greater moral transgressions Housing


than abusing the trust of our elders. That is
why I have co-sponsored in Congress H.R. Seniors on fixed incomes often have financial
2490, a bill that would establish an Office of problems meeting rising property taxes and
Elder Justice. Such an office would help maintenance costs and must have supportive
prevent elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. communities to help them live in dignity. I
It would significantly expand elder care believe that decent housing is a fundamental
research, training, and clinical practice, human right and a basic right of citizenship for
nationwide. It would aspire to create models all Americans, young and old. In recent years,
for optimal elder care and services. And it the cost of housing has risen, while incomes
would encourage non-profit organizations to for working Americans have stagnated. The
establish volunteer programs in support of result has been an affordable housing crisis
elder justice. that must be urgently addressed by federal,
state, and local governments. The first step
towards housing security is passage of the
National Housing Trust Fund Act, which I co-
Pensions sponsored. The goal of this plan is the creation
of 1.5 million new housing units over the next
The American dream -- to work hard, develop decade, especially for low-income renters and
a career, be successful, get ahead, and save for owners, using the profits generated by the
retirement with a decent and secure pension -- Federal Housing Administration and other
is being diminished and destroyed every day federal housing agencies. These funds would
in this country by corporate executives who be used for the production of new housing,
are cheating ordinary Americans out of their preservation of existing federally assisted
hard earned retirement benefits. housing, and rehabilitation of existing private-
market affordable housing. New housing units
As the nation watched gargantuan corporate would be primarily rental units, and the focus
bankruptcies unfold at Enron and Global would be on low-income households in
Crossing -- and the people of my 10th District mixed-income neighborhoods. The widely
of Ohio watched Chapter 11 proceedings at heralded success of state and local housing
LTV Steel -- we all learned to our great trust funds shows this to be a proven method
surprise that there are two sets of rules in this of addressing the affordable housing crisis
arena. Corporate executives play by one set of while stimulating the economy.
rules. And employees play by another.
16
abortion, while the poor would have less
access to terminating their pregnancies.

The fact is that most Americans, including


myself, are uncomfortable with abortions and
feel there are too many of them. At the same
time, the vast majority of Americans recognize
that there are circumstances in which a woman
and her doctor should be allowed to make this
most difficult decision without government
intervention. To return to the days when
woman could self-abort without penalty, but to
imprison doctors who would help them, seems
senseless, especially recognizing that a new
abortion law would likely become known as
"The Abortions for the Rich-Only Bill."

I have a plan to reduce abortions by


encouraging family planning, including
abstinence training, combined with a full
economic and health care plan that would
clearly alleviate the number of abortions.
Voters have a choice: Choose Republican
rhetoric that will never allow the issue to come
to a vote or a real plan to reduce the number of
abortions with a program of economic justice.
Factually, all the Republican rhetoric and
phony issues surrounding abortion have never
directly addressed the legality of abortion and
have had no or negligible impact on the
number of abortions.

7. Right-to-Choose,
Privacy and Civil Rights
Why have a Republican House and Senate
never even offered one vote proposing a The "Patriot Act" is not what American
Constitutional Amendment banning abortion? patriots have fought and died for. To allow our
If the issue were truly important to them as Bill of Rights to be nullified without judicial
anything but a wedge issue, they would have. supervision invites tyranny. The Attorney
The truth is that Republicans have hidden General has been handed unfettered power to
from an honest up or down vote on abortion wiretap, search, jail, and invade our most
and will never allow one to take place in the sacred right to privacy. The government must
Congress. Instead, they will continue fooling not be allowed, without probable cause or
well-intentioned voters who feel strongly warrant, to snoop on our communications,
about abortion that they "feel their pain," medical records, library records, and student
when clearly they do not. Even if the Supreme records.
Court were to do the unlikely and return
abortion to the states, it would merely mean The recent disclosures of the President's
that the rich could travel to blue states for refusal to follow the FISA law should worry
all Americans concerned with the dangers
17
posed by a too-powerful executive. We elect Workers' rights embody spiritual principles
Presidents, not kings, and no president is that sustain families, nourish the soul, and
above a clearly written law expressly curbing create peace. Workers' rights are human rights.
his powers.
Labor has stood almost alone while
Far more worrisome, however, is the lap dog corporations have cut wages and benefits,
Congress that we currently have -- something slashed working hours, tried to undermine
even Republican Congress people are wage and hour provisions, reneged on
sheepishly admitting. For example, only eight contracts, and jettisoned retirements through
members of Congress have been told bankruptcy strategies. The current clamor for
ANYTHING about the FISA violations and corporate accountability calls for honesty in
they are sworn to secrecy. However, when stating the numbers, and faithful custody of
they are asked if they have been told much, shareholders money.
several have acknowledged that they have
been pretty much left in the dark. There needs to be equal concern for those who
created the wealth through their labor, because
That is not a Republic in action. No people the attacks on unions are a means of
should be frightened into giving up their redistributing the wealth upwards. As union
precious rights. Recent refusals by the membership has declined, the disparity of
Attorney General to disclose whether similar wealth has increased. Since 1973, union
programs are being used against purely membership has dropped from 24% to 14%.
domestic communications should send a chill And the share of aggregate income of the
down all our spines. poor, the middle class, and the upper middle
class has declined. Congress has not passed an
The time to stop the erosion of our rights is increase in the $5.15 minimum wage, even
now. All elected officials want terrorists to be though the inflation-adjusted minimum wage
listened to and caught. Does anyone seriously is 21% lower today than in 1979.
believe that terrorists feel they can talk freely
on the phone? The misleading and duplicitous Since 1981, the share of income of the richest
response that the government can't talk about 5% of this country has increased more than
its secret programs even in secret sessions of 40%, while that of the lowest fifth has
Congress is, frankly, ludicrous. decreased more than 20%. An even starker
contrast arises. According to Business Week,
8. Balance Between Workers and the average CEO made 42 times the average
Corporations
worker's pay in 1980, 85 times in 1990 and
The hopes and dreams of the men and women 531 times in 2000. Forbes Magazine points
who sent me to Congress are the stars by out that the number of billionaires increased
which I journey. Whenever there is an from 13 in 1982 to 149 in 1996.
organizing campaign, a picket line to walk,
jobs to save, working conditions to improve, People have a right to:
laws to champion, I'm there. This is my
purpose: To stand up and to speak out on • Have a job.
behalf of those who have built this country • Have a safe workplace.
and who want to rebuild this country. This is • Get decent wages and benefits.
my passion: To raise up the rights of working • Organize and be represented.
people. Workers' rights are the key to • Grieve about working conditions.
protecting our democracy. • Strike.
• Get fair compensation for injuries on
the job.

18
• Sue if injured by negligent employers.
• Have secure pension and retirement
benefits.
• Participate in the political process.

These basic rights ought to be inviolate in a


democratic society. There can be no true
corporate accountability unless corporations
are accountable to workers. There can be no
accountability to workers unless workers'
rights are protected. And workers' rights
cannot be protected unless the Democratic
party makes it the centerpiece of its legislative
program. The Democratic Party must be
challenged by Labor to truly be the party of all
the people.

When the Democratic Party rises, it must be


with the ranks, not from the ranks. "The future
of labor is the future of America," said John L.
Lewis.

Labor cannot afford to settle for half-hearted


nominees or half measures that keep in place a
system that is destroying our democracy
through trade agreements that transfer
sovereign power to the World Trade
Organization, undermine our economy, and
devastate workers' ability to defend
themselves.

It is the restoration of the rights of workers


that will put us at the dawn of a new political
age. The rights of workers are core principles
of an American Restoration. These aren't mere
political principles. These are timeless moral
principles, about fairness, about equality,
about justice.

19
philosophy of interdependence and
interconnection, which respects the
environment as a precondition for our
survival.

I am not tied to any corporate interests that


would strip our forests or pollute our air or
water. Throughout my career, I have worked
for structures of law that protect the
environment, and the principles that animate
my campaign are principles of sustainability.
The principles that animate my life are
principles of sustainability.

I have a long and consistent record of working


for protecting the environment. I was active in
helping draft the first environmental law
protecting the air, as a member of the
Cleveland City Council 30 years ago. I led the
effort in Ohio challenging nuclear power as
being unsafe, unreliable, and unsustainable,
and I'm still leading the effort in challenging
it. And, most recently, I was at the World
Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg, advocating a plan with Mikhail
Gorbachev for a Global Green Deal that
would enable the introduction of $50 billion of
new solar projects around the world. It will be
a major initiative to use our country's
leadership in sustainable energy production to
provide jobs to Americans, to reduce energy
use here at home, and to partner with
developing nations to provide their people
with inexpensive, local renewable-energy
technologies.

As a peace advocate, I hope to launch a major


9. Environmental Renewal and Clean renewables effort so that Middle East oil fields
Energy do not loom so large as strategic or military
targets. There has to be a renewable energy
The EPA under the Bush Administration has portfolio of 20% by 2010. And that means
stood for Every Polluter's Ally. The air and the introducing wind, solar, hydrogen,
water and the land are viewed by this geothermal, biomass, and all of the options
administration as just another commodity to that must be available and need incentivizing.
be used for private profit. We as a nation must That also means withdrawing incentives for
turn our efforts towards the great work of the production of nonrenewable energy. I'm
restoring our air and our water and our land. not talking about building new hydro dams;
We must view our natural resources as the I'm not talking about damming up more rivers
common property of all humanity -- even and streams.
more, as the commonwealth of all humanity.
And so my candidacy arises from a
20
We need to subsidize the development of new
energy technologies. And I'm willing to do
that through NASA, which has been of
singular importance to our economy by
developing technologies for propulsion, for
aerospace, for materials, for medicines, and
for communication. We need to fund NASA
in, among other areas, a mission to planet
Earth.

The United States should lead the way in


protecting our oceans, rivers and rural
environments -- and I have been speaking out
on these issues across America. I will also
continue to lead in fighting for clean,
affordable, and accessible drinking water --
which is an emerging global concern. Over the
years, I have worked hand in hand with the
environmental movement on many battles,
from thwarting a nuclear waste dump to
boosting organics to demanding labels on
genetically-engineered products. I've won
honors from the Sierra Club, Friends of the
Earth, and the League of Conservation Voters.

In the summer of 2002, I was one of the few


U.S. officials at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. To
repair the earth, America must lead. We must
reverse course on most Bush Administration
policies and support the Kyoto Treaty that
Bush rejected. We must strengthen
environmental laws and increase penalties on
polluters. We should provide tax and other
incentives to businesses that conserve energy,
retrofit pollution prevention technologies, and
redesign toxins out of their manufacturing
processes. Nontoxic, safe substitutes for
hazardous chemicals must become permanent.

I would initiate a "Global Green Deal" to use


our country's leadership in sustainable energy
production to provide jobs at home, increase
our independence from foreign oil, and aid
developing nations with cheap, dependable,
renewable energy technologies like wind and
solar. A clean environment, a sustainable
economy, and an intact ozone layer are not
luxuries, but necessities for our planet's future.

21
Cancel NAFTA and the WTO, replacing them
with bilateral trade agreements designed to
benefit family farmers and workers while
protecting the health of communities and the
environment. Country-of-origin labeling
would be required. Empower farmers in the
marketplace by providing incentives to join a
collective bargaining unit -- with voluntary
membership open only to active producers and
the right to bring suit in federal court if an
agribusiness doesn't bargain in good faith.

Market Concentration

Create new markets by actively enforcing


existing anti-trust laws and proposing new
laws to force divestiture in concentrated
markets, breaking apart monopolistic
agribusiness companies and shifting farm
economics towards higher commodity prices
for farmers. To increase competition in the
livestock industry, support a national ban on
packer ownership of livestock.

Biotechnology and GM Seeds

Advocate only for responsible farm sector


biotechnology, creating an indemnity fund --
financed by the corporations responsible for
the technology -- for farmers who incur losses
caused by genetically modified organisms
(GMOs). To protect farmers, labeling GMO
seeds with disclosure and liability information
must be required. To protect consumers, food
containing GMOs also requires labeling.

10. Restored Rural Communities and Local Food Systems


Family Farms
Shift USDA funding and focus away from the
Something is wrong when profits of promotion of concentrated intensive and
agribusiness corporations skyrocket, but industrial agribusiness. The new focus must
farmers must find off-farm jobs or sell their benefit family farmers, rural communities, the
farms to survive. I believe the United States environment, and consumers, with policies
must implement the following farm policies to crafted to enable farmers to earn a fair price
benefit farmers, provide our nation with and to provide safe, nutritious food to all
wholesome food, protect our natural people. Increase funding for regional food
resources, and restore our rural communities: processing facilities, marketing assistance,
farm-to-school programs, on-farm renewable
Fair Price and Fair Markets energy, and the Farmers Market Nutrition
22
Program. Agricultural research and
development institutions must be given
funding priority to help family farmers make a
transition to profitable and sustainable
agriculture.

Conservation and Environmental


Protection

Strengthen and enforce air and water quality


laws to safeguard rural communities from
factory farm pollution. The number of animal
units per site would be limited to a level that
allows for on-site manure management, and
local communities would be given control
over the siting of industrial livestock
operations. Programs that reward family
farmers for protecting the environment would
be expanded, and funding to help small
independent farmers qualify for organic
certification would be increased.

Food Industry Workers and Food Safety

Implement new safety standards in


meatpacking and food processing. Worker
health and safety protections would be
expanded through increased inspections and
fines, with criminal charges for employers
who cause injury or death to agricultural
industry workers. Backing meatpacking
unions will help to bring wages and benefits in
line with the risks of the job, and funding for
smaller, regional packing plants will create
better economic opportunities for family
farmers, better conditions for workers, and
safer meat for consumers.

Rural Communities

Initiate a major new program of investment in


rural America, putting thousands to work
rebuilding invaluable public assets such as
schools, hospitals, libraries, swimming pools,
and parks. Teachers, doctors, veterinarians,
and other important service providers would
be offered incentives to work in under-served
areas. A variety of support mechanisms and
financial incentives would be given to local
businesses, so that locally owned businesses
have a fair chance to compete.
23
House and donated to 71 Senators and 186
House members.

Private control of campaign financing leads to


private control of the government itself and
schemes like the privatization of social
security, which would put trillions in
retirement funds of Main Street workers at the
disposal of Wall Street speculators. Public
control of the political process requires public
financing. The restoration of our American
Democracy depends upon public financing.
The Supreme Court, equating money with free
speech, will not restrict the power of corporate
interests to dominate government. The
establishment of our democracy began with
the Constitution. Let us renew the Constitution
by amending it, requiring public financing to
redeem from the perishable fires of corporate
control an imperishable government of the
people, by the people, and for the people.
Banning soft money is a step in the right
direction, but doubling hard money limits is a
giant step the other way, and one that has
received much less attention. The National
Voting Rights Institute challenged that change
on behalf of a coalition of non-wealthy voters,
candidates, and public interest organizations --
including the U.S. Public Interest Research
Group, the Fannie Lou Hamer Project, and
ACORN. That suit alleged, quite accurately,
that doubling the hard money limits excludes
non-wealthy voters and candidates from the
political process on the basis of their
economic status, in violation of the Equal
Protection Clause in the United States
Constitution. When only 0.11% of the voting
Campaign Finance
age population contributed sums of at least
$1,000 to a 2002 congressional candidate,
The largest roadblock toward the American
doubling the limit to $2,000 provides even
Restoration is a corrupt campaign finance
more power to a tiny financial elite. Those
system that promotes plutocracy allowing
large contributions amounted to 55.5% of the
laws and regulations to be stealthily auctioned
candidates' individual fundraising.
to the highest bidder. Less than 1% of the U.S.
population contributes 80% of the money in
Think about that. More than half the money
federal elections. The top 1% in income also
driving the political campaigns comes from
received more than half the Bush tax cuts. Tax
1% of the people. And we wonder why
policy has become an engine for transferring
popular positions, like universal health care or
wealth upward. Enron had been poised to
a living wage, are not enacted. Six of the 10
dominate energy markets worldwide largely
major party candidates for president in 2004
because it strongly influenced the White
raised more than 75% of their money from
24
contributions of $1,000 or more, and that Enhanced voting rights enforcement
includes President Bush, who raised more than An end to the racially-biased
all the Democrats combined. Most people disenfranchisement of felons who have served
cannot pay $2,000 to attend a dinner with a their time
candidate. Full Congressional representation for residents
of the District of Columbia
It is very difficult to run for office at all if you Cross-party endorsement or "fusion"
are neither rich nor willing to accept money An inclusive debate process that does not
from corporate interests. I know. I'm trying to exclude credible third-party candidates
do it. Expansion of elections, using full
(proportional) representation, which assures
Banning soft money is a positive step which more accurate and broader representation than
has oddly overshadowed in the media the winner-take-all elections
bigger negative step of doubling hard money. I also support Instant Runoff Voting. IRV
What we need, other than media reform, is offers a cost-effective way of insuring that the
true campaign finance reform, complete public winning candidate is preferred by a majority
financing and the criminalization of bribery. of voters; it encourages voters to vote their
wishes and not their fears; it promotes greater
I ran my presidential campaign in line with voter turnout and positive campaigning.
these reform principles. I don't take corporate
PAC money. My campaign was financed Most U.S. elections are held under plurality
largely through small donations, mostly voting rules in which the candidate with the
through the Internet -- and propelled by most votes wins. If three or more candidates
thousands of volunteers -- a true grassroots run in the race, then the winner can have less
campaign. than a majority of the vote. But the question
always arises: Was that winning candidate
really preferred by most voters?

As stated by the Center for Voting and


Democracy, Instant Runoff Voting is a
sensible reform for elections where one person
wins. Examples include elections for
governors, mayors, legislatures using single-
seat districts, and U.S. president (for
allocation of Electoral College electors).
Instant Runoff Voting is better than plurality
Campaign Reform and IRV elections because:

Our election system is in need of serious It ensures the election of the candidate
reform to expand and enrich democracy. I preferred by most voters.
support measures such as: It eliminates the problem of spoiler candidates
knocking off major candidates.
Instant Runoff Voting (IRV) It frees communities of voters from splitting
Comprehensive campaign finance reform and their vote among their own candidates.
Clean Money public financing of the public's It promotes coalition-building and more
elections positive campaigning.
Ample free television time for candidates, How IRV works:
coupled with the break-up of the media
monopolies that restrict political debate Each voter has one vote, and ranks candidates
Election Day as a holiday in order of personal choice (1, 2, 3, etc.). The
Election Day voter registration counting of ballots simulates a series of run-
25
off elections. All first choices are counted, and As citizens of the United States of America,
if no candidate wins a majority of first we are fortunate to have a voting system that
choices, then the last place candidate is designed to uphold democracy as the
(candidate with the least first-choices) is bedrock of our society. Although not flawless,
eliminated. Ballots of voters who ranked the this system serves to deliver our political
eliminated candidate are then redistributed to representatives through a process aimed at
their next-choice candidates, as indicated on creating a government of the people, by the
each voter's ballot. Last place candidates are people, and for the people. This type of
successively eliminated and ballots government is essential to our democracy and,
redistributed to next choices until one for the sake of the public interest, it must be
candidate remains or a candidate gains over preserved.
50% of votes.
Election integrity cannot be assured without
Voters have the option to rank as many or as openness and transparency. Using electronic
few candidates as they wish -- their favorite voting machines to conduct elections is
candidate first, their next favorite second, and dangerous to democracy because there is no
so on. Voters have every incentive to vote for way of ensuring their accuracy. It is
their favorite candidate rather than the "lesser imperative that there be a required voter-
of two evils," because their ballot can still verified paper trail for every election so that
count toward a winner if their first choice any errors and irregularities caused by the
loses. There also is every reason for a voter to voting machines can be discovered.
rank as many candidates as they want, since a
voter's lower choice will never help defeat one Unfortunately, there are no such requirements
of their higher choices. for the so-called "Direct Recording
Electronic" machines currently being used in
I ran my presidential campaign in line with many communities and states. With the
these reform principles. I did not take computer technology in use, there is constant
corporate PAC money. My campaign was risk of a program flaw -- or worse, tampering
financed largely through small donations, with the software, which could change votes
mostly through the Internet -- and propelled and thus change the outcome of elections.
by thousands of volunteers -- a true grassroots Without a "voter verified audit trail," meaning
campaign. a permanent record of each vote that the voter
can check to verify that it represents his or her
To learn more about Instant Runoff Voting, see intent, these changes might never be detected.
Center for Voting and Democracy
Recent studies have reported numerous very
Electronic Voting serious technical flaws in electronic voting
machines, including allowing a person to: vote
Democracy today is at risk by the very more than once, see ballots that have been cast
instrument that seeks to uphold it. Electronic on a machine, change party affiliation on
voting machines with meager security and ballots, alter the counting of votes, modify,
significant technical flaws threaten to create or even delete votes inside the voting
undermine our voting rights and thus the machines and interfere with audit logs and
reliability of the election process. Without election results. Their analysis shows that the
federal review and software testing, these voting system is far below even the most
voting machines are being marketed by minimal security standards, placing our future
companies and bought by states at an alarming elections at risk to both insider and outsider
rate. We cannot wait for Congress to pass attacks.
legislation to address this danger. We, the
people, must take action NOW to ensure the I am strong supporter and co-sponsor of H.R.
accuracy and integrity of upcoming elections. 2239, otherwise known as the "Voter
26
Confidence and Increased Accountability Act voting
of 2003." If enacted, this bill would: Floor Statements, 109th Congress:

Require all voting machines to produce a Go to Paper Ballots


voter-verified paper record for use in manual
audits and recounts.
Ban the use of undisclosed software and
wireless communications devices in voting
systems.
Have required all voting systems to meet these
requirements in time for the general election
in November 2004.
Require that electronic voting systems be
provided for persons with disabilities by
January 1, 2006.
Require mandatory surprise recounts in 0.5%
of domestic jurisdictions and 0.5% of overseas
jurisdictions.
We have already seen the consequences of
inaccurate vote keeping in Florida during the
2000 Presidential Elections where over
280,000 ballots were uncounted, leaving the
sum of disenfranchised Floridians far greater
than the 537-vote margin by which the state
was won. Thousands of nationally and
internationally renowned computer scientists
consider a voter-verified paper trail to be a
critical safeguard for the accuracy, integrity,
and security of computer-assisted elections.
Many of them can also list dozens of plausible
ways for computerized voting machines to be
compromised.

While there is certainly room for improvement


in voting technology, electronic voting
machines are not the answer. I believe that
election reform is an issue that deserves close
attention, but we must also guard against
changes that inadvertently create even worse
problems. Unless we are using auditable
voting equipment, public confidence in our
elections will be eroded and the results of any
election will remain open to question.

To learn more about electronic voting see


Blackbox Voting and verifiedvoting.org

In the News:

OpEdNews.com, 4/24/04
Kucinich calls for suspension of electronic
27
actually boost both media ratings and voter
turnout.

In addition to requiring free air time for


political campaigns, we need to create a
greater diversity of viewpoints in the media by
breaking up the major media conglomerates,
encouraging competition and quality as well
as diversity. We should place new caps on
media ownership and ban the granting of
exceptions to those caps. We should limit the
number of media outlets one corporation can
own in a given medium, such as radio, print,
or television. We should strictly prohibit cross-
ownership and vertical integration.

I believe the people should be involved in the


maintenance of their airwaves, creating public
media outlets controlled by community boards
similar to the model of Pacifica Radio.
Funding for public broadcasting channels on
television and radio should be greatly
expanded, assuring the existence of media
outlets free of the influence of advertisers.

I aim to promote knowledge of the public


process through which citizens can challenge
the licenses of local broadcast outlets failing
to provide local coverage and coverage
directed at the whole community, or outlets
airing excessive violence.

Not-for-profit groups should be allowed to


obtain low-power FM radio-station licenses.
Media Reform The development of new, community-based,
noncommercial broadcasting outlets should be
I am working for serious media reform, encouraged.
including substantial free air time for
candidates and parties. Given the high cost of The United States must withdraw from the
campaigns, the power of corporate special World Trade Organization; media companies
interests, and the fact that the networks are are currently lobbying the WTO for the
given free use of the public's airwaves, I creation of trade sanctions against countries
believe that the networks should be required to that fund public broadcasting, limit foreign
give something back other than "reality" ownership of media, or establish standards for
shows. local content. For similar reasons, we must
block U.S. participation in the proposed Free
Media conglomerates are currently among the Trade Area of the Americas.
most powerful lobbyists against media reform,
but I believe that were the media to provide I have a strong record on media reform. I filed
substantive coverage of politics it would formal objections with the FCC to their
deregulation of the media. I held hearings on
28
Capitol Hill on what the media weren't telling 1988 as an extension of the major political
people about the war. parties, the CPD has transformed the
presidential debates from dynamic political
I hold a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in forums to "glorified news conferences," where
speech and communications from Case candidates recite prepackaged sound bites and
Western Reserve University, and have been avoid discussion of significant issues.
honored by Case Western Reserve as being
one of the top 50 students in that program in Prior to this control, the presidential debates
the last 50 years. were faithfully sponsored by the nonpartisan
League of Women Voters, who courageously
My past experience includes working as a included popular independent candidates, such
copy boy for the Cleveland Plain Dealer and a as Congressman John Anderson, and
copyreader at the Wall Street Journal. I have prohibited major party campaigns from
hosted my own radio shows, done on-camera manipulating debate environments. The
television reports for Channel 8 in Cleveland, Democratic National Committee and
and had my own TV production unit, and I Republican National Committee, however, did
carry a card as a member of the IATSE, the not want a sponsor who limited their
cameraman's union. candidates' control in order to further public
interest. Their official agreement "for the
parties to take over presidential debates" has
led to a complete partisan control of these
important events by major parties with little to
no interest in promoting any alternatives to
business as usual in Washington.

I believe in the power of open debates to


restore higher values of democracy and voter
education to the American political process.
By establishing a Citizen's Debate
Commission to replace the CPD, the American
public can once again see presidential debates
that are rigorous, fair, and inclusive of
important issues and all popular candidates.
There is an increasing demand for voices that
challenge the bipartisan consensus on many
Open Debates critical issues in America, and I am one of
those voices. It is time for open debates that
Presidential debates are the single most will serve the American people first.
important event in the process of selecting a
presidential candidate. They provide the
American people with the opportunity to view
all viable candidates as they discuss important
issues in an unscripted manner, designed with
the best interests of the people, not the
political parties, in mind. They are an essential
component of true democracy in America.

Unfortunately, the value of this democratic


principle has failed under the Commission on
Presidential Debates (CPD). Established in

29
funds to police departments that continue to
practice racial profiling.

It is important to emphasize that the vast


majority of police officers are law abiding and
committed professionals. However, the
common attitude of "we protect our own"
amongst some police must give way to a more
enlightened attitude that the law must be truly
color blind. A fraction of law enforcement
officers must not be allowed to continue to
endanger the lives of citizens and other law
enforcement officers with intemperate and
sometimes overtly racist acts.

We need federal legislation to prosecute hate


crimes, which tend to be the most violent form
of crime in American society. Signing federal
hate crime legislation will send a message of
unity throughout our nation. America must not
tolerate any citizen's human rights being
denied.

The problems of policing in the minority


community are complex ones. Only the best
and brightest should wear badges and carry
guns. There are many, many great law
enforcement officers, but low pay and terrible
working conditions allow some to slip into the
long blue line that should not be there. For
example, the "War on Drugs" has made many
in the black community feel as though they
live in an occupied territory. Greater minority
representation on police forces would help,
but a new national policy on nonviolent drug
users would also help tremendously.
Crime
Funding quality after-school programs could
Our nation's police should be fully capable of go a long way toward taking kids off the
protecting neighborhoods from crime and streets during "prime crime time" hours and
drugs, while respecting the rights of residents giving them a constructive way to spend their
and communities. The U.S. government must after-school time. I think we should also
spend the necessary money to ensure that our provide greater resources for the Promoting
first defenders are our best defenders. I Safe and Stable Families Program and make it
support strengthening civilian review boards, an entitlement program for the states.
greater community policing, and an end to the
drug war that has poisoned relations between We also need to increase federal funding for
cops and neighborhoods in too many cities. I the identification and treatment of substance
also support legislation introduced by my abuse among parents in the child welfare
colleague Rep. John Conyers to deny federal system and do a lot more than we are to
support kinship care alternatives. The amount
30
of money required to do these things is a Morally, I simply do not believe that we as
relative drop in the bucket, compared to what human beings have the right to "play God"
the federal government is spending to wage and take a human life -- especially since our
war in Iraq and to give the richest families in human judgments are fallible and often wrong.
America huge, new tax cuts. If we end the Indeed, since the U.S. Supreme Court
racially biased war on drugs and address drug reinstated the death penalty in 1976, 700 men
use as a medical problem, fewer parents will and women on Death Row have been
be incarcerated and away from their children executed, three-fourths of those executions
for long periods of time. taking place since 1992. Since 1976, more
than 100 people have been released from
We should return to a sane drug policy, which prison after being sentenced to death despite
our country once followed. This would reduce their innocence. That translates into one death
the violence in our cities, which is a by- row inmate being found innocent for every
product of the war on drugs. Before there was seven executed. Given this track record, I
a war on drugs, drug violence was practically simply cannot support the death penalty, since
unheard of. Our drug war has made all of us we know that it will, inescapably, be
less safe. erroneously applied and innocent people will
be put to death.

Second, all the evidence suggests that the


death penalty is no deterrent to crime. Indeed,
in those states that do have capital
punishment, the average murder rate per
100,000 people is 8, while in states that have
abolished the death penalty, the murder rate is
just 4.4. In other words, states that do not have
capital punishment actually have lower
murder rates than states that do. I confidently
believe that rather than decreasing murder,
capital punishment actually has a brutalizing
effect on society, contributing to an increase in
murder.

Third, the evidence shows that the imposition


of the death penalty is both racially and
economically biased. African American
defendants, for example, are far more likely to
receive death sentences than others who
Death Penalty committed similar crimes. To put that into
perspective, 42% of inmates on death row
Like most Americans, I arrived at my position today are African American, even though they
on the death penalty through a process that comprise only 13% of the U.S. population;
involved the application of morality and moral 180 African Americans have been executed in
principles (derived from my religious and cases involving white victims, while 12 whites
spiritual convictions), personal reflection, and have been executed in cases with black
a rational examination of facts and statistics. victims. Of all the people on death row today,
In the end, all of these considerations have led 75% of them are non-white. Moreover, a full
me to come down strongly on the side of 98% of all defendants sentenced to death have
opposing capital punishment. been people who could not afford their own
attorneys. I simply cannot support a policy
that is so unfairly and unevenly applied.
31
Fourth, America is one of the last nations in and thousands of Al Capones. Prison should
the world to still practice the death penalty. In be for people who hurt other people, not
fact, for each year since 1976, two additional themselves. We don't jail people for merely
countries have abolished capital punishment, drinking. We jail people when they drink and
and the overwhelming majority of nations drive or hurt another human.
around the world have now put an end to it in
law or practice. Even in our own country, Drug use can and should be reduced. But a
opposition to the death penalty has doubled continuation of our current War on Drugs will
since 1994. Recent polls say that 64% of not do it. Instead, the current policies have
Americans support a moratorium on all only helped increase drug use and foster
executions. violence across the country. California was
able to cut teenage tobacco use in half with a
In Congress, I introduced the Federal Death straightforward ad campaign that was financed
Penalty Abolition Act of 2003 to establish an by a tax on cigarettes. Not a shot was fired.
end to capital punishment. At the same time,
however, I believe that criminals who take The supporters of the drug war have only one
innocent life or commit other horrific crimes solution to this debacle -- more money for law
should pay a severe penalty, and that we have enforcement, more people, more power, more
a duty to protect our society from danger. For prisons -- with no end in sight. Of course,
that reason, I favor life imprisonment without these happy drug warriors who justify their
the possibility of parole as an acceptable living hunting down drug users come on TV
moral alternative for the worst and most and promise us that they see light at the end of
violent offenders in our society. the tunnel. They promised us a drug-free
America by 1995, and instead we see new and
more exotic drugs constantly being added to
the mix.

I know that proponents of the Drug War will


say that I am pro-drugs. I am not. As mayor of
Cleveland, I saw first-hand the damage done
by addiction to drugs, including alcohol. I also
witnessed that the wasted resources and
collateral damage did not promote a safe
society. It is unconscionable that only one bed
exists for every ten people that apply for drug
treatment. Our priorities and our resources are
being put in the wrong place. The primary job
of law enforcement should be protecting our
Drug War country and its citizens -- not protecting
people from themselves.
My position on this issue is to face it directly,
though other politicians run away from it. I The shredding of our rights to privacy and
agree with the many law enforcement officials property promoted by the Drug War is
and experts in the field that we must find a inconsistent with a free society.
new way of dealing with illegal drugs. Criminalization of private or self-destructive
behavior is not acceptable in a free nation.
I have studied the issue for decades and
recognize that our "War on Drugs" has failed. The racism evident in the Drug War, and the
In fact, because our War on Drugs drives up clearly preferential treatment for offenders
the price, it encourages violence. Prohibition with connections, undermine our concept of a
simply doesn't work. It only creates thousands just society. Draconian prison sentences that
32
dwarf those for violent crimes, like murder I have friends who both hunt and shoot. These
and rape, destroy respect for our laws. are good people, they are not criminals, and
they lock up their guns when not using them. I
The rampant corruption of the criminal justice support their right to their hobbies, and I
system spawned by the $400 billion-a-year support the right to bear arms. I have also
black market could be ended with the stroke of talked with widows and children left fatherless
a pen. So also would be the wholesale due to the improper use of firearms, and I am
devastation we have brought to other committed to preventing such tragedies from
countries. Countries like Colombia, where we happening.
send billions of dollars of military aid and
spray hundreds of thousands of acres of By helping to develop a society which does
populated land with dangerous herbicides in a not look to violence as a method of solving
country with nearly a million displaced problems, my proposed Department of Peace
people. And each military campaign or will play a key role in this. Conflict resolution
spraying is like a squeezing a balloon; and alternatives to violence will constitute
production merely shifts to another site or major areas of responsibility within this new
goes into a temporary hiatus. Department, so that we can begin to lead by
examples as well as by words.
Drug addiction is a medical and moral
problem that should be treated by My efforts to lead the fight against assault
professionals, not dumped on the criminal weapons have been highly recognized by The
justice system. Setting up a national Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. One year
commission of medical professionals to after the DC-area sniper attacks, I co-signed a
develop an intelligent program, based on the bill, H.R. 2038, to renew and strengthen the
experience of drug experts from around the federal assault weapons ban. I also attended a
world, would be a first step. Allowing doctors recent Save Our Sons and Daughters
to treat drug addiction humanely and (SOSAD) event.
intelligently, including the prescription of
maintenance doses, would allow us to quickly While some believe that gun laws should
eliminate most of the black market and much reside at the state level, I respectfully disagree.
of the damage to a safe, free, and just In this mobile society, national control of guns
America. just is necessary, just as it is with pollution. It
is the right of Americans to keep and bear
It is time for an honest dialogue on this issue. arms; however it is not the right of American
Time to stop the documented lies, half-truths, felons to arm themselves.
and propaganda that got us into this mess in
the first place. It is time to face the facts. In a time when homeland security is of utmost
concern, it is perplexing why anyone would
Gun Laws, Gun Rights & Violence not wish to keep guns out of the hands of
those who might do us harm. This is why I
There are few topics that divide America more would support legislation to require
than the issues associated with firearms. For background checks, identical to the
the vast majority of Americans who own background checks currently required for
firearms, they are a form of recreation in the transfers by licensed gun dealers, for firearm
character of hunting and/or target shooting. transfers by unlicensed gun dealers at gun
For many, they are a method for safety and shows. Sensible laws to prevent guns from
protection in a society characterized by winding up in the wrong hands do not infringe
violence. But all too frequently, they are used on any constitutional rights.
for violence.
I agree with the Brady Campaign that
Congress should end the gun industry's
33
immunity from product safety regulation and federal minimum sentences for nonviolent
that irresponsible dealers who allow weapons drug offenses call into question whether we
to fall into the hands of criminals should be are truly the "home of the free."
held accountable. President Bush campaigned
on the promise to reauthorize the law banning John Ashcroft's call for federal prosecutors to
assault weapons. However, in a calculated push for maximum charges and sentences is
move to avoid signing the bill, the President mind boggling in its insensitivity -- and
has not spoken out publicly or forcefully to ignorance. Justice without mercy is just
make the House Republicans under Rep. Tom cruelty, and too many Americans have
DeLay bring the legislation out of committee discovered what a town without pity --
and pass it. It is a shame that our current Washington -- can do.
President is willing to expend limitless
political capital to financially benefit his own Mandatory minimums must be abolished, and
campaign contributors with trillion-dollar tax judicial discretion must be returned to judges.
cuts, but will spend nothing to keep assault Computers should not be determining
weapons out of the hands of potential sentences; bright, caring judges should.
terrorists. Moreover, mandatory minimums are an
extension of a failed racist drug war. Hence,
the repeal of mandatory minimums must be
coupled with programs that focus on
rehabilitation, not criminalization, of those
addicted to drugs. The underground economy
will continue to flourish if there is no access to
a decent and living wage in our society.
Therefore, we must increase access to living
wages and strong universal healthcare,
including drug rehabilitation.

Mandatory Minimum Sentences

Clearly, when two Supreme Court justices


have openly questioned the efficacy of
mandatory minimum sentences, as they have
lately, it is time to act. Mandatory minimums
came from pandering politicians who frighten
their constituents and then offer ersatz
"solutions" that destroy far too many lives and
fragment far too many families. Obscene

34
moral corruption and undesirable behavior.
Accepting these premises led Congress to
conclude that a federal ban on the production
and sale of alcohol would go a long way
toward reducing crime and addressing a
variety of other social problems. Within a
decade, however, Americans discovered that
the criminally enforced prohibition of alcohol
produced harmful side effects. The rise of
black markets empowered organized crime to
an unprecedented degree. In some of
America's largest cities, local governments
had been heavily corrupted by the influence of
organized crime. The black market provided
minors with easy access to bootlegged
alcohol, which was frequently of poor quality
and unsafe to drink. Faced with the disastrous
consequences of Prohibition, Congress
decided in 1933 to repeal the Volstead Act.
Since that time, the government has
implemented the much more successful policy
of focusing law enforcement efforts on
irresponsible alcohol users who endanger the
rights of others.

Unfortunately, current drug policy fails to take


into account the lessons of Prohibition. The
law regards all users as abusers, and the result
has been the creation of an unnecessary class
of lawbreakers. According to the FBI's
Uniform Crime Report, more than 734,000
individuals were arrested on marijuana
charges in 2000. This number far exceeds the
total number of arrestees for all violent crimes
combined, including murder, rape, robbery,
and aggravated assault. Eighty-eight percent
of those arrested were charged with possession
only. Convicted marijuana offenders are
denied federal financial student aid, welfare,
and food stamps, and may be removed from
public housing. In many cases, those
convicted are automatically stripped of their
Marijuana Decriminalization driving privileges, even if the offense is not
driving related. In several states, marijuana
With the enactment of the Volstead Act in offenders may receive maximum sentences of
1919, America embarked on a social life in prison. The cost to the taxpayer of
experiment known as Prohibition. enforcing marijuana prohibition is staggering
Prohibitionists rejected the idea that people -- over $10 billion annually.
could be trusted to drink in moderation,
arguing that alcohol use inevitably led to The harsh nature of punishments for marijuana
offenses is even more disturbing if one
35
considers the racial bias of the war on drugs. National Commission on Marijuana and Drug
According to data collected by the National Abuse recommended that Congress adopt a
Household Survey, on an annual basis the national policy of marijuana
overall difference between drug use by blacks decriminalization. A recent CNN/Time
and whites is quite narrow. However, a recent magazine poll indicates overwhelming public
national study found that African Americans support for this approach, with 72% of
are arrested for marijuana offenses at higher Americans favoring fines as a maximum
rates than whites in 90% of 700 U.S. counties penalty for minor marijuana offenses, and
investigated. In 64% of these counties, the 80% approving of marijuana used for medical
African American arrest rate for marijuana purposes.
violations was more than twice the arrest rate
for whites. Questions of racial bias affect the As a nation, we must work to implement a
integrity of investigations, arrests, and drug policy that removes responsible
prosecutorial discretion. If we truly aspire to recreational users and medical users of
the ideal of "Justice for All," then these unjust marijuana from the criminal justice system, in
racial disparities are unacceptable outcomes order to redirect resources toward the
for the American justice system. following goals:

The rationale for continuing this draconian • Enforce penalties for those who
policy of marijuana prohibition is unclear. provide marijuana to minors.
Statistical evidence shows that marijuana use • Enforce penalties for those who
follows a pattern very similar to that of endanger the rights of others through
alcohol. Most marijuana users do so irresponsible use, such as driving
responsibly, in a safe, recreational context. under the influence.
These people lead normal, productive lives -- • Develop drug treatment programs
pursuing careers, raising families, and focused on rehabilitation, rather than
participating in civic life. In addition, incarceration.
marijuana has proven benefits in the treatment • Support the efforts of state
of numerous diseases, such as providing a governments in developing innovative
valuable means of pain management for approaches to drug policy.
terminally ill patients. In either of these • Improve drug education by
contexts, there is no rational justification for emphasizing science over scare tactics.
criminally enforced prohibitions. These • Implement a Department of Justice
unnecessary arrests and incarcerations serve program that would review the records
only to crowd prisons, backlog the judicial of, and consider for sentence reduction
system, and distract law enforcement officials or release, inmates convicted for
from pursuing terrorists and other violent nonviolent marijuana offenses.
criminals.

New Mexico's 2001 state-commissioned Drug


Policy Advisory Group determined that
marijuana decriminalization "will result in
greater availability of resources to respond to
more serious crimes without any increased
risks to public safety." This finding is backed
by the successful implementation of such
policies in twelve states. The state
governments of Alaska, California, Colorado,
Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska,
Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, and
Oregon approved these measures after the
36
The implosion of the Enron Corporation is a
cautionary tale of the danger to the people of
our nation, to our economy, and to our
political system of unregulated corporations.
The influence wielded by the power industry
at every level of government must be shaken.
The drive to privatize must be halted.

Enron's considerable financial contributions to


the campaign coffers of 71 Senators and 186
House members clearly demonstrate the
urgency of creating full public financing of
our elections.

Government at the state and federal levels


must reclaim its rightful role as regulator in
the public interest, restructure electric rates to
protect residents and small businesses, finance
the construction of municipal power systems,
and ensure -- as my Progressive Tax Act of
2003 does -- that corporations pay their fair
share in taxes.

Despite the overwhelming influence which


corporations have in the life of our nation, I
see a new era of corporate accountability. I see
a new horizon in America where ethics,
sustainability, and sensible priorities guide
corporate conduct in cooperation with vigilant,
fair-minded, government regulation.

We cannot stand by idly while powerful


economic engines -- virtually unregulated
corporations -- violate workers' rights, human
rights, and the environment, sweeping aside
antitrust laws, eliminating competition.

We need a new relationship between our


government and corporate America, an arms-
length relationship, so that our elected leaders
are capable of independently affirming and
safeguarding the public interest. Just as our
Corporate Power founders understood the need for separation of
church and state, we need to institutionalize
The challenge before us today is whether we the separation of corporations and the state.
can maintain a government of the people, by This begins with government taking the
the people and for the people, or whether we responsibility to establish the conditions under
will timidly accept the economic, social, and which corporations can do business in the
political consequences of a government of the United States, including the establishment of a
corporations, by the corporations, and for the federal corporate charter that describes and
corporations.
37
clearly delineates corporate rights and are falling. People are taking pay cuts to keep
responsibilities. their jobs. The unemployed and the employed
alike are experiencing a falling standard of
Corporations must be compelled to pay a fair living. The middle class aspirations of many
share of taxes. If corporations shift profits are being dashed.
offshore to avoid paying taxes, they should not
be permitted to operate in the United States. Where the private sector fails to provide jobs,
The decrease in corporate tax responsibility is the public sector has a moral responsibility to
an indication of the rise of corporate power. do so. People want work, not welfare. And
Corporations pay three and half times less in while there ought to be welfare for those
taxes now than they did in the 1950s. Working unable to work, there ought to be work for
families have to make up the difference. those who are able to work and who want to
work. And there is enough work to do.
We need an administration that will take
corporate crime seriously and significantly I see a newly rebuilt America. I see a new
increase the capacity of the SEC, the FTC, and horizon where America provides a means to
the Justice Department to address it. have massive public works to rebuild our
cities, our water systems, our public
Wall Street should not get its hands on transportation systems, our schools, our parks,
Americans' hard-earned Social Security our public energy systems. Nearly $150
savings. The Social Security system is not in billion is needed over 20 years to repair and
financial crisis, but it faces the same political provide for adequate wastewater treatment
crisis much of our government faces: the systems. Another $120 billion is needed for
pressure to privatize. drinking water systems. We need a new
financial mechanism to get money to cities
I am working to prevent the privatization of and states to begin rebuilding and to put
Social Security, of water, of municipal America back to work.
services, and of our democracy.
The federal government can give cities and
Also see: states loans for infrastructure programs to be
repaid over a period of 30 years, at zero
Power to the People: My Story - by Dennis interest. This will boost economies and spur
Kucinich private investment. A Federal Bank for
Infrastructure Maintenance would administer a
program of lending $50 billion per year to
state and local governments. The money
comes from an innovative adaptation of the
normal money supply circulation activity of
the Federal Reserve Bank. The cost to the
American taxpayer is simply the cost of the
interest on the loans.

Economic Justice It is up to the Democratic Party to be the


advocates for economic progress for all the
I see an America where the economy works people.
for everyone because everyone is working. I
see a new horizon in this country where there
is no such thing as an acceptable level of
unemployment. Nearly 9,000,000 Americans
are unemployed. Millions more are not being
included in the official count. Average wages
38
Fair Price and Fair Markets
Cancel NAFTA and the WTO, replacing them
with bilateral trade agreements designed to
benefit family farmers and workers while
protecting the health of communities and the
environment. Country-of-origin labeling
would be required. Empower farmers in the
marketplace by providing incentives to join a
collective bargaining unit -- with voluntary
membership open only to active producers and
the right to bring suit in federal court if an
agribusiness doesn't bargain in good faith.

Market Concentration
Create new markets by actively enforcing
existing anti-trust laws and proposing new
laws to force divestiture in concentrated
markets, breaking apart monopolistic
agribusiness companies and shifting farm
economics towards higher commodity prices
for farmers. To increase competition in the
livestock industry, support a national ban on
packer ownership of livestock.

Biotechnology and GM Seeds


Advocate only for responsible farm sector
biotechnology, creating an indemnity fund --
financed by the corporations responsible for
the technology -- for farmers who incur losses
caused by genetically modified organisms
(GMOs). To protect farmers, labeling GMO
seeds with disclosure and liability information
must be required. To protect consumers, food
containing GMOs also requires labeling.

Local Food Systems


Shift USDA funding and focus away from the
promotion of concentrated intensive and
industrial agribusiness. The new focus must
benefit family farmers, rural communities, the
Farm Policy environment, and consumers, with policies
crafted to enable farmers to earn a fair price
Something is wrong when profits of and to provide safe, nutritious food to all
agribusiness corporations skyrocket, but people. Increase funding for regional food
farmers must find off-farm jobs or sell their processing facilities, marketing assistance,
farms to survive. I believe the United States farm-to-school programs, on-farm renewable
must implement the following farm policies to energy, and the Farmers Market Nutrition
benefit farmers, provide our nation with Program. Agricultural research and
wholesome food, protect our natural development institutions must be given
resources, and restore our rural communities: funding priority to help family farmers make a

39
transition to profitable and sustainable
agriculture.

Conservation and Environmental Protection


Strengthen and enforce air and water quality
laws to safeguard rural communities from
factory farm pollution. The number of animal
units per site would be limited to a level that
allows for on-site manure management, and
local communities would be given control
over the siting of industrial livestock
operations. Programs that reward family
farmers for protecting the environment would
be expanded, and funding to help small
independent farmers qualify for organic
certification would be increased.

Food Industry Workers and Food Safety


Implement new safety standards in
meatpacking and food processing. Worker
health and safety protections would be
expanded through increased inspections and
fines, with criminal charges for employers
who cause injury or death to agricultural
industry workers. Backing meatpacking
unions will help to bring wages and benefits in
line with the risks of the job, and funding for
smaller, regional packing plants will create
better economic opportunities for family
farmers, better conditions for workers, and
safer meat for consumers.

Rural Communities
Initiate a major new program of investment in
rural America, putting thousands to work
rebuilding invaluable public assets such as
schools, hospitals, libraries, swimming pools,
and parks. Teachers, doctors, veterinarians,
and other important service providers would
be offered incentives to work in under-served
areas. A variety of support mechanisms and
financial incentives would be given to local
businesses, so that locally owned businesses
have a fair chance to compete.

40
consider undesirable. It has also reduced the
number of IT jobs held by Americans.

At its peak in 2000, there were 10.5 million


people working in Information Technology in
the United States. By 2001, there were fewer
than 10 million -- despite continued global
growth in Information Technology
employment. Professor Norman Matloff of
UC Davis estimates that in the spring of 2003
there were 500,000 unemployed and
underemployed U.S. programmers, while
there were 463,000 H-1B workers employed
in the field.

The government must ensure adequate funds


for the enforcement of visa regulations --
including much-ignored regulations
prohibiting the use of foreign nationals in
critical infrastructure. A special investigator
should be appointed to examine the extent and
nature of H-1B and L-1 visa fraud and the
reasons for heavy use of H-1B and L-1 visas
at Enron, WorldCom, and Anderson. We
should take seriously the allegations of perjury
by corporate leaders who have testified before
Congress to request expansion of this program
in 1998 and 2000, as well as allegations of the
use of the H-1B and L-1 programs in corrupt
organizations.

We need an industry fact-finding commission,


including representatives of major U.S.
investors, U.S. tech workers, and business
leaders who have been competitive in the
international marketplace without use of the
H-1B / L-1 program. These representatives
can make suggestions as to a new policy on
the immigration of people with specialized
knowledge or unique skills.
H-1B and L-1 Visas
I have already set forth plans for major
The expanded use of H-1B and L-1 visas has technical initiatives in the areas of renewable
had a negative effect on the workplace of energy, pollution control, and promotions of
Information Technology workers in America. Open Source software and media -- additional
It has caused a reduction in wages. It has major initiatives will be considered -- creating
forced workers to accept deteriorating a wider diversity of means by which
working conditions and allowed U.S. technologists are funded outside of the service
companies to concentrate work in technical of major corporations. It may not be possible
and geographic areas that American workers to undo the damage that corporate short-
sightedness has done to the U.S. technical
41
community -- but it is possible to give a real By pulling out of NAFTA, we can return jobs
voice to the vision that the U.S. technical that have been lost, including high-wage jobs
community has for a better America. in the information technology field. By
initiating a WPA-style jobs program that puts
Americans back to work rebuilding America,
we can create millions of jobs and
simultaneously improve our quality of life.

As a nation, we face a predicament of either


buy American, or bye-bye America. Unless we
cancel the WTO and pull out of NAFTA,
corporations will continue to move jobs out of
the country and produce goods in developing
and third-world nations (with great costs to
those countries' workers and environment). In
order to buy American, we have to assure that
goods are still being produced in America.
That's why we must first cancel the WTO and
pull out of NAFTA, which have lost us
millions of jobs and spurred a soaring trade
deficit.

I have a Jobs Plan that will put 2 million


Americans back to work at a living wage in
such enterprises as rebuilding schools,
designing roads, refurbishing environmental
projects, and manufacturing steel for water
systems. The Kucinich jobs plan will also
increase the quality of life in America, by
making highways safer, water cleaner, and
schools more conducive to learning.

Right now, unemployment stands at 6.2%


nationally. Long-term unemployment has
become a persistent problem. Nearly 2 million
Americans have been looking for work
unsuccessfully for over 6 months, while over 9
million Americans are unemployed. According
to the Economic Policy Institute, there are
three unemployed people for every job
Putting America Back to Work IN America opening.

Our country is facing twin crises: high Ironically, at the same time so many
unemployment and a decrepit infrastructure. Americans can't find work, there is so much
At the same time, millions of manufacturing work to do. The crisis of our decaying
and high-tech jobs are being shipped overseas. infrastructure is something we see every day
I have a plan that will turn our problems when we sit in traffic bound by orange barrels
around and put Americans back to work in that line our highways. It is something that
America. school children experience at their desks,
crowded together under leaking roofs. In
cities, municipal sewer systems overflow into
42
rivers, streams, and estuaries. These events The Fed currently holds about $300 billion in
occur with increasing regularity as systems Treasury securities. Transferring about $50
age. Infrastructure problems threaten our billion annually to the FBIM would still allow
productivity, our economy, our environment, the Fed to operate as it does now to add
and our health. liquidity to the system. The Fed, instead of
buying securities, would buy the mortgage
It is time to put America back to work. It is loans of the states. This way, the FBIM's
time to address the twin crises by putting finances would be integrated by the Federal
unemployed Americans to work rebuilding Open Market Committee so as not to disrupt
America's neglected infrastructure. The its ability to promote economic stability.
Kucinich plan will make that happen.
This amount would be varied, so that the
The Kucinich Jobs Plan to Rebuild funds could be used as a tool to foster stable
America economic growth. During times of economic
slowdown, the FBIM would make more loans
The Kucinich plan calls for the creation of a available to spur investment. During times of
low-cost federal financing mechanism to economic boom, the FBIM would make fewer
administer $50 billion in zero-interest loans loans available.
every year to localities for infrastructure
projects for ten years. Twenty percent of these All of the jobs within this new system would
funds would be targeted for school be living-wage jobs, because I would raise the
construction and repair. minimum wage to at least $8 an hour and
create an index so that the minimum wage
The Kucinich plan also calls for a 15% rises automatically with cost of living
reduction in the military budget, redirecting increases. If we establish both universal health
that $65 billion towards hometown security care and universal pre-kindergarten, workers
issues such as education, jobs, and health care will no longer be plagued by the high costs of
for all. health care and child care. The net savings of
these programs is enormous, and as result, I
State and local governments would continue to believe we will have a healthier society and a
issue bonds to finance infrastructure projects. more resilient economy.
But under the Kucinich plan, the federal
government would be authorized to buy those The Kucinich Plan to Keep Jobs in America
bonds. States would have to repay the
principal, but unlike normal municipal The exodus of jobs from our shores and the
borrowing, these bonds would pay zero "race to the bottom" for workers around the
interest. So, the cost of borrowing for world is an obvious result of NAFTA and the
infrastructure improvement would be reduced WTO, both of which make it impossible to
by half. place taxes or tariffs on outsourced work. The
search for countries where workers are
The federal government would hold these unrepresented and environmental rules are lax
bonds in the Federal Bank for Infrastructure must end. NAFTA, WTO, "Fast Track"
Modernization (FBIM). The bank, as an legislation, and the Free Trade Area of the
extension of the Federal Financing Bank under Americas must be rejected and replaced with
the Treasury, would administer the loans. The Fair Trade policies in which bilateral trade
loans would bear a small fee of one-quarter of agreements are negotiated to provide for living
one percent of the loan principal to cover the wages for workers and environmental
administrative costs of the FBIM. In order to safeguards. Canceling NAFTA and the WTO
provide the money for the loans, the FBIM will enable the U.S. to protect high-tech jobs
would hold a portion of the Treasury securities from outsourcing. This, plus careful
that the Federal Reserve normally holds.
43
monitoring of H-1B visa practices, will slow financed completely by ordinary individuals,
the tide of outsourcing. not large corporations. I am not beholden to
any corporate interests; there are no strings
The Bush Administration has embraced the attached. My campaigns and my work
concept of outsourcing American jobs represent all the people of our nation, not just
overseas as a new form of international trade. the wealthy elite.
Where is the patriotism in this? U.S.
companies are expected to ship 200,000 jobs a
year to India in the near future, in pursuit of
lower wages, and we have already lost a
significant fraction of our manufacturing jobs
to countries overseas. In this continued loss of
control over the development of our own
technology and materials, and the continued
loss of hundreds of thousands of American
jobs, we are creating serious threats to our
national and economic security.

I am advocating a new policy to replace our


current H-1B and L-1 visas, a policy that does
not put skilled American workers in the high-
tech industry at risk. There are many tech-
industry jobs that could be done by Americans
who are out of work, and often the immigrants
who come to our country on H-1B visas find
themselves in indentured servitude situations.

We cannot continue to tolerate the loopholes


and offshore profit shifting that corporations
engage in to get out of paying their fair share
of taxes. We must also take a much harder line
on corporate crime, by increasing the roles of
the FTC, the SEC, and the Justice Department
in addressing it.

We live in strange times when patriotism


merely extends to unnecessary wars and not to
protecting the lives and welfare of American
families by keeping jobs here. It is necessary
to promote a new corporate responsibility and
sense of shared commitment, so that the race
to minimize wages for workers and maximize
shareholder profits in already profitable
businesses is considered unpatriotic and
punishable by tax policy. We must reject
Bush's efforts to transfer more and more
wealth upward, by creating an intelligent tax
structure that promotes the public good.

My entire mission is aimed at increasing the


benefits to the public good. My campaigns are
44
capacity of our mills. We need to spend at
least $500 billion to rebuild our schools,
roads, bridges, ports, sewer systems, water
systems, and government buildings. A highly
trained, highly skilled workforce backed by
Davis-Bacon guarantees will make it happen.
A federal bank of infrastructure modernization
can be created to fund this program with zero-
interest loans to the states.

The following steps need to be taken in order


to begin to help the American economy
recover:

First of all, considering that we've lost 2.7


million manufacturing jobs since July of 2000,
it's shocking that the United States does not
have a manufacturing policy, an economic
policy that states that the maintenance of steel,
automotive, aerospace, and shipping is vital to
our national economy and our national
security.

Secondly, we have to do everything we can to


secure our manufacturing base, and that means
giving a critical examination to those trade
agreements that have caused a loss of
hundreds of thousands -- in some cases,
millions -- of jobs in this economy. We must
cancel NAFTA and the WTO and to return to
bilateral trade, conditioned on workers' rights,
human rights, and the environment.

America needs a great new public works


program to restore the dream of a full
employment economy, to restore the physical
health of our nation. On Labor Day, 2003, I
announced a new initiative -- an initiative that
will enable the United States to rebuild its
cities in the same way that Franklin Roosevelt
rebuilt America during the Depression.
Manufacturing Through a WPA-type program, this initiative
would rebuild our cities, our streets, our water
systems, our sewer systems, and new energy
Our nation will be restored with new systems, while simultaneously putting
manufacturing policy, where the maintenance millions of people back to work.
of our industrial base is understood to be vital
to our national economic welfare. We can fuel It's time to rebuild America. We have the
domestic steel production and consumption by resources to do it, we just have to have the
rebuilding our nation's infrastructure with will to go through with it.
American made steel, utilizing the productive
45
12 that have established higher minimum
wage levels than the federal.

In addition, over 115 cities and counties have


passed living wage laws, applying higher
wage standards to those working on public
contracts or at companies benefiting from
public subsidies or, in some cases, to direct
government employees.

Local and state governments are in closer


touch with popular wisdom on this issue than
is Congress. A 2002 poll by Lake Snell Perry
& Associates for the Ms. Foundation found
that 77% of likely voters surveyed supported
raising the minimum wage to $8. And 79%
supported regular increases to address the
effect of inflation. A 2001 survey for Investor's
Business Daily found that 75% of respondents
supported raising the minimum wage as a way
to stimulate the economy.

Putting decent wages in the hands of those


who need the money is a far surer way to
boost an economy than giving tax breaks to
those with more money than they know what
to do with. And the living wage movement of
the past decade has added more evidence to
the already solid documentation that adjusting
the minimum wage upward along with
inflation does not cause unemployment.

We must make it a top priority to restore the


value of the federal minimum wage, bringing
it up to at least its 1968 level and indexing it
to automatically keep pace with the cost of
living. This will allow workers to quit their
second or third jobs and spend more time with
their families.

My goal is to combine this with the creation of


Minimum Wage a truly universal single-payer health care
system, universal free preschool, free college
tuition at state colleges and universities, a
The federal minimum wage is $5.15 and public jobs program to restore our
would be over $8.50, had Congress adjusted it infrastructure, and withdrawal from NAFTA
for inflation over the past 35 years. (Of course, and the WTO in favor of bilateral trade pacts
Congress routinely adjusts its own members' that protect workers' rights here and abroad.
pay for the cost of living.) Over the past six This will transform the lives of working
years since the last time Congress "raised" the people, and without the efforts of working
minimum wage, we've gone from six states to
46
people who have made the living wage an must end. NAFTA, WTO, "Fast Track"
issue, this would not be possible. legislation, and the Free Trade Area of the
Americas must be rejected and replaced with
Fair Trade policies in which bilateral trade
agreements are negotiated to provide for living
wages for workers and environmental
safeguards. Canceling NAFTA and the WTO
will enable the U.S. to protect high-tech jobs
from outsourcing. This, plus careful
monitoring of H-1B visa practices, will slow
the tide of outsourcing.

"Outsourcing" is a process in which American


jobs, mainly in technological fields, are
contracted out to countries where wages are
significantly lower. According to the February
edition of Wired Magazine, the typical salary
for an American programmer is $70,000 a
year. The typical salary for a programmer in
India is $8,000 a year. U.S. companies are
expected to ship 200,000 jobs a year to India
in the near future, in pursuit of these lower
wages, and we have already lost a significant
fraction of our manufacturing jobs to countries
overseas.

The Bush Administration has embraced the


concept of outsourcing American jobs
overseas as a new form of international trade.
Where is the patriotism in this? In this
continued loss of control over the
development of our own technology and
materials, and the continued loss of hundreds
of thousands of American jobs, we are
creating serious threats to our national and
economic security.

I am advocating a new policy to replace our


current H-1B and L-1 visas, a policy that does
not put skilled American workers in the high-
tech industry at risk. There are many tech-
Outsourcing Jobs industry jobs that could be done by Americans
who are out of work, and often the immigrants
who come to our country on H-1B visas find
The exodus of jobs from our shores and the themselves in indentured servitude situations.
"race to the bottom" for workers around the
world is an obvious result of NAFTA and the We must not tolerate the loopholes and
WTO, both of which make it impossible to offshore profit shifting that corporations
place taxes or tariffs on outsourced work. The engage in to get out of paying their fair share
search for countries where workers are of taxes. We must also take a much harder line
unrepresented and environmental rules are lax on corporate crime by increasing the roles of
47
the FTC, the SEC, and the Justice Department As a man who has served nearly all my life in
in addressing it. a career of public service, I realize how
important this sector is to the well being of the
We live in strange times when patriotism nation and the world. When I was in my early
merely extends to unnecessary wars and not to twenties, I won a seat on the Cleveland City
protecting the lives and welfare of American Council and soon after became the mayor of
families by keeping jobs here. It is necessary Cleveland.
to promote a new corporate responsibility and
sense of shared commitment, so that the race Today, as a Congressman from Ohio and a
to minimize wages for workers and maximize leader of the Peace Movement, I stand in
shareholder profits in already profitable strong support of the programs that offer
businesses is considered unpatriotic and opportunities for all people to participate in
punishable by tax policy. We must reject public service, from Peace Corps to
Bush's efforts to transfer more and more AmeriCorps to Senior Corps. I am committed
wealth upward, by creating an intelligent tax to raising awareness of, and breaking down
structure that promotes the public good. barriers to, service opportunities within federal
government agencies, and will encourage not
My entire mission is aimed at increasing the only volunteerism but also detailing, stipends,
benefits to the public good, specifically by and grants for such opportunities. The federal
keeping American jobs in America. My government should divert extra resources to
campaigns are financed completely by volunteer programs that support community
ordinary individuals, not large corporations. I building and peaceful reconciliation; we
am not beholden to any corporate interests; should work to incorporate these programs
there are no strings attached. My campaigns into schools across the country. I am sharply
and work represent all the people of our disappointed in the Bush Administration's vast
nation, not just the wealthy elite. budget and personnel cuts to the public service
sector.

I introduced a bill to create a cabinet-level


U.S. Department of Peace, which also seeks to
develop a Peace Academy for instruction in
peace education and nonviolent conflict
resolution. Graduates of this four-year course
would be required to serve five years in public
service in domestic or international nonviolent
conflict resolution programs. This plan will
serve as a powerful asset to both public
services and the establishment of peace.

By expanding the public service sector, I


believe we can help create an America where
Public Services human rights, workers' rights, and
environmental quality principles are within the
Where the private sector fails to provide jobs, ark of the Human Covenant -- where people
the public sector has a moral responsibility to build families, build communities, and build
do so. People want work, not welfare. And an American community that can light the way
while there ought to be welfare for those to a better world.
unable to work, there ought to be work for
those who are able to work and who want to
work. And there is enough work to do.

48
currently give further advantages to large
corporations at the expense of small
businesses and local economies are central to
this goal.

I have developed a plan to stimulate the


economy through investment in a jobs
program restoring infrastructure. Such a
program will give a boost to small businesses
in urban areas, in contrast to the lack of
stimulus provided by President Bush's massive
investment in weapons and in tax cuts for the
wealthy. This effort will begin rebuilding our
decaying infrastructure nationwide -- such as
schools, roads, water treatment, and
environmental systems -- through jobs
programs paid for by zero-interest federal
loans to states and local governments.

My support for a bill to establish a National


Housing Trust Fund follows the example set
by local housing trust funds, which have a
strong record of stimulating the economy and
small businesses, as well as creating
affordable housing.

I advocate shifting the nation's energy policy


away from support for major oil, coal, and
nuclear companies to smaller businesses
developing renewable energy technologies.

I believe the federal government must help


small agricultural businesses compete by
requiring country-of-origin labeling; by
actively enforcing existing anti-trust laws; and
by enacting new laws to force divestiture in
concentrated markets, breaking apart
monopolistic agribusiness companies and
shifting farm economics towards higher
commodity prices for farmers. To increase
Small Business Growth competition in the livestock industry, I
strongly support a national ban on packer
The United States must create a more level ownership of livestock.
playing field for small businesses by
reconstituting the trust-busting powers of the Our country must shift USDA funding and
Justice Department and breaking up the focus away from the promotion of
monopolies that make competition next to concentrated intensive and industrial
impossible for small businesses in many agribusiness. A new focus will benefit family
industries. Repealing corporate trade farmers, rural communities, the environment,
agreements -- NAFTA and the WTO -- that and consumers, with policies crafted to enable

49
farmers to earn a fair price and to provide safe,
nutritious food.

It is time we increased funding for regional


food processing facilities, marketing
assistance, farm-to-school programs, on-farm
renewable energy, and the Farmers' Market
Nutrition Program. Agricultural research and
development institutions must be given
funding priority, to help family farmers make
a transition to profitable and sustainable
agriculture.

It is time we initiated a major new program of


investment in rural America, putting thousands
to work rebuilding invaluable public assets
such as schools, hospitals, libraries, swimming
pools, and parks. Teachers, doctors,
veterinarians, and other important service
providers should be offered incentives to work
in under-served areas. A variety of support
mechanisms and financial incentives must be
given to local businesses, so that locally
owned businesses have a fair chance to
compete.

I believe we must also work to make it


possible for small media companies to
compete. I have filed formal objections with
the FCC to their deregulation and held
hearings on Capitol Hill on what the media
were not telling people about a war. We must
bust the media monopolies.

I have put forth an economic plan focused on


investing in jobs, rather than wars and tax cuts
for the rich, a plan that will restore some fiscal
balance while stimulating the economy by
putting money in the hands of people who
actually need it. I support repeal of the Bush
tax cuts for the wealthy, while retaining those
small tax cuts that have gone to ordinary
Americans.

50
shortfall. In fact, merely returning the tax rates
for those averaging $1.25 million a year in
income, the top 1%, would nearly eliminate
the guessed at shortfall for the next 75 years.

Any shortfall of Social Security is easily


handled if the government merely has the
courage to face the special interests and say
"No."

Stopping the Destruction of Social Security

Our Greatest Insurance Plan

As AARP and many other informed groups


have written, Social Security may need some
small changes but it must not be demolished
as the current proposals would certainly do. It
is the most important insurance and retirement
plan most Americans earn. Note the emphasis
on "earn." Social Security is an earned benefit.
It is not charity. It is for people who work hard
and play by the rules and bad things happen to
them or, they simply grow old and need to
retire. At a time when pensions, savings,
wages and health care are disappearing,
shrinking or stagnating, it is breathtaking that
our government would seek to make the lives
of its citizens even riskier.

Privatization as a Con Game for Wall Street

However, as you study the privatization plan


more carefully and the possible repudiation of
the Trust Fund, the elements of an elaborate
con game have become apparent to Missouri
University economist Michael Hudson. A con
game that will benefit – as did the
borrowing for tax returns – those who earn,
on average, about $1.25 million a year.
Social Security Hudson explains that it has all the elements of
a "pump and dump" scheme to prop up stock
April 2006 prices for the most privileged and then to
leave ordinary Americans holding the bag.
When the President faced the American public
and insisted that Social Security was facing a Social Security Is Not Facing a Crisis!
financial crisis, it was interesting to note that
he didn't also reveal that his tax cuts, The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office
according to the bi-partisan Congressional (CBO) estimates that Social Security will pay
Budget office were five times the anticipated out 100% of all currently promised benefits
until 2052 – some 46 years away. That is
51
hardly a crisis and certainly not when administration shills employ in discussing
compared to the financial problems of the private accounts. They say that they wish "to
National Debt, Health Care, Medicare, Wages, give you the opportunity to earn more on your
Trade Deficits ... As with Iraq, the money." Of course, left unsaid is that you can
Republicans have manufactured a crisis. In certainly earn less, much less, as well. It's just
fact, in 2052 Social Security will able to pay that privateers rarely get around to that
out 80% of promised benefits if their necessary disclaimer. And any financial
pessimistic projections are true. But 80% of planner worth her or his salt knows that the
those projected benefits is actually a far larger first investments one should make for
basket of goods than today's retirees receive. retirement are in safe vehicles like treasury
Each successive year, retirees with the same securities, so the absolute necessities of life
income receive a larger basket of goods to are covered. Stocks are risky and are placed
reflect the growing prosperity of the country. higher up the risk scale in the investment
pyramid. Currently, all investments in Social
Fixing the Potential Problem Is Easy Security are made into treasury securities
earning, on average, about 5-6%. Statements
While it is entirely unclear if there is a that Social Security only earns 1% are just
shortfall within Social Security, "fixes" are plain wrong and meant to mislead.
relatively easy. For example, if we accept the
CBO numbers it is likely that the full 75 year Our Social Safety Net
shortfall could be eliminated by simply having
the top 1% of American taxpayers (those Social Security is both a social safety net and
averaging $1.25 million a year in income) an economic covenant between generations
return to the tax rates of the 1990s when the and financial groups. To allow the current
economy was booming and the Clinton administration to pit one group or one age
administration created 22 million jobs. group against another is cynical and
Leaving Iraq would also likely save more than destructive to the ties that bind us together as a
enough to meet the CBO projected shortfall, compassionate society. Those who call for
as would keeping the estate tax for individuals "strengthening" Social Security with private
leaving more than $3 million. In fact, the tax accounts are clearly not uniters, they are
cuts for those averaging $1.25 million a year dividers. They know full well when Social
in income is nearly twice the projected Security is split into different age groups and
shortfall for Social Security projected to benefits are no longer directly related to
infinity according to conservative sources. earnings - as they are now - the system will
Making the rich richer and leaving the middle lose favor with many. It will only be a matter
class and others to fend for themselves is a of time before the system that we universally
familiar mantra for this administration. back today will die because so many will no
longer feel connected to it.
The Inherent Risk of the Stock Market
Why Change (Kill) Our Greatest Poverty
It the stock market always produces better Program?
results, as the Bush administration intimates,
why do all CEOs of the top 100 companies Why would this administration attempt to kill
have defined benefit pension plans? What do the most successful anti-poverty program in
they know that the Bush administration does our history? An earned benefit based on your
not? One of the country's leading stock market full work history? Frankly, from a number of
researchers, Robert J. Shiller of Yale, White House memos and materials written by
estimates that nearly three out of every four conservatives over the years, it is clear that
Americans would far more poorly under a conservatives hate Social Security as the last
privatization plan than the current system. major vestige of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's
Notice the deliciously misleading rhetoric the New Deal. These are the Grover Norquist
52
people running this government (and the "K" exception of 1983, when Reagan was in
Street Project) who talk about drowning office, this is the lowest portion of our tax
government in a bathtub, people who can't receipts that corporations have paid since
manage disasters like Hurricane Katrina 1933. If corporations and the wealthy aren't
because they don't want government to work. paying their fair share, who must take up the
They simply want it to wither away and for slack? Yes, working Americans.
everyone to fend for themselves. The true goal
of their "ownership society" -- according to The fact that a billionaire sitting next to a pool
some pointed but telling humor -- is "to have pays a lower tax rate than the person who
everyone on their own." Atomizing, dividing cleans bedpans or finishes concrete should
and pitting one group against another is their trouble all of us. America should reward those
method. While they may not express a belief whose labors have made it great. To force the
in evolution, they like to at least see Social hardest working and most productive of all
Darwinism in action. Americans to pay more of their income than
those who merely receive dividend checks
from an investment is to diminish their efforts.
The Republican effort to keep the taxation rate
on dividends at 15%, or to eliminate it
altogether, is truly evidence that the
Republican Party and some Democrats simply
do not respect hard work. They only respect
and admire wealth. Part of that admiration
may stem from the fact that those are the
people who fund their campaigns.

For example, the campaign to eliminate the


estate tax is being largely pushed by 18 super-
wealthy American families, who figure to save
some $71.6 billion in taxes if the estate tax is
eliminated. Incidentally, if the inheritance tax
is eliminated, the average American will have
to come up with about $7,500 more in taxes
over a ten-year period. The estate tax is a
graduated tax that only about 1% of taxpayers
pay and where one in a thousand estates pays
most of the tax.

Our greatest concern can no longer be the


children of the rich.
Taxes
The very wealthy owe a great debt to this
April 2006 great country and those who preceeded them.
Indeed, as President Theodore Roosevelt
"If class warfare is being waged in America, stated in 1906, "the man of great wealth owes
my class is clearly winning." a particular obligation to the State because he
derives special advantages from the mere
Said by Warren Buffett, world's second-richest existence of government." In 1909 in his
man at $42.9 billion, in criticizing the fact that inaugural address William Howard Taft
corporate taxes only amounted to 7.4% of pointed to the "graduated inheritance tax as
fiscal 2003 U.S. tax receipts. With the correct in principle and as certain and easy of
collection."
53
Bill Gates's father also has argued for the waste and weapons like Star Wars that simply
continuing existence of the estate tax, despite won't work and programs that have nothing to
knowing that the transfer of his son's immense do with protecting this country.
wealth at death will be taxed. "The estate tax
should be regarded as just paying back to the Keep in mind that the government borrows all
country for all the wonderful things it's made the Social Security surplus each year and
possible for the people who have that wealth," doesn't even report the borrowing as part of
said Bill Gates, Sr. "I don't think there's any the yearly deficit. So far, the Bush
great societal goal being served by inherited administration has borrowed about $6,000 in
wealth. And certainly there's no sensible overpayments from the Social Security Trust
argument that I can think of for insisting on Fund from the average taxpayer. This, after
being able to pass the last penny of $100 promising in the first Presidential campaign to
million on to your three kids." put the money in a "lock box." Especially
unsettling is that after borrowing nearly $800
Clearly, middle class taxpayers pay too much billion from the trust fund, the President has
in taxes and are paid too little in the declared several times that the Trust Fund
workplace. And the super-rich and simply doesn't exist.
corporations pay too little. In fact, the Bush
administration has not given tax cuts. They If the government refuses to honor its
have forced the American people to borrow borrowings from the Social Security Trust, it
money for massive tax cuts for those earning, means that the Bush administration will have
on average, $1.25 million a year. financed much of the government on the most
regressive of taxes. Even more shocking are
The Center for Tax Justice has shown that the the calculations of economist Dean Baker that
top 1% of taxpayers, those earning on average such a repudiation of the Trust Fund would
$1.25 million a year, will individually receive result in a windfall of $800,000 for the top 1%
$476,176 in tax cuts between 2001 and 2010, of taxpayers and a loss of $10,000 for the
if the tax cuts become permanent. Most average family.
shocking is that the top 1% will receive some
$641 billion over that time period, while the
bottom 80% will receive $636 billion in tax
cuts.

The administration statements that the poor


and middle class received most of the tax cuts
is not an issue for debate. It is a lie, no matter
how you try to order the evidence. Much of
the most direct evidence, by the way, the
administration refuses to release. Perhaps they
feel the facts would weaken Republican -- not
national -- security.

The Clinton period tax rates for the most


affluent should be returned, while the tax cuts
for those earning less than $405,000 a year
should be maintained, for now, until we see
how the economy fares.

Because the average taxpayer pays some


$5,000 a year for the military, significant tax
savings could be generated by eliminating
54
people. Workers' rights are the key to
protecting our democracy.

Workers' rights embody spiritual principles


that sustain families, nourish the soul, and
create peace. Workers' rights are human rights.

Labor has stood almost alone while


corporations have cut wages and benefits,
slashed working hours, tried to undermine
wage and hour provisions, reneged on
contracts, and jettisoned retirements through
bankruptcy strategies. The current clamor for
corporate accountability calls for honesty in
stating the numbers, and faithful custody of
shareholders money.

There needs to be equal concern for those who


created the wealth through their labor, because
the attacks on unions are a means of
redistributing the wealth upwards. As union
membership has declined, the disparity of
wealth has increased. Since 1973, union
membership has dropped from 24% to 14%.
And the share of aggregate income of the
poor, the middle class, and the upper middle
class has declined. Congress has not passed an
increase in the $5.15 minimum wage, even
though the inflation-adjusted minimum wage
is 21% lower today than in 1979.

Since 1981, the share of income of the richest


5% of this country has increased more than
40%, while that of the lowest fifth has
decreased more than 20%. An even starker
contrast arises. According to Business Week,
the average CEO made 42 times the average
worker's pay in 1980, 85 times in 1990 and
Workers' Rights 531 times in 2000. Forbes Magazine points
out that the number of billionaires increased
The hopes and dreams of the men and women from 13 in 1982 to 149 in 1996.
who sent me to Congress are the stars by
which I journey. Whenever there is an People have a right to:
organizing campaign, a picket line to walk,
jobs to save, working conditions to improve, • Have a job.
laws to champion, I'm there. This is my • Have a safe workplace.
purpose: To stand up and to speak out on • Get decent wages and benefits.
behalf of those who have built this country • Organize and be represented.
and who want to rebuild this country. This is • Grieve about working conditions.
my passion: To raise up the rights of working • Strike.

55
• Get fair compensation for injuries on
the job.
• Sue if injured by negligent employers.
• Have secure pension and retirement
benefits.
• Participate in the political process.

These basic rights ought to be inviolate in a


democratic society. There can be no true
corporate accountability unless corporations
are accountable to workers. There can be no
accountability to workers unless workers'
rights are protected. And workers' rights
cannot be protected unless the Democratic
party makes it the centerpiece of its legislative
program. The Democratic Party must be
challenged by Labor to truly be the party of all
the people.

When the Democratic Party rises, it must be


with the ranks, not from the ranks. "The future
of labor is the future of America," said John L.
Lewis.

Labor cannot afford to settle for half-hearted


nominees or half measures that keep in place a
system that is destroying our democracy
through trade agreements that transfer
sovereign power to the World Trade
Organization, undermine our economy, and
devastate workers' ability to defend
themselves.

It is the restoration of the rights of workers


that will put us at the dawn of a new political
age. The rights of workers are core principles
of an American Restoration. These aren't mere
political principles. These are timeless moral
principles, about fairness, about equality,
about justice.

56
The Clean Air Act has steadily improved our
air quality since 1970, but was substantially
weakened by special interests acting through
the Bush administration. While a few big
businesses reap excessive profits, average
citizens face increased health problems and
additional expenses for health care that most
can ill afford. Nearly half of all Americans are
forced to breathe unhealthy air. This should
not be tolerated under any administration.

The human cost of air pollutants is estimated


at as many as 100,000 premature deaths and
about $50 billion annually in the United
States. Because we breathe in 3,400 gallons of
air every day, chemicals we cannot see, smell,
or taste can do irreparable harm over long
periods. We should not be forced to endure the
dumping of chemicals and other pollutants
into the air that we must breathe, nor should
we be forced to pay more in medical costs to
treat the problems of breathing polluted air.
We certainly should not be forced to accept an
early death so that pollutants can thrive in our
air.

The personal cost of air pollution, estimated to


average around $200 every year, applies to
everyone, everywhere, but is even higher for
some regions. For example, a 22-square-mile
area north of Fort Wayne has been identified
as the most mercury-contaminated spot in the
country. In addition, some racial groups are hit
harder than others. For instance, 71% of
African Americans lived in counties that
violated federal air pollution standards in
2002, compared to 58% of the white
population.

Clean Air It is now crucial that the lethal impacts of air


pollution be realized and acted upon. Soot
We need a President who will reinvigorate the from the oldest and dirtiest power plants kills
Clean Air Act and work to eliminate the 30,100 Americans each year; comparatively,
pollutants in the air we breathe. We need a drunk driving kills 16,935 and homicides kill
President who will join world efforts to curb 17,893. These same power plants emit
global warming; who will ratify the Kyoto pollution that triggers 603,000 asthma attacks
Protocol, spur research and development into annually, most of which occur in children. The
clean-burning, renewable fuels, and move the technology to clean up these plants has
United States to 20% renewable energy use by literally existed for decades. If these old power
2010. plants were made to be as clean as newer

57
power plants, we'd save three times as many without being less comfortable. Many of our
lives as are saved by seatbelts. power plants can be more efficient and
produce fewer pollutants. Mega-farms can
The Bush Clear Skies Initiative is a clear step produce much less toxic gas.
backwards for the quality of the environment Support the Kyoto Treaty to join international
and for every American. Even the EPA has efforts to decrease our emissions of
admitted that the Clear Skies Initiative will greenhouse gases and thus curb global
create more pollution from the electric power warming.
industry than if the EPA had enforced existing Work cooperatively with other nations. Air is a
programs. As written, the Clear Skies universal resource; our efforts to improve air
Initiative will allow 36% more nitrogen quality mustn't end at the U.S. borders.
oxides, 50% more sulfur dioxide, and as much
as 500% more mercury to be released into our
air. This will mean millions more asthma
attacks, heavier acid rainfalls, and more toxic
bodies of water where the fish cannot be
eaten.

This implementation of big industry wishes


has derailed the Clean Air Act and undermined
the health of this nation.

We need an administration that will act on the


fact that the air we breathe is essential to life.
Even unseen pollution harms all our lives and
destroys some of our lives. All of us pay for
the pollution of others. Pollution is not
necessary and the price of pollution is not
something we need to pay to maintain our
lifestyles. In many cases, the cost of cleaning
up the pollution is less than the medical costs
of treating the effects of pollution. We all must
continue to cleanse the air and drive down the
cost that everyone pays for a dirty atmosphere.

The Bush administration has seriously


weakened the Clean Air Act, raising the health
costs of everyone; it is time to restore it. As a
nation, we must take the following steps:

Reinvigorate the Clean Air Act and reverse the


actions of the Bush administration to impede
it.
Offer incentives for wind, solar, and other
non-polluting forms of energy. This will help
clean our air and reduce our dependence on
polluting forms of energy and on foreign oil
and gas.
Offer incentives for more efficient devices and
systems that use or generate power.
Automobiles can be more efficient and safer
58
Make a major investment in water system
infrastructure

Make a financial commitment to providing


healthy drinking water to all the world's
people

When the Clean Water Act was written in


1972, the goal was to make all waters safe for
fishing and swimming. Yet data from the
Environmental Protection Agency shows that
the nation's water bodies are getting dirtier --
nearly half are unsafe. The Clean Water Act
has helped to reduce pollution from sewage
treatment plants and other direct dischargers,
but it has been generally ineffective in
controlling polluted runoff from farm fields,
confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs),
roads and parking lots, construction sites, oil
and gas operations, mining sites, etc.

Overdevelopment of wetlands, which would


accelerate under proposed Bush
Administration rule changes, destroys nature's
natural pollution filters and increases flooding.
Subsidies for auto-dependent sprawl and
transportation further contribute to runoff
pollution. Coal-burning utilities add to
mercury contamination of lakes from acid
rain, a particular health hazard to children and
pregnant women.

A quarter of our industrial plants and water


treatment plants are in serious violation of
Clean Water pollution standards. Half of the most serious
offenders exceed pollution limits on toxic
Dennis Kucinich Plan for Clean Water for All substances by more than 100%, yet due to
inadequate funding, only a fraction of them
In Summary: face consequences. Those found in violation
are often given little more than a slap on the
Strengthen and enforce air and water wrist.
regulation and protections
While most family farmers are good stewards
Reward environmentally-responsible farmers of the environment, too many communities are
and businesses being harmed by industrial-style agriculture
and its disregard for the environment. Millions
Stop privatization of drinking water and sewer of fish have been killed by countless manure
systems spills from overflowing lagoons. Runoff of
fertilizers and other contaminants has created
a "dead zone" at the mouth of the Mississippi
River. Many rural areas have themselves
59
become "dead zones" due to the rapid decline cut storm water pollution from new
of family-farm agriculture. Residents of rural development. Instead, this Administration
communities throughout America are suffering seeks to limit the scope of the law, leaving
the consequences -- contaminated well and entire classes of waterways unprotected.
surface water, gastro-intestinal illnesses, lung
problems, neurological damage, and decreases Water is the sustainer of all life. We deserve it
in property values. ourselves, and we owe it to future generations
to leave them the gift of clean water. We need
Privatization of drinking water and sewer an administration that will make clean, healthy
systems, with its accompanying goal of profit water a right for all, strengthening air and
above all and its leverage of control over an water protections. Regulation and enforcement
essential commodity, has produced disastrous against polluters must be increased, while
outcomes. Privatization contributed to a environmentally responsible farmers and
cholera outbreak in South Africa and led to businesses should be rewarded. We must work
filthy, overpriced, undersupplied water in to stop privatization of drinking water and
Atlanta. In India, some poor households must sewer systems and make a major investment
pay 25% of their income for water. The list of in water system infrastructure, while making a
problems goes on and on. significant financial commitment to providing
healthy drinking water to all the world's
Under-funded and often antiquated water people.
treatment plants are a thin line of defense
between the pollution entering our water Strengthen and enforce air and water
bodies and what comes out of our taps. regulation and protections
Pollutants are occurring in alarming amounts
in some water systems. Of the 2,000 We should regulate pollution from CAFOs as
chemicals commonly found in public drinking industrial discharges subject to permits, limits,
water supplies, the Environmental Protection and fines for non-compliance. Business and
Agency tests for only 83. Recent studies show factory farms in violation of regulations
that, on average, people have more than 30 should forfeit federal subsidies. Mountaintop
toxic chemicals in their bodies. Many states removal of coal should be prohibited, and
charge nothing for polluters to obtain permits tough controls should be instituted to reduce
to legally discharge into their rivers, lakes, and global warming emissions and acid rain from
streams. coal-burning utilities. Federal assistance to
states is needed, to help implement and
According to the United Nations, 2 billion monitor mandatory plans to reduce pollutants
people worldwide are dying or at risk of dying entering water bodies, shift resources to
from unsafe drinking water and/or lack of watershed protection, and increase funding for
access to adequate sanitation. Water-related public transportation programs to reduce auto-
diseases are responsible for 80% of illnesses and sprawl-related water and air pollution.
and death in the developing world. More than
2 million people, mostly children, die each We should increase testing of chemicals
year from waterborne diseases. prevalent in drinking water bodies, require
manufacturers of toxic chemicals to produce
The current Administration has unleashed an safer alternatives -- many of which are
unprecedented assault on water quality currently available -- and make pollution
protection. It permits coal companies to dump permit fees mandatory, subject to revocation
fill from blown-up mountains into streams. It for repeat offenders. Budgets for
has rejected the first President Bush's policy of environmental monitoring and enforcement
ensuring no net loss of wetlands, withdrawn should be increased, with cleanup costs
proposed rules that would have reduced raw funded by fees and fines paid by polluters.
sewage discharges, and dropped proposals to
60
Reward environmentally responsible farmers while reducing pressure to sell water supplies
and businesses and treatment plants to private companies.

A healthy environment and a strong economy Make a financial commitment to providing


should go hand in hand. If we are to be serious healthy drinking water to all the world's
about making our water safe, we need a people
transformation of our economy to one that
recognizes environmental costs. The Returning to our ideal of an America of
Conservation Security Program needs to be compassion, we should at least double annual
greatly expanded; this is a model program spending on safe drinking water and sanitation
that's a win-win-win for farmers, the programs in the developing world. We have a
environment, and everyone who lives moral obligation to take action. If we can
downstream. Protections for all wetlands afford to spend $100 billion for wars, we can
should be strengthened. Assistance should be afford to help end the needless suffering of our
given to state environmental agencies to brothers and sisters throughout the world.
curtail polluted runoff. Farms and businesses Funds can be re-directed from the bloated
that employ pollution reduction strategies military budget to help pay for these
should be encouraged with tax and other programs. Supporting alleviation of the
incentives. Funding should also be provided to suffering of the world's poorest and most
help family farmers meet their environmental desperate people is not only an urgent moral
responsibilities and make the transition to less necessity, it will also reestablish the image of
chemical-intensive agriculture that increases the United States as a helping, not conquering,
profits, reduces pollution, and restores our nation.
precious water bodies.

Stop privatization of drinking water and sewer


systems

Access to water is fundamental. It must not be


controlled by private industries and sold only
to those who can afford it. Water is a human
right and must be kept in the public domain,
not controlled by corporations aided by WTO,
IMF, and World Bank loan policies. Instead,
privatization of water must be reversed;
drinking water systems must be publicly
owned, subject to municipal control; the
practice of making water privatization a
condition for favorable loan terms must be
ended.

Make a major investment in water system


infrastructure

Current funding to upgrade drinking water and


sewer systems is woefully inadequate. We
need a major WPA-style investment in water
infrastructure improvements, to protect the
public health and put people back to work.
The funds spent will create thousands of jobs,

61
believe that by the year 2004, over 315 million
computers will become obsolete, leaving
approximately 1.2 billion pounds of lead, 2
millions pounds of cadmium, and 4 billion
pounds of plastics in the waste stream.

We must all work together to bring electronic


waste to the forefront of environmental issues,
through increased education, strengthening of
environmental laws, and emphasis on
corporate responsibility. Due to a lack of
consumer education and awareness, most
people scarcely stop to wonder what happens
to their old computers once they are done
using them, or how they should best discard
them in the first place -- hence, the widespread
solution of closet and garage storage. If
current conditions persist, this electronic waste
stream will more than likely flow in the
direction of landfills, incinerators, or overseas
exports.

While CRTs (cathode ray tubes, or monitors),


computer towers, televisions, and other
electronic equipment are known to contain
numerous toxic substances, they are scarcely
designed in ways that will ensure proper
management. Landfills, incinerators, and even
most modern recycling plants are not secure
solutions to managing e-waste. According to
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
over 3.2 million tons of e-waste ended up in
national landfills in 1997. This is an
insufficient and dangerous method of
management, as both landfill and incinerators
significantly contribute to rising problems in
land, water, and air contamination. Even the
best "state of the art" landfill is not completely
Electronic Waste secure, allowing certain amounts of chemical
and metal leaching to occur. Electronic
Electronic waste, or e-waste, represents the discards contribute to about 70% of heavy
broad and growing range of electronic devices metals (primarily mercury and cadmium)
produced mainly in the last two decades as an found in landfills. These and other hazardous
inevitable by-product of the Information or substances can severely contaminate
High-Tech Revolution. From cell phones and groundwater and consequently filter into
video games to televisions and computer public water supplies and the food chain.
equipment, e-waste is now the fastest growing Beyond problems of leaching in landfills, the
waste stream in the industrialized world, vaporization of metallic mercury and
produced by the world's largest growing dimethylene mercury is also of great concern.
manufacturing industry: electronics. Experts Furthermore, uncontrolled fires may arise in
landfills, releasing extremely toxic dioxins and
62
furans (dioxin-like compounds) into the While other governments are developing
atmosphere. environmental guidelines for the preceding
Info-Tech Revolution, the U.S. continues to
Most efforts to divert e-waste from landfills lag behind and even regress. Beyond refusing
and incinerators result in hazardous to sign the Basel Convention, which aims to
dismantling, shredding, burning, exporting, curb the unwarranted effects of free trade in
and other unsafe, irresponsible disposal toxic wastes, both the U.S. government and
methods. Due to unchecked market forces and American manufacturers have made numerous
scarce economic incentives to do otherwise, efforts to challenge recent European Union
the vast majority of e-waste -- a shocking 80% initiatives, under the framework of the World
-- that is supposedly recycled is actually Trade Organization (WTO).
shipped overseas to poor countries. Rich,
industrialized countries have made convenient The United States must sign the Basel
use of the word "recycling" to justify the free Convention and adopt policies of corporate
trading of hazardous wastes to the developing responsibility, to ensure that toxic waste from
countries of Asia, where labor is cheap and the United States is no longer dumped on
health and environmental restrictions are lax. developing countries with scarce resources to
handle it safely.
Investigative reports of these overseas
"recycling" destinations have described The United States must adopt a whole-systems
horrifying working conditions and extreme approach to the e-waste problem in order to
environmental degradation. Unprotected profit from remanufacturing, as the EU has
workers -- many of them women and children recently done in their regional Waste
-- spend long days dismantling equipment, Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE)
mostly with the help of low-tech tools such as Initiative. The electronic industries can no
hammers, chisels, screwdrivers, and bare longer deny the rampant resource
hands. Hazardous recycling operations such as consumption and waste generation that
toner sweeping, open burning, CRT cracking plagues the Information Age, while
and dumping, and acid stripping of chips simultaneously benefiting from their failure to
expose workers to deadly pollutants like claim responsibility for it. As the most rapidly
chlorinated dioxins and furans that escalating waste problem in the world, the e-
contaminate their bodies and their waste dilemma represents both a call to
environment. Local drinking water has producers to extend their responsibilities and
deteriorated to the point that supplies must be the rumblings of an environmental crisis that
trucked in daily on rickety tractors from ten has only just begun.
miles away. Near a riverbank that has been
used to break down and burn circuit boards, a We must work to transform the U.S. into a
water sample revealed levels of lead 190 times closed-loop system, where products enter and
as high as the drinking water standard set by exit the market through the same open doors.
the World Health Organization, while samples This way, obsolete products will no longer end
from the sediment displayed levels of lead and up in a dangerous heap at the end of their
other heavy metals, like barium and lives.
chromium, hundreds of times as high as U.S.
and European environmental standards for The system through which the e-waste
acceptable risk. problem thrives requires a systemic solution
that will work in the best interests of all
The power to change lies largely in the hands stakeholders, and not just those at certain
of developed countries. It is time that this locations in the network. Manufacturers must
power was realized and addressed in the take initial responsibility for creating this
United States. whole-systems approach, thus discovering
new ways to profit from remanufacturing.
63
From producers to governments to average energy technologies will produce new jobs.
consumers, stakeholders in the e-waste crisis We can and must double our energy from
must recognize together both the renewable sources by 2010. And we can very
environmental and economic value of soon have hybrid and fuel cell cars dominating
sustainability in the ensuing Info-Tech the market.
Revolution.
As a peace advocate, I hope to launch a major
renewables effort so that Middle East oil fields
will not loom so large as strategic or military
targets. There has to be a renewable energy
portfolio of at least 20% by 2010. And that
means introducing wind, solar, hydrogen,
geothermal, biomass, and all of the options
that must be available and need incentivizing.
That also means withdrawing incentives for
the production of nonrenewable energy. I'm
not talking about building new hydro dams;
I'm not talking about damming up more rivers
and streams. We need to subsidize the
development of new energy technologies. And
I'm willing to do that through NASA, which
has been of singular importance to our
economy by developing technologies for
propulsion, for aerospace, for materials, for
medicines, and for communication. We need
to fund NASA in, among other areas, a
mission to planet Earth.

I have a long and consistent record of working


for protecting the environment. I was active in
helping draft the first environmental law
protecting the air, as a member of the
Cleveland City Council 30 years ago. I led the
effort in Ohio challenging nuclear power as
being unsafe, unreliable, and unsustainable,
and I'm still leading the effort in challenging
it. And, most recently, I was at the World
Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg, advocating a plan with Mikhail
Energy Gorbachev for a Global Green Deal that
would enable the introduction of $50 billion of
Thanks to advances in renewables, there are new solar projects around the world. It will be
fewer technical obstacles to energy a major initiative to use our country's
independence for our country. There are many leadership in sustainable energy production to
political obstacles -- but the oil, auto and provide jobs to Americans, to reduce energy
electric utility corporations should not be use here at home, and to partner with
directing energy policy. We must work to spur developing nations to provide their people
research and investment in "alternative" with inexpensive, local renewable-energy
energy sources such as hydrogen, solar, wind technologies.
and ocean, and make them mainstream. Clean

64
As an environmentalist, my view is always common property of all humanity -- even
holistic and global: we need to launch a more, as the commonwealth of all humanity.
"Global Green Deal" -- a major initiative to And so my candidacy arises from a
use our country's leadership in sustainable philosophy of interdependence and
energy production to provide jobs to interconnection, which respects the
Americans, to reduce energy use here at home, environment as a precondition for our
and to partner with developing nations to survival.
provide their people with inexpensive, local
renewable energy technologies. As a citizen of I am not tied to any corporate interests that
Planet Earth, I want this project for the same would strip our forests or pollute our air or
reason I would sign the Kyoto climate change water. Throughout my career, I have worked
treaty -- because we need it for our children for structures of law that protect the
and our grandchildren. environment, and the principles that animate
my campaign are principles of sustainability.
The principles that animate my life are
principles of sustainability.

I have a long and consistent record of working


for protecting the environment. I was active in
helping draft the first environmental law
protecting the air, as a member of the
Cleveland City Council 30 years ago. I led the
effort in Ohio challenging nuclear power as
being unsafe, unreliable, and unsustainable,
and I'm still leading the effort in challenging
it. And, most recently, I was at the World
Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg, advocating a plan with Mikhail
Gorbachev for a Global Green Deal that
would enable the introduction of $50 billion of
new solar projects around the world. It will be
a major initiative to use our country's
leadership in sustainable energy production to
provide jobs to Americans, to reduce energy
use here at home, and to partner with
developing nations to provide their people
with inexpensive, local renewable-energy
technologies.

As a peace advocate, I hope to launch a major


Environment renewables effort so that Middle East oil fields
do not loom so large as strategic or military
The EPA under the Bush Administration has targets. There has to be a renewable energy
stood for Every Polluter's Ally. The air and the portfolio of 20% by 2010. And that means
water and the land are viewed by this introducing wind, solar, hydrogen,
administration as just another commodity to geothermal, biomass, and all of the options
be used for private profit. We as a nation must that must be available and need incentivizing.
turn our efforts towards the great work of That also means withdrawing incentives for
restoring our air and our water and our land. the production of nonrenewable energy. I'm
We must view our natural resources as the not talking about building new hydro dams;

65
I'm not talking about damming up more rivers economy, and an intact ozone layer are not
and streams. luxuries, but necessities for our planet's future.

We need to subsidize the development of new The League of Conservation Voters has
energy technologies. And I'm willing to do compiled extensive information on my
that through NASA, which has been of environmental record:
singular importance to our economy by http://www.lcv.org/Campaigns/Campaigns.cf
developing technologies for propulsion, for m?ID=93
aerospace, for materials, for medicines, and
for communication. We need to fund NASA I have a 100 percent rating on the environment
in, among other areas, a mission to planet from the Public Interest Research Group:
Earth. http://www.pirg.org/score2002/ohio.html

The United States should lead the way in


protecting our oceans, rivers and rural
environments -- and I have been speaking out
on these issues across America. I will also
continue to lead in fighting for clean,
affordable, and accessible drinking water --
which is an emerging global concern. Over the
years, I have worked hand in hand with the
environmental movement on many battles,
from thwarting a nuclear waste dump to
boosting organics to demanding labels on
genetically-engineered products. I've won
honors from the Sierra Club, Friends of the
Earth, and the League of Conservation Voters.

In the summer of 2002, I was one of the few


U.S. officials at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. To
repair the earth, America must lead. We must
reverse course on most Bush Administration
policies and support the Kyoto Treaty that
Bush rejected. We must strengthen
environmental laws and increase penalties on
polluters. We should provide tax and other
incentives to businesses that conserve energy,
retrofit pollution prevention technologies, and
redesign toxins out of their manufacturing
processes. Nontoxic, safe substitutes for
hazardous chemicals must become permanent.

I would initiate a "Global Green Deal" to use


our country's leadership in sustainable energy
production to provide jobs at home, increase
our independence from foreign oil, and aid
developing nations with cheap, dependable,
renewable energy technologies like wind and
solar. A clean environment, a sustainable

66
air. They regulate climate and provide soil
stability and wildlife habitat, including habitat
for fish and for the pollinators of food crops.
Many modern medicines are derived from the
forest. Our very survival as a species depends
upon intact forests, yet we have destroyed
96% of our original forests.

And we have not necessarily corrected the


error of our ways. President Bush and
Congress recently created the "Healthy Forest
Initiative," which targets the remaining 4% of
intact forest for logging, under the guise of
"forest-fire management." I am calling for a
fundamental shift of public policy that will
protect both our future on this planet and our
tax dollar: Zero Cut, Zero Extraction on Public
Lands.

The American people own 635 million acres


of public land. These public lands are
controlled by the U.S. Forest Service, U.S.
Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Park
Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and are comprised of a variety of
ecosystems. Public lands provide 80% of
municipal water supplies and half of the
remaining habitat left to endangered species.
On the other hand, public forests comprise less
than 4% of the timber supply derived from this
country, and half of the trees cut in the U.S.
are exported as minimally processed wood,
pulp, and chips! We must end public lands
logging and insist on export of only finished
wood products, thus protecting both the
environment and American jobs. Log exports
alone cost 60,000 timber jobs per year, and
rampant logging has contributed to a
precipitous decline of the fishing industry
from coast to coast.

American public lands are currently managed


Forests and Logging on Public Lands for the short-term profits of corporations. The
U.S. Forest Service routinely loses $1.2 billion
Our society has shown a fundamental per year for the taxpayers, since they spend
disregard for the ecosystems that provide life more money building logging roads and
on this planet. The United States was administering timber sales for timber
originally blanketed with a billion acres of companies than they receive from the sale of
forest. Now only 40 million acres remain public trees. The real cost is immeasurably
uncut. Forests provide clean water and clean more, since unlike a normal business, the U.S.
Forest Service liquidates public assets without
67
any evaluation of inventory worth or Program) has poisoned, shot, gassed, and
replacement cost. An honest, full cost lethally trapped millions of mammals and
accounting of the Forest Service would reveal birds on public land. This taxpayer-financed
that revenues from living public forests are operation is responsible for directly
worth over $117 billion per year, yet revenues decimating all 19 species of large mammals in
from Forest Service lands are only $354 the West, including the grizzly bear, black
million per year. "Conservatives" squander bear, gray, red, swift and kit foxes, gray wolf,
both public money and the irreplaceable mountain lion, bobcats, lynx, jaguar, moose,
ecosystems that our life and economy depend elk, pronghorns, bighorn sheep, mule deer,
upon. The President must require that, as of whitetail deer, buffalo, and coyote. We must
January 2005, the federal government end the government-financed killing of
purchase only 100% post-consumer waste wildlife, saving both public land ecosystems
chlorine-free paper, or 100% tree-free and millions of taxpayer dollars.
chlorine-free paper. China already makes 80%
of its paper from agricultural waste. Why can't Mining on Public Lands
we? Mining on public lands represents yet another
taxpayer giveaway to environmental
Ranching on Public Lands destroyers. For a mere $5 per acre, anyone can
The Bureau of Land Management manages stake a mining claim on American public land.
our public grasslands for the short-term The Mineral Policy Center estimates that
benefit of the livestock industry. Cows and between 1872 and 1992 the federal
sheep have already permanently destroyed government gave away $231 billion in
50% of the nation's grasslands, and are royalty-free mineral reserves to private mining
currently munching on another 40%. Only companies on public land. For example, a
10% of the nation's original grasslands are Canadian company named American Barrick
available for wildlife, and most of this land is Resources paid less than $10,000 to the
unprotected. Federal Treasury to mine about 2,000 acres of
public land in Nevada. The mine is estimated
Public lands ranchers have permanently to contain $10 billion worth of gold. Not only
destroyed millions of acres of lands in the arid do we give away our mining assets for a
regions of the West, yet they provide only 3% pittance, but the public is left with cleaning up
of the nation's beef supply. The cost for a the toxic mess. Sixty-six Superfund clean-up
rancher to use public land for grazing is a sites are abandoned mines on public lands. It's
mere $1.35 per month for a head of cattle, estimated that the cost to clean up the current
compared to approximately $10 per month on waste left by private mining on public land
private lands. According to the Cato Institute, will be over $1 trillion. Of course, no amount
a conservative D.C. think tank, public lands of money can return to life all those already
ranchers receive $200 million in direct killed by asbestos, arsenic, and lead poisoning.
subsidies yearly. Indirect subsidies and public A 1996 report by the General Accounting
assets liquidation cost the taxpayers billions Office states that mines have left 50 billion
per year. The Bush Administration has tons of waste, the equivalent of 2,400 football
extended water rights to ranchers that feed on fields each filled a mile high. The Bush
public lands. It is time we stop the ranching on Administration recently extended the right of
public lands. miners to leave piles of toxic waste on public
lands. I am standing to seek an end to mining
In 1931, the federal government created a on public lands mining and to demand that
program to "eradicate, suppress, and control" private corporations pay for the cleanup. I
wildlife species that livestock and agricultural support policies to encourage reuse and
interests find offensive. Since then, "Wildlife reduction of mined material and encourage
Services" of the Department of Agriculture "mining" of our landfills instead.
(formerly named the Animal Damage Control
68
Oil Rigs on Public Lands multinational companies have invested
There are 46,000 oil rigs currently operating millions of dollars into the research and
on American public lands. The Bush development of GEF. They claim that
Administration has promoted oil interests both genetically engineered food is safe and that it
at home and abroad. The Bureau of Land is associated with good environmental
Management is contemplating the eventual practices. Of course, there is a huge conflict of
drilling of 50,000 oil and gas wells in the interest when the leading authorities on GEF
Powder River Basin of Wyoming. A current are the same industries that hope to profit by
proposal would drill 5,000 wells, and require them.
2,500 miles of new roads and 2,500 miles of
pipelines. It would ravage 3,600 square miles Genetically engineered food is produced with
of predominately public land in Wyoming, for the use of bacteria and "gene guns" along with
no more than 15-20 years of extraction. I see other unnatural techniques to aggressively
another energy future, one dependent upon insert foreign genetic material into a plant or
clean, renewable energy, energy conservation, animal. Genetic engineers also use viruses and
and efficiency. genes that are resistant to antibiotics in order
to activate these foreign genes.
In summary, I believe that complete protection
of our public lands from exploitive industry is These methods lead to questions about the
necessary for environmental, economic, and introduction of allergens and toxins into the
human health. For too long, corporations have food, the reduction of nutritional value of the
plundered our public lands, ravaging the food, and how consuming the food might lead
landscape, costing billions in direct taxpayer to resistance to antibiotics. Environmental
dollars and trillions in public assets concerns also arise. The biggest push in GEF
liquidation. I endorse Zero Cut, Zero has been for creating plants that are resistant
Extraction on Public Lands. to herbicides and pesticides. Crops that
encourage the increased use of pesticides that
already have a negative impact on our eco-
systems are a step in the wrong direction.
Despite the obvious concerns that these
practices cause, the FDA has maintained since
1992 that genetically engineered food is
"substantially equivalent" to conventional
food.

Proponents of genetically engineered food


have said that this technology will end world
hunger because increased crop yields will
create more food. This simplistic argument
does not take into account the true causes of
hunger. In the past we have consistently
produced more than enough food to feed the
people of the world. The United Nations has
Genetically Engineered Food predicted that growth in agriculture will
continue to exceed population growth. The
Genetically engineered food (GEF) poses real cause of world hunger is not a shortage of
grave risks, and much serious research into the food, but poverty. Food is not distributed well
potential harms is needed. The dominant enough to the areas that need it, and hungry
voices in the public debate over genetically people are too poor to buy that which is
engineered food have been those of the agri- available, or they lack the land and resources
business and biotechnology industries. These to grow it for themselves.
69
People must have a right to select foods for That plant is hemp, cousin to the psychoactive
themselves and their families that are proven marijuana plant. Hemp is classified as a
to be safe and environmentally friendly. In "drug" under the Controlled Substances Act,
Congress, I have introduced legislation in although it poses no danger to public health or
support of regulating genetically engineered safety. Hemp is a distinct variety of the plant
food. I have argued for scientifically valid species Cannabis sativa L. that contains less
testing of the safety of all GEF. I have than 1% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the
opposed the introduction of genetically psychoactive chemical that gets people "high."
engineered fish, because the ecological effect According to David West, Ph.D., "... THC
was not adequately considered. I have worked levels in industrial hemp are so low that no
to empower farmers against the GEF industry. one could ever get high from smoking it.
I have worked to require that all foods Moreover, hemp contains a relatively high
containing GEF be labeled as such. percentage of another cannabinoid, CBD, that
actually blocks the marijuana high. Hemp, it
To accomplish these goals, we should create a turns out, is not only not marijuana; it could
fund, financed by genetically engineered food be called anti-marijuana." Article 28-2 of the
corporations, for farmers who incur losses UN Single Treaty Convention on Narcotic
caused by GEF. We should fund research Drugs states, "This Convention shall not apply
institutions that help family farmers make the to the cultivation of the cannabis plant
transition to profitable and sustainable exclusively for industrial purposes (fiber and
agriculture. We should also provide funding to seed) or horticultural purposes." The United
assist independent farmers in qualifying for States is a signer of this convention.
organic certification.
The industrial hemp plant has a surprising
number and variety of uses, including textiles,
paper, food, paint, bio-fuels, bio-composites,
automobile parts, plastics, and fiberboard. In
ancient times, people added handfuls of hemp
fiber to their clay to strengthen the bricks used
for building. In France today, houses are being
built from hemp that are fire- and termite-
resistant. Tree-free hemp paper can be made
without dioxin and can be recycled 10 more
times than tree-pulp paper. An acre of hemp
produces more pulp than four acres of trees. In
1916, USDA Agriculture Bulletin 404
reported that our forests were being cut down
three times faster than they grew. It called for
alternatives to the use of timber and
recommended using hemp pulp for paper
instead of tree pulp.

Hemp For textiles, an acre of land will produce two


to three times as much hemp fiber as cotton,
Re-legalizing the Commercial Growing of and hemp requires little to no pesticides or
Industrial Hemp in the United States herbicides. Hemp leaves the soil in excellent
Since 1937, Federal laws have criminalized a condition (even removing heavy metals) for
harmless plant. Outdated attitudes and drug any succeeding crop, especially when weeds
war paranoia in Washington have limited the may otherwise be a problem. Hemp anchors
many uses of this vital plant and have even and protects the soil from runoff, and during
prohibited its growth in the United States. reforestation tree roots will follow the paths
70
loosened by hemp roots, so trees grow more As the American Revolution approached,
quickly. patriot Thomas Paine insisted that the colonies
were strong enough to break free from old
Hemp seed plays an important role in nutrition King George's oppression and rise to their
for humans, livestock, and birds. Hemp seed is own greatness, in part "because hemp
a complete source of protein, second only to flourishes here."
soybeans, and contains the highest
concentration of essential amino and fatty After Pearl Harbor, when hemp imports to the
acids found in any food. It contains omega-6 United States were cut off, the U.S.
and omega-3 fatty acids at the optimum 3:1 government asked farmers to grow hemp once
ratio and contains gamma linolenic acid again, although growing it without a permit
(GLA). Hemp seed could replace the animal had been prohibited since 1937. USDA's
protein fed to livestock at far less cost to the Commodity Credit Corporation contracted
health of people and our planet. It is also with War Hemp Industries, Inc. to produce
perfect for a vegetarian and vegan diet. planting seed and fiber, and 42 hemp mills
were built across the American Midwest. The
By using a renewable resource, the hemp USDA film, "Hemp for Victory" was shown in
industry has the potential to help move our theaters and Grange halls across the land.
economy in a direction that is more USDA Farmers' Bulletin No. 1935, entitled
sustainable and more socially and "Hemp," was issued to farmers in January,
environmentally responsible. Since hemp 1943. Hemp was used to sew millions of pairs
grows well in most climates and offers of boots for American soldiers, hemp twine
amazing product versatility, it has the potential was used for tying and upholstery, and
to stimulate commercial activity that benefits thousands of feet of hemp rope were supplied
both humans and the ecology. to each battleship. In fact, the parachute that
saved George H. W. Bush's life during World
"Make the most of the hempseed, sow it War II was rigged with hemp. Even 4-H clubs
everywhere." in Kentucky planted their own hemp patches
President George Washington, 1794 "to serve their country in wartime." By war's
end, nearly a million acres of hemp had been
During America's Colonial days, hemp was a cultivated to support the war effort.
cornerstone of civil development, and its
production was considered necessary. England In April 1952, during the Korean War, the
and Holland hoped their American colonies USDA reissued Farmer's Bulletin No. 1935.
would furnish enough hemp for their great By 1957, however, prohibitionists had
navies, for which it was as important as flax, reimposed a total ban on the domestic hemp
iron, and timber. industry, which has been in effect ever since.

Hemp has always been important to the U.S. Hemp Today, Hemp in Our Future
economy and was exchanged as money Hemp is the natural competition that the
throughout most of the Americas from 1631 to timber and synthetic products industries don't
the early 1800s. Both the Declaration of want you to know about. It is part of a
Independence and the Constitution of the sustainable economy that will help wean us
United States were drafted on hempen paper. from dependence on foreign energy sources.
Colonial women sewed soldiers' uniforms and This new economy will help farmers to be an
flags from the tough hemp fibers, and integral part of the restoration of rural
bagging, cordage, twines, ropes, and sails America.
were all made with hemp. Oil for lamps and
for paints was pressed from the seed. Today's hemp industry is a thriving
commercial success, despite the government's
refusal to let American farmers be a part of
71
this economic growth. U.S. retailers and farmers from enjoying the benefits of this
manufacturers annually import large quantities thriving, sustainable industry.
of hemp fiber, hemp seeds, and hemp seed oil
from Canada and other nations. Studies Related News:
commissioned by a number of U.S. states have
recommended hemp as a viable crop, and Vote Hemp Releases Voter Guide: Kucinich
legislation has been enacted in some states Scores A+
allowing farmers to grow hemp. But Federal U.S. Newswire, 2/2/04
approval is still necessary, and it is seldom
given. This is an industrial hemp issue. Dennis
knows the difference! See Marijuana
On February 6, 2004, after several years of Decriminalization.
litigation, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals permanently enjoined an attempt by
the Drug Enforcement Administration to
regulate foodstuffs containing materials
derived from hemp, opening the way to even
greater commercialization of hemp products
than exists today in the United States. The
Court held that Congress had explicitly
exempted industrial hemp from its definition
of THC in the Controlled Substances Act, and
that the DEA would have to go through well-
defined procedures to "schedule" hemp as a
controlled substance.

The National Association of State


Departments of Agriculture recently urged the
USDA, the DEA, and the Office of National
Drug Control Policy to develop and adopt an
official definition of industrial hemp that
comports with definitions used by countries
producing hemp. Those definitions make it
possible to grow hemp for food and fiber in
those countries, feeding, clothing, and giving
livelihoods to thousands of people. They also
urged Congress to distinguish statutorily
between industrial hemp and marijuana and to
direct the DEA to revise its policies to allow
the USDA to regulate hemp farming.

I stand in support of a major renewables effort


and of spurring research and investment in
alternative energy sources. As an
environmentalist, my view is always holistic
and global. It is time this country put an end to
the demonization of hemp, paving the way for
renewed commercial hemp cultivation in the
United States and breaking down the
unnecessary barriers that keep American

72
shipments. More radioactive waste will be
shipped in the first full year of repository
operations than has been transported in the
entire five-decade history of spent fuel
shipments in the United States.

The Department of Energy proposes to


directly impact 44 states and many of the
major metropolitan areas in the nation. At least
109 cities with populations exceeding
100,000, including my constituents in
Cleveland, Ohio, will be subjected to repeated
shipments with minimal safeguards.

Highway shipments alone will impact at least


703 counties with a combined population of
123 million people. Nationally, 11 million
people reside within one half mile of a truck
or rail route. This unprecedented attempt to
transport radioactive materials will bring with
it many risks, including potentially serious
economic damage and property value losses in
cities and communities along shipping routes.

And the poorly tested transportation casks


may be vulnerable to highway accidents and
security breaches. Because of a lack of rail
facilities to several reactors the Department of
Energy will use barge shipments to move this
waste to a port capable of transferring 120-ton
casks to a train. Some of these shipments will
occur on the Great Lakes, the world's largest
source of fresh water. Over 35 million people
living in the Great Lakes basin use it for
drinking water.

The federal government must radically


improve the safety and security of these
shipments. That is the purpose of the Nuclear
Waste Transportation Protection Amendments
Act of 2002, which I introduced in Congress.
This legislation would require:
Nuclear Safety
Comprehensive nuclear waste transportation
Nuclear waste poses a serious threat to this safety programs
nation. The transportation of this waste will Protection of populated communities
require over 96,000 truck shipments over four The oldest fuel to be shipped first
decades. Almost every major east-west Full cask testing
interstate highway and mainland railroad in Consultation on state and local routes
the country will experience high-level waste Private carrier prohibition
Advance notification and safety precautions
73
Supporting the Family Farm

America depends upon a rich supply of


diverse foods at a good price. Our farmers
work long hours, often under unsafe
conditions, for very little income to provide
this needed food supply. The farmer must
borrow heavily to put in his/her crop, maintain
and upgrade equipment, and buy inputs such
as genetically modified organism (GMO) seed
and petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides,
costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. Then
the farmer must hope that the grain markets
reach a level where the crop can be sold at a
profit. Most farms are not the idyllic, relaxed,
simple places with a variety of crops and
livestock that Americans picture. The typical
conventional farm requires vast acreage to be
profitable, and that area requires huge
equipment to plow, plant, and harvest. The
huge size also requires farms to become
specialized -- either grain or livestock.

The huge size has made farms become


industrialized, which has brought problems,
such as pollution to the soil and water,
erosion, GMOs, and dangerous working
conditions. The USDA's policies for decades
have given the U.S. farmer the options of
getting big or getting out, which has destroyed
our farm base and rural communities. Under
current policy, the small family farmer has
become an endangered species. As of 2002,
there were more prisoners in the U.S. penal
system than farmers growing crops. We
remain deeply indebted to the dedicated
people who produce our nation's food, and I
continue to strive in every way to improve
their well-being.

Problems on the Farm

Organic Farming Many farmers are appalled at some current


trends in agribusiness. They face ever-
I am proud to give strong and unwavering increasing expenditures for inputs such as
support to our organic family farmers. This fertilizers and seeds, while they must sell their
approach to the land provides the safest foods, crop for ever-decreasing profits. Farmers go to
the best incomes for our farmers, and new the bank every spring to borrow large amounts
products for this nation to export. of operating capital and then wager all of it on
a decent harvest and a good market price from
the brokers in Chicago. Many farmers and
74
their spouses must work full time off the farm Organic farming draws on traditional methods
to make ends meet. Bigger and bigger and is an alternative way of farming that is
equipment creates compaction problems in the becoming prominent worldwide. Organic
fields. Pesticides kill the beneficial insects and methods, which have their philosophical
microbial life in the soils. Animals are origins in the early 20th century in Austria and
confined in tiny spaces, whereas they naturally England, were introduced to the U.S. by
need to range. Confined animals are being people like J.I. Rodale in the 1950s and
treated with heavy doses of antibiotics and Rachel Carson in the 1960s. The movement
growth hormones and are being fed a diet they has grown steadily and is now a clear option
were not meant to eat. (Cows eat grass, not for both farmers and consumers. Organic
grain and meat, for example.) None of this agriculture is based on improving soils,
makes sense to the stewards of the land, but it because healthy soils lead to healthy plants
is all part of industrialized agriculture. and animals. Healthy soils mean a farmer has
less need of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides,
NAFTA and the WTO have made things far which are prohibited in organic agriculture.
worse for the U.S. farmer by opening up Rather than making their operations bigger
markets that can produce commodities far and more like factories, organic farmers
more cheaply than can the U.S. farmer. concentrate on understanding the needs of the
plants and the animals, and focus on
Problems Beyond the Farm production in harmony with nature.

Beyond the individual farm, the detrimental Organic farmers often choose to market their
impacts of industrial farming affect the health goods directly to the public through farmers
and well-being of everyone in our suburbs and markets, CSA's, and farm stands, rather than
cities. Runoff of farm chemicals and the going through the wholesale commodity
manure runoff from confined feeding markets. In 2002, after a decade of discussion,
operations (CFOs) or factory farms has the USDA took over the certification of
dramatically adverse effects on our streams, organic farms in the U.S. from the 66
rivers, and drinking water. Antibiotics in independent organic certifying agencies
animal meats are being consumed in large (which now operate under USDA rules). The
quantities by our population, which is thereby idea was to get all the certifying agencies to
made immune to the restorative effects of operate under one rule so the consumer would
these important drugs. Growth hormones, have no confusion as to what organic means.
which are linked to cancer, are being passed When the USDA took over, big agribusiness
on to unaware consumers. GMO grains are in players such as Coca-Cola, ADM, and General
almost all processed foods, with no labeling to Mills came into the game. Now the organic
inform the consumer of that fact. Because of farmers are being asked to get big or get out.
trade agreements like NAFTA, more and more But there are still many tenacious family
of our food comes from abroad. America farmers in the U.S. who are still organic but
depends upon a rich supply of diverse foods at not getting big and staying in. They do it by
a good price, but this food also needs to be selling their food locally.
completely safe. And our government is not
doing nearly enough to verify the safety of Reasons to Support Organic Farm Families
what we are eating.
Organic farms must follow stringent
Fewer than 0.002% of our cattle are ever regulations that include precise record keeping
inspected for anything. in order to become certified.
Organic farming preserves and rebuilds the
The Organic Farming Alternative soil and many farmers are concerned with
preserving endangered seeds and animals.
Organic farming produces crops without
75
relying on petroleum-based synthetic and culture in our communities. The United
pesticides and fertilizers, thereby dramatically States spends only a very small percentage
decreasing the impact of farming pollution on (less than 1/10th of one percent) of its total
the local air, soil, and water. federal budget on arts and culture, less than is
Organic farming assures us that all its spent by most industrialized nations of the
products are completely free of genetically world. As I have demonstrated in my pledge to
modified substances. the American Arts Alliance, this is something
Organic farm and production operations are that I believe should change significantly.
inspected at least annually, to ensure
compliance with all of these standards. There is a positive role that the federal
The organic farm produces an alternative to government can play in promoting arts and
chemically raised foods that may well be more culture in our communities. Investing in the
nutritious and is usually tastier, all while arts is investing in the community. There's no
giving the organic grower a decent livelihood limit to what increased funding for the arts
from farming (organic farmers usually don't could do to help impoverished communities
have to work off the farm to make ends meet). for example -- making the community more
The organic movement provides America with beautiful, building community around artistic
a new product we can export in the name of events, inspiring hope and providing a creative
human and environmental health. outlet for youth.

Specifically in education, starting at a very


young age, the arts must be given more
emphasis. The current Administration wants to
box our young people in with standardized
tests and a limited focus on math and science.
These days, American students are tested to an
extent that is unprecedented in American
history and unparalleled anywhere in the
world.

Education must emphasize creative and


critical thinking, not just test taking. I believe
we can take our children and society in a new
direction by challenging this notion that
education should be so limited. We ought to be
encouraging art, music and creative writing in
our schools. In doing so, we recognize and
fuel the wide range of talents our children
possess.

I am a member of the Congressional Arts


Caucus, and I have a solid voting record of
support for the National Endowment for the
Arts. I am a co-sponsor of bills authorizing the
The Arts establishment of the National Museum of
African-American History and the National
I remain a strongly committed supporter of the Museum of Women's History Advisory
arts, both in Congress and in my personal life. Committee. In my home state of Ohio, I
I believe there is a positive role that the continue to encourage high school students in
federal government can play in promoting arts my district to participate in the Artistic

76
Discovery Contest (the annual Congressional pre-school (also referred to as pre-
High School Art Competition) each year. kindergarten), free of charge, for all children
who choose it. The Universal Pre-
Kindergarten Act, which I introduced in
Congress, would provide funding to states to
establish universal pre-kindergarten programs
that build on existing federal and state pre-
kindergarten initiatives.

Pre-kindergarten programs prepare children to


meet the challenges of school. Studies show
that young children who have access to a
quality education benefit with higher
academic achievements, increased graduation
rates, and decreased juvenile delinquency.
Nationwide, there's a severe shortage of
affordable, quality education programs. By
providing universal pre-kindergarten, we are
ensuring that all of our children are ready for
school.

The Universal Pre-Kindergarten Act will


provide funding to states to establish universal
pre-kindergarten programs that build on
existing federal and state pre-kindergarten
initiatives. The program is voluntary and will
be available, free of charge, to all families
who choose to participate. The legislation
requires pre-kindergarten programs to meet
quality standards of early education and
provides resources for the professional
development of teachers.

Universal pre-kindergarten would


revolutionize America's commitment to early
childhood education and change the nature of
child care provision for the better -- and it
would not empty any banks. The cost of this
program is $60 billion per year, which I plan
to pay for by cutting the bloated Pentagon
budget by 15%. This cut would still leave
America's military budget higher than any
country's in the world, and would do nothing
to weaken our defense.

Children's Issues After School Care


I support federal funding to local school
Child Care districts that offer quality after-school
I favor universal, publicly financed early programs. Funding quality after-school
childhood education. That means full-time programs could go a long way toward taking
kids off the streets during "prime crime time"
77
hours and giving them a constructive way to training, and public jobs programs -- which is
spend their after-school time. exactly what was wrong with the recent so-
called "reform" of the Temporary Assistance
Health Care to Needy Families (TANF) program.
I staunchly oppose the recent cuts in Medicaid
and CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Questions and Answers from
Program), as these are programs on which ConnectForKids.org
millions of families depend to provide care for
their children's health. It is a moral obligation
to provide all our children with quality health
care. But while these programs are valuable,
they are not enough. I support universal
publicly financed health insurance for all
Americans.

Children with Disabilities


The best thing Congress can do for kids with
disabilities is to fully fund IDEA (the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) so
that state and local governments don't have to
choose between serving kids with disabilities
and meeting other urgent priorities. IDEA
requires the federal government to provide
40% of the extra cost of educating students
with special needs. In the 107th Congress
(2001-2002), I co-sponsored several bills with
this objective. Most recently in the 108th
Congress, I was an original co-sponsor of H.R.
2107, the Keep Our Pact Act, which required
the full financing of the IDEA.

Child Abuse / Child Neglect


There are several things the federal
government can do to end the abuse of our
children:

Provide greater resources for the Promoting


Safe and Stable Families program as an
entitlement to the states.
Expand federal funding for identifying and
treating substance abuse among parents in the
child welfare system.
Support kinship care alternatives.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
(TANF) Reauthorization
We must not force families off public
assistance unless we can provide adequate day
care, job training, and public jobs programs. I
would not force low-wage workers with
children off public assistance until we can
provide them with adequate day care, job
78
violence in the home. My proposal for a
Department of Peace, which seeks to make
nonviolence an organizing principle of life,
applies directly to the alleviation of domestic
violence.

In 2001, Approximately 903,000 children


were found to be victims of child
maltreatment. Nearly one-third of American
women (31%) report being physically or
sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at
some point in their lives. The key to solving
domestic violence is correctly identifying the
problem. The problem is not the victim's. The
problem is the abuser's (most often a man's)
behavior.

Women face many problems in leaving


abusive situations:

They face losing their children if they get an


order of protection. The "logic" is that a
woman who cannot protect herself against an
abuser cannot protect her children, so the
children must be removed from the home.
Also, seven out ten men who fight for custody
get custody (most often they are men who
have financial resources for legal support). It
has been documented that judges are more
likely to give custody to an abusive man than
to a non-abusive man.
More women who leave abusive situations are
killed than women who stay. 31,260 women
were murdered by an intimate from 1976 to
1996.
Abusive men commonly threaten to harm
family or friends of the woman.
Women do not have the financial resources to
provide for the family. They are allowed very
limited time in the shelters. Many women do
not have families to help them.
Between 35% and 50% of the homeless in all
major cities are women and children fleeing
domestic violence.
Domestic Violence Women are afraid to report abuse because they
are afraid of being ostracized by society.
All violence is rooted in an abusive need for Children
power and control. This is true at the In domestic violence situations, which are
international, national, state, city, schools, and abundant in our society, positive family values
work site levels. It is also true of domestic do not and cannot exist. Society cannot expect
children who grow up with violence as a way
79
of life in their families to become nonviolent Family violence costs the nation from $5 to
members of society. Children who see and $10 billion annually in medical expenses,
experience violence in the home often act out police and court costs, shelters and foster care,
violence in the schools and communities and sick leave, absenteeism, and non-productivity.
continue the cycle of violence in the home. The concept of a work release program allows
The American Psychological Association the man to continue his employment and
reports that a child's exposure to the father support his family, while living in an
abusing the mother is the strongest risk factor environment that will help him recognize and
for transmitting violent behavior from one deal with his destructive behavior. The man
generation to the next. If they learn nothing would leave the shelter only during his normal
else, these children learn that violence is a working hours. He would be transferred to and
way to gain power, to control others, and to from work by a supervisor, social worker,
survive. Children do not understand the policeman, probation officer, or other
hypocritical nature of a society that wants to appropriate person who has been screened and
punish them for being violent, but does not trained to understand and handle the behavior
want to punish the man who showed them that of an abusive man, who often can be very
violence is acceptable. charming. One quarter of the working man's
income would go to support the shelter, and
Children of domestic violence often have three quarters would go to the mother to
extreme difficulty with concentration and support the children. Those who do not have
learning. If they also have attention deficit jobs would receive training from job service
disorder or a learning disability, it becomes programs.
nearly impossible for them to learn.
The goal in defeating domestic violence is to
Solution stop the cycle of abuse and to initiate a cycle
The label must be removed from the wrong of love and respect. It is the abuser who needs
product and placed it where it belongs. We the controlled environment that also offers
need to do this in a nonviolent and proactive him security and love and direction to change.
way. It is time to take the road not yet
traveled, the road that is not paved with All children should have the right to their
victims but paved with healed abusers who childhood and to peaceful existence in their
can be a positive influence in their families home. If we are to work for peace in the
and ultimately a more positive force in society. world, we must start with the children in our
own country. Domestic violence is weapon of
The safe place for the abused women, mass destruction not only of women, but also
children, and sometimes men should be in of innocent children and troubled men.
their home. Taking the victims out of the home
and putting them in hiding serves no purpose
to anyone but the abuser. Forcing the victims
into shelters only punishes them and rewards
the abusers. It sends a message to the abuser
that his behavior is acceptable. What we really
need are shelters for abusers (specifically
men) which are a combination of work release
programs and rehabilitation centers. Both
elements are necessary to solve this problem
of domestic violence. Only by ending the
abuse can a healthy relationship begin. Only
through a healthy relationship can positive
values grow.

80
those schools that are struggling and expand
public education to include pre-kindergarten
beginning at age 3 for any families that want
it, as well as tuition-free college for millions
of students.

I am here to act on my view that the education


and well-being of our nation's children is a
collective responsibility that all Americans
share, and that education is a life-long process
beginning long before a child enters
kindergarten. Studies have shown that the
most critical cognitive development occurs in
the years from birth to age 3. That is one
reason I have been a leading advocate for
early childhood education, with a special
emphasis on the support and care of low-
income infants and toddlers.

I am a strong supporter of the keystone federal


educational program for poor children, Head
Start. In the House Education Committee, I
have offered an amendment that would vastly
expand Head Start by allowing all centers to
run for a full day and by increasing the
number of children who qualify for the
program, raising family eligibility thresholds
to twice the federal poverty line. By tripling
the Head Start budget, we could bring an
additional 1.5 million children into the
program.

In the 107th and 108th Congresses, I


introduced the Universal Pre-Kindergarten
Act, a bill to create a free, universal, and
voluntary pre-kindergarten program for 3- to
5-year-old children across the county.
Universal pre-kindergarten would
revolutionize America's commitment to early
childhood education and change the nature of
child care provision for the better. The cost of
this program is $60 billion per year, which I
plan to pay for by cutting the bloated Pentagon
budget by 15%.
Education
Pre-kindergarten programs prepare children to
The right of every American child to a high- meet the challenges of school. Studies show
quality free public education is one of that young children who have access to a
America's most treasured principles. We must quality education benefit with higher
improve the quality of public education in academic achievements, increased graduation
rates and decreased juvenile delinquency.
81
Nationwide, there's a severe shortage of year. That's less than the President's most
affordable, quality education programs. By recent tax cut for the wealthy. Even allowing
providing universal pre-kindergarten, we are for an increase in the cost per student and in
ensuring that all of our children are ready for the number of students enrolled, this remains a
school. The Universal Pre-Kindergarten Act question of shifting priorities, not a need for
will provide funding to states to establish new resources.
universal pre-kindergarten programs that build
on existing federal and state pre-kindergarten Education is the only solution proven to
initiatives. The program is voluntary and will reduce poverty levels. This conclusion is
be available free of charge to all families who backed by thousands of national studies.
choose to participate. The legislation requires Given the opportunity, education and training
pre-kindergarten programs to meet quality pave a path out of poverty for many families.
standards of early education and provides Five years ago when welfare was reformed,
resources for the professional development of recipients were discouraged and even
teachers. prevented from earning a higher degree.

For grades K through 12, my priorities are Since 1996, the City University of New York
based on the bedrock principle of a free, experienced annual declines in the number of
universal, and high quality public education students who were welfare recipients, from a
for every child in America. I strongly oppose high of 22,000 students in 1996 to only 5,000
initiatives that seek to undermine that welfare students in 2000. As soon as welfare
commitment and have established a strong reform passed, some recipients were even
anti-voucher voting record. I believe that we kicked out of school, some only a few months
cannot improve education by draining funding from graduation. What improved condition
from our public schools. worthy of the name of reform would create
barriers to a college degree? Congress should
In Congress, I have proposed a constitutional allow and encourage people to obtain career
amendment to codify the right of all citizens to training; work toward a college degree, GED,
equal, high-quality public education. To or other degree; or learn English. It should
achieve that goal, I support a substantial create exemptions from time limits so welfare
reinvestment in the infrastructure of our recipients aren't prevented from earning a
nation's public schools. I co-sponsored the college degree.
Better Classroom Act and the Expand and
Build America's Schools Act, two bills to help If an individual has a bachelor's degree, the
communities make needed school repairs and average yearly wage is $30,730, nearly three
expansions. I have supported additional times as much as the $11,432 that non-degree
funding for teacher training. I employees earn. A college degree translates to
a living-wage job that allows people to live
 was also an original co-sponsor of HR 935, self-sufficiently and move from welfare
the most comprehensive child care and programs for good. I believe Congress should
education bill in the U.S. Congress, allow home child care to count as an allowable
encompassing 33 federal programs to improve work activity. For women on welfare, child
child well-being and education in America. In care during evening and weekend hours is
addition to universal pre-kindergarten, I have notoriously difficult to find and is too costly
a plan to provide tuition-free higher education for a welfare recipient. In 1998, 43 states
to millions of students in state universities. reported waiting lists for child care, and only
12% of those eligible for child care are getting
There are 12 million young Americans who it. Not only does it make practical sense to
attend public institutions, colleges, and allow mothers to take care of their own
universities. They now pay, on average, over children; it makes sense for families to stay
$10,000 a year. That adds up to $120 billion a together.
82
The current Administration wants to box our urgently addressed by federal, state, and local
young people in with standardized tests and a governments.
limited focus on math and science. These
days, American students are tested to an extent The first step towards housing security is
that is unprecedented in American history and passage of the National Housing Trust Fund
unparalleled anywhere in the world. Education Act, which I cosponsored in Congress. The
must emphasize creative and critical thinking, goal of this plan is the creation of 1.5 million
not just test taking. new housing units over the next decade,
especially for low-income renters and owners,
I believe we can take our children and society using the profits generated by the Federal
in a new direction by challenging this notion Housing Administration and other federal
that education should be so limited. We ought housing agencies. These funds would be used
to be encouraging art, music, and creative for the production of new housing,
writing in our schools. In doing so, we preservation of existing federally assisted
recognize and fuel the wide range of talents housing, and rehabilitation of existing private-
our children possess. Also See: Vouchers Floor market affordable housing. New housing units
Statements, 109th Congress: Reporting of would be primarily rental units, and the focus
School Bus RR Crossings Funded H.R. 609 would be on low-income households in
Will Not Help Students Don't Let the War on mixed-income neighborhoods. The widely
Drugs Become a War on Children Students heralded success of state and local housing
Pay for Tax Cuts for the Rich trust funds shows this to be a proven method
of addressing the affordable housing crisis
while stimulating the economy.

The work of the Department of Housing and


Urban Development (HUD) has been critical
in promoting affordable housing and
community development. However, Congress
has failed to fund the department's work.
HUD's overall budget has been cut by 63% in
the last 25 years. Under budget proposals
currently being considered in Congress, up to
100,000 households stand to lose Section 8
vouchers, which provide a lifeline to low-
income families at risk of homelessness. We
must restore the HUD budget to its 1978 level
and fully fund all existing Section 8 vouchers,
as well as new incremental vouchers.

The housing affordability crisis is a truly


national problem -- it is not limited to the
cities. That is why I support restoring funds
Housing recently cut from the Agriculture Department's
Section 515 Rural Rental Housing program,
Decent housing, free of discrimination, is a which reaches tenants with incomes at less
fundamental human right and a basic right of than 50 percent of the local median. Funding
citizenship. In recent years, the cost of for this critical program, which reached $540
housing has risen while incomes for working million in 1994, has been virtually eliminated.
Americans have stagnated. The result has been Unconscionably, President Bush's recent
an affordable housing crisis that must be budget request called for less than one-seventh
that amount. The result has been hardship for
83
working families in America's heartland. I also America, but money to rain death, destruction,
support the Rural Rental Housing Assistance and starvation on Iraq.
Act, which would create a new $250 million
fund to acquire, rehabilitate, or construct rural Once again, the hopes of people of two
rental housing for low-income people, with nations are being smashed by weapons in the
priority for very low-income households. name of eliminating weapons. Let us abolish
weapons of mass destruction at home. I am
Through international cooperation, the United from the inner city. I have inspected these
States can support the right to housing. At the weapons.
UN Commission on Human Rights, the Bush
administration has actively opposed Joblessness is a weapon of mass destruction.
recognizing housing as a human right. It has Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction.
also refused to ratify the International Hunger is a weapon of mass destruction.
Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Poor health care is a weapon of mass
Rights and the 1989 UN Convention on the destruction.
Rights of the Child, which both include the Poor education is a weapon of mass
right to adequate housing. It is time we reverse destruction.
these harsh policies, remember the meaning of Discrimination is a weapon of mass
compassion, and promote adequate housing destruction.
both at home and abroad. Let us abolish such weapons of mass
destruction here at home. Eight and a half
million Americans are unemployed.
Bankruptcies are up. The number of uninsured
without health care is up. The price of
prescription drugs is up. Poverty is up. Crime
is up. Homelessness is up. Hopelessness is up.
Fear is up. Let us use the trillion dollars which
some would cast upon Iraq in bombs and
warring troops, instead for the restoration of
the American dream, to rebuild our economy,
to rebuild our cities and to expand
opportunities for all.

Those who say we can have guns and butter


do not know the cost of guns and do not know
the bread you would put your butter on is
being stolen. America may spend over a
trillion dollars for war in Iraq. America can
give a trillion dollar tax cut to the rich, spend a
trillion dollars to put weapons in space, but
not a dime more for temporary assistance to
needy families.

Poverty I believe the American people are people of


strength, wisdom, and courage. They have a
America is losing its way at home and in the right to expect their government to be truly
world. We have no money to rebuild representative! It is time to say stop this war. It
America's cities, but we have money to blow is time to recognize that the terror we visit on
up cities in Iraq. No money to feed the hungry, the people of Iraq will bring terror to our own
to clothe the naked, to shelter the homeless in people. Bring our troops home. Come home,
America. Come home and fix your broken
84
streets and mend your broken dreams. Come themselves over many years of consistent
home and rebuild your cities and create full labor.
employment, put millions who are
unemployed back to work. Come home and The Bush administration and the Republican
establish a living wage, let workers share the leadership in Congress have fallen down on
wealth they create. Come home and provide the job when it comes to protecting
affordable housing. Come home and provide homeowners from predatory lending. I grew
single-payer, guaranteed health care for the 41 up in the inner city of Cleveland, where I saw
million Americans who suffer illness with no firsthand the damage wrought by redlining and
relief. Come home, America. Come home and reverse redlining. The performance of banks
provide free public college for all who aspire in these neighborhoods is critical to their
to attend. development. When the lending industry goes
after short-term profits by stripping
Come home and act affirmatively to make homeowners of their equity and forcing them
sure that all opportunities are afforded to all into foreclosure, efforts to develop and
Americans. improve communities fall apart.

Too many bankers, lenders, and brokers are


hurting the public interest and even their own
long-term interest by preying on borrowers
rather than building them up. A bank that
aggressively sells a family an overpriced and
abusive loan is not concerning itself with
creating return customers or positive word-of-
mouth promotion.

This tearing down of families and


neighborhoods is unacceptable. In the long run
it weakens our economy and deprives lenders
of future business. Banking can be a noble
profession. The provision of credit can uplift
whole communities, encourage innovation,
and teach responsibility.

I have never hesitated to tell lenders when


their actions are wrong. Some lenders believe
only they know what's good for
homeownership, as exemplified by baseless
claims that banning predatory loans will dry
up good loans as well. The evidence from the
many states that have passed tough restrictions
should have ended that debate by now.

Predatory Lending In the U.S. Congress, I have co-sponsored


amendments to the Truth in Lending Act to
We must fight to stop the predatory lending protect consumers from these immoral and
practices that have victimized so many illegal loan schemes, to take some initial steps
American seniors. These loan sharks can to reform the industry, and to offer
devastate in weeks the financial security that comprehensive attempts to limit predatory
older Americans have strived to build for abuses.

85
It is time we listen to community groups like access and equal rights are obtained by all;
ACORN that have taken a lead in raising where health care is regarded as a human
concerns about predatory lending. Legislators right; and where the people who have lived to
across the nation can draw on the excellent see this country grow can continue to grow old
legislation passed in states like North with it in peace.
Carolina, New Jersey, and New Mexico. We
can all urge Congress to pass such legislation I encourage programs that support the public
to put the interests of homeowners ahead the good, such as community-based senior
interests of loan sharks and put a stop to services and home care. We must stop the
efforts in the executive branch to deny states predatory lending practices that have
and cities the right to protect their own victimized so many American seniors, while
homeowners. I believe we must greatly simultaneously establishing a federal Office of
expand the capacity of the FTC to penalize Elder Justice. Rights for the disabled are
offenders. It is time to build up communities, fundamental rights, for which I continue to
not tear them down. fight.

By establishing a universal single-payer health


plan, we can ensure that seniors never again
resort to splitting pills or skipping medication
to save costs, because they will already be
covered. This plan, "Enhanced Medicare for
All," provides comprehensive health coverage
including prescription drugs, dental care, and
complementary or alternative medicine. By
removing the profit from health care coverage,
patients and doctors will be put in charge of
health care, instead of HMOs. My plan will
cost employers, on average, less than they
now pay -- those that provide coverage at all.
Corporations don't heal people; people do.

Social Security

My platform is centered upon a non-


negotiable commitment to preserve Social
Security against all assaults. I stand to return
full Social Security benefits to senior citizens
at age 65 -- a rollback from the present age of
67. In addition, I staunchly oppose all efforts
to privatize Social Security, thus diverting
payroll tax dollars into individual accounts. I
am against raising the retirement age, against
Seniors raising the cap on taxable wages, and against
means-testing for benefits.
I see a new vision for American seniors. I see
a country where all citizens can retire with full There is no question that America can afford
benefits at age 65, where social security will to uphold its social compact with its senior
never become privatized, and where citizens. The finances of the Social Security
retirement years won't land in the hands of the system are more secure now than ever.
stock market. I see an America where equal America is wealthier than at any previous
point in Social Security's history, and the fund
86
is solid through 2042 with no changes company profits, the same way credit laws
whatsoever. I believe the interest rate on the establish what constitutes usury and the way
Social Security trust fund is too low. It is utility rates are controlled.
much less than the average interest rate for
U.S. Treasury-backed securities. If Congress We're already paying for national health
changed the law to credit the trust fund with insurance that could include prescription drug
the average interest rate, we could reduce benefits. The only problem is, we're not
long-term financing problems by 30%. getting it.

Medicare and Prescription Drugs The Kucinich plan for Universal Health Care
is "Enhanced Medicare for All": non-profit,
The compact with America's seniors to universal, single-payer national health
provide them with health care is now at risk, insurance. It would be publicly funded health
because the new Medicare bill passed just care, privately delivered -- similar to that used
before Thanksgiving is not reforming in most of the other developed countries of the
Medicare, it is dismantling it. It is a windfall world. It will decrease total health care
for HMOs and big insurance companies and spending, while providing more treatment and
obscenely profitable drug companies -- but a services. It will remove private insurance
debacle for America's senior citizens. This bill companies from the system, along with their
does nothing to restrain the skyrocketing bloated bureaucracies, blizzards of paperwork,
escalation of drug prices. The Republican excessive executive salaries, mammoth
refusal to confront the pricing power of the advertising budgets -- and, above all, profits.
drug companies is the #1 cause of the bill's
exorbitant price tag -- $400 billion -- for Since Medicare was enacted in 1965, seniors
American taxpayers. Several studies indicate went from being the group least likely to have
that my plan for universal, single-payer health health insurance to the group most likely --
care would save at least $200 billion annually because of Medicare. Medicare has achieved
-- more than enough to provide health care and goals that Congress has not been able to
prescription drugs to all those currently left accomplish for the rest of our population, by
out. keeping millions out of poverty, increasing
access to health care, improving quality of
I have a long record of addressing issues life, and even extending life expectancy by
related to Medicare and prescription drugs in 20%. The new Medicare bill just passed will
the U.S. Congress. Recently, I co-sponsored eliminate guaranteed health care for the only
legislation to provide for a voluntary part of our population that has it. American
prescription benefit, to provide greater access seniors, however, are concerned not only with
to affordable pharmaceuticals, to negotiate fair their own health care, but with the health care
prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers, to of their children, grandchildren, and all
provide for accelerated generic drug Americans. There is no more comprehensive
competition, and to allow for the importation solution to the nightmare that is American
of prescription drugs from Canada after health care today than the one I propose and
meeting strict guidelines for safety and will stand by 'til the end.
effectiveness.
I was one of the leading voices in the U.S.
Our government must be empowered to lower Congress trying to prevent the disgraceful new
prices and impose windfall profits taxes on the Medicare bill from becoming law. Medicare
exorbitant pricing of an out-of-control drug privatization is bad for seniors, bad for
industry. retirees, bad for employers, and bad for the
economy. The only ones who benefit from this
We need a new Prescription for America, a plan are the pharmaceutical companies and
regulatory structure that puts a ceiling on drug insurance giants, who seek to continue health
87
care for profit in this country. I am fighting to As the nation watched gargantuan corporate
reverse this shameful bill and to make bankruptcies unfold at Enron and Global
Medicare a solemn contract with America's Crossing -- and the people of my 10th District
seniors again. Eventually, we should extend of Ohio watched Chapter 11 proceedings at
the essentials of the Medicare social contract LTV Steel -- we all learned to our great
not just to seniors, but to all. I believe that surprise that there are two sets of rules in this
health care should be a public good, rather arena. Corporate executives play by one set of
than a private commodity. Health care is not rules. And employees play by another.
just a privilege for those who happen to have Executives, it turns out, often get very special
the right job. Health care is a human right. treatment with their pension plans: more
investment choices, no lock-down restrictions,
Older Americans Act and Elder Justice generous deferred compensation plans without
requirements that they be disclosed,
Throughout my career in public service, I have guaranteed rates of return, and "golden
been a strong supporter of seniors' issues. In parachutes" when a company begins to get in
advocating for the amended Older Americans trouble. Employees, on the other hand, are
Act, I have shown my support for older treated very differently. The most egregious
Americans' need for adequate income in disparity is that during a bankruptcy, executive
retirement, the best possible physical and pension plans are totally protected from
mental health, suitable housing, long-term creditors. Employees, however, stand at the
care services (with special attention to those end of the line and must wait behind other
who wish to stay in their homes and for their creditors -- to claim what rightfully belongs to
caregivers), help for grandparents raising them for compensation that they have already
children, and efficient community services. earned! All of this must change.

There are few greater moral transgressions Housing


than abusing the trust of our elders. That is
why I have co-sponsored in Congress H.R. Seniors on fixed incomes often have financial
2490, a bill that would establish an Office of problems meeting rising property taxes and
Elder Justice. Such an office would help maintenance costs and must have supportive
prevent elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation. communities to help them live in dignity. I
It would significantly expand elder care believe that decent housing is a fundamental
research, training, and clinical practice, human right and a basic right of citizenship for
nationwide. It would aspire to create models all Americans, young and old. In recent years,
for optimal elder care and services. And it the cost of housing has risen, while incomes
would encourage non-profit organizations to for working Americans have stagnated. The
establish volunteer programs in support of result has been an affordable housing crisis
elder justice. that must be urgently addressed by federal,
state, and local governments. The first step
towards housing security is passage of the
National Housing Trust Fund Act, which I co-
Pensions sponsored. The goal of this plan is the creation
of 1.5 million new housing units over the next
The American dream -- to work hard, develop decade, especially for low-income renters and
a career, be successful, get ahead, and save for owners, using the profits generated by the
retirement with a decent and secure pension -- Federal Housing Administration and other
is being diminished and destroyed every day federal housing agencies. These funds would
in this country by corporate executives who be used for the production of new housing,
are cheating ordinary Americans out of their preservation of existing federally assisted
hard earned retirement benefits. housing, and rehabilitation of existing private-
market affordable housing. New housing units
88
would be primarily rental units, and the focus Vouchers represent an attempt to disestablish
would be on low-income households in not only public education, but the entire public
mixed-income neighborhoods. The widely realm. Even in Cleveland and Milwaukee,
heralded success of state and local housing where voucher programs are in place, there
trust funds shows this to be a proven method have been no tangible results in student
of addressing the affordable housing crisis achievement. Instead, the programs have
while stimulating the economy. diverted public money away from the vast
majority of public school students. In most
cases, these are the students who need it the
most.

In Congress, I have voted consistently against


legislation on school vouchers. I voted NO on
HR 4380 to allow vouchers in Washington DC
schools, and NO on HR 2746 to allow states to
use certain federal funds designated for
elementary and secondary education to
provide vouchers to low-income families to
send children to private schools. Voters, for
the last 30 years, have rejected vouchers every
time they've been proposed.

Oftentimes, funds for vouchers compete with


funds for overall improvements in America's
public schools. For this reason, teachers,
parents, and the general public have been long
opposed to the programs. As a nation, we must
fight to improve public schools and oppose
alternatives that divert attention, energy, and
resources from efforts to reduce class size,
enhance teacher quality, and provide every
student with books, computers, and safe and
orderly schools.

Vouchers

Vouchers are no solution for students in poor


families, no solution for education in America.
School vouchers might seem a relatively
benign way to increase the options poor
parents have for educating their children. In
fact, they pose a serious threat to values that
are vital to the health of American democracy.

89
The U.S. should invest at least $30 billion
over the next four years in the global fight
against AIDS. We must work to repeal trade
agreements that impede access to affordable
generic drugs. We must work to cause the IMF
and the World Bank to reduce and eventually
eliminate the debt that takes poor nations'
resources away from crises like AIDS. We
must focus America's leadership on addressing
and ending this epidemic.

Education is the only solution proven to


reduce poverty levels. This conclusion is
backed by thousands of national studies.
Given the opportunity, education and training
pave a path out of poverty for many families.
A college degree translates to a living-wage
job that allows people to live self sufficiently
and move from welfare programs, for good.
The quality of public education in those
schools that are struggling must be improved;
I have a plan that will expand public education
to include pre-kindergarten, beginning at age
3, for any families that want it, as well as
tuition-free college for millions of students.

The United States should fully fund efforts to


eradicate hunger by fully funding our
allocation to the UN World Food Program,
whose work saves countless lives in more than
80 countries through school feeding programs,
nutrition programs for HIV/AIDS sufferers,
refugee food relief, and many other vital tasks.

The Secretary General of the United Nations


has called on world leaders to aggressively
combat the AIDS epidemic that is devastating
Africa and making serious inroads in South
America, Asia, and around the world. Kofi
Annan has lamented the lack of world
AIDS leadership on this issue. He is right to
complain. AIDS has taken 28 million lives
AIDS is a global epidemic. The United States since 1981. That's more than the soldiers who
must commit our full resources to fighting this have been killed in some of the biggest wars
growing global crisis. To do anything short of in human history. But, in contrast to the U.S.
that is unacceptable. In the name of justice, Pentagon budget of $400 billion plus
humanity, and for the protection of the global additional hundreds of billions for particular
community, we must seek ways to increase, wars, President Bush pledged only $3 billion
not decrease, funding to fight this epidemic. for the fight against AIDS in his State of the
Union address and then proposed only $2
billion in his budget request. Senator Dick
90
Durbin, Illinois, introduced an amendment I have great respect for allopathic practice, but
adding an extra $289 million and shamed the at the same time, I think that you will find that
Republican leadership into supporting the allopathic practitioners who are candid will
measure. But this is far from sufficient. admit that there are limitations to their own
practice.
I have proudly joined AIDSvote.org. We need
to invest at least $30 billion over the next four I think that we are fully aware that the United
years to the global fight against AIDS. We States enjoys some of the most advanced
must repeal trade agreements that impede health care in the world, yet we are unable to
access to affordable generic drugs. We must provide relief for a number of common
work to cause the IMF and the World Bank to ailments. The current standards of practice
reduce and eventually eliminate the debt that occasionally fail to recognize that medicine is
takes poor nations' resources away from crises an ancient art that encompasses all methods of
like AIDS. America's leadership should focus healing. Somewhere along the road to advance
on addressing and ending this epidemic. medicine we sometimes forget that there are
methods of treating those who need help. It's
time to help widen the vision of modern
medical doctrine and explore alternative
medicine. We have to let go of the fear that
alternative medical practices will replace and
endanger standards and instead embrace the
idea that any method that is proven a safe
form of treatment ought to be available to the
people.

American citizens have a right to health care


... we have a duty to ensure that they have
every available proven treatment option.
Complementary and alternative medical care
encompasses numerous forms of studied and
tested procedures and practices, and it is
gaining support from mainstream medicine.
Unfortunately, there is some unwillingness to
support its practice and research. We must
ensure non-prejudicial disbursement of
research funds to all disciplines of medicine,
including alternative medicine. We must
utilize this research not only to educate
practitioners and the public, but to provide
them with access to proven methods of
Complementary and Alternative Medicine alternative medicine.

Complementary and alternative medicine are I hope to broaden our understanding of


included in my Enhanced Medicare for All alternative medicine and to expose and end
single-payer health care program. any bias that may exist within our current
Opportunities that will advance medical care system of medical doctrine. All citizens
and expand the treatment options afforded to deserve access to safe and proven methods of
today's doctors will be given vast amounts of medical care and I believe that we must
support. expand our understanding of medicine that
some would deem, unfortunately, the
alternative.
91
We have a wonderful opportunity to think In 2003, the USDA tested only 19,990 cattle
creatively about health care; to think believed to be at risk for Mad Cow Disease,
dynamically; to draw new worlds toward us, out of a population of about 96 million, or 1
using a higher consciousness of the potential out of every 5,000 cattle. By contrast, in
we have within us to make this a better world. Europe every single animal above a given age
gets tested for this fatal brain-wasting disease
(one out of every four cattle).

The USDA argues that there is no risk to


humans, because slaughterhouses are required
to remove all central nervous system (CNS)
tissue from sick cattle. This tissue is where
BSE is found and can infect humans, if eaten.
However, removing this tissue is rarely
completely effective. The USDA's own studies
found that 35% of advanced meat recovery
product tested was contaminated with CNS
tissue.

While the USDA-sponsored Harvard risk


assessment of BSE in the U.S. noted that
compliance with the FDA's 1997 BSE feed
rule is the most important factor in preventing
a BSE outbreak, it is clear that this rule is not
being rigorously enforced. Two General
Accounting Office (GAO) reports have shown
how lax the FDA has been in ensuring
compliance with the feed rule. The first GAO
report, published some three years after the
BSE feed rule went into effect, found fairly
widespread non-compliance. The 2002 GAO
report found no improvement and found that
the FDA compliance data was unreliable.

In Congress I intend to introduce legislation


that will:

Prohibit meat from downer cattle from


entering the human food supply.
Test all downer cattle using modern rapid
Mad Cow Disease quick tests (estimates range from 190,000 to
970,000 cattle).
The unfortunate discovery of a dairy cow in Establish a mandatory trace back system for
Washington State infected with Mad Cow all bovines.
Disease, or BSE, is a result of irresponsible Require mandatory recall of food products
U.S. agricultural policies. BSE in the United infected.
States is preventable, but the U.S. Department Prohibit the feeding of the remains of any
of Agriculture (UDSA) and the Food and Drug mammal to any animals that humans eat.
Administration (FDA) must do more to Tighten the law on dietary supplements, which
protect American consumers. currently allow supplements to contain CNS
tissue.
92
Require doctors and hospitals to report all have discovered that marijuana reduces pain
cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob to the Centers for without the myriad side-effects associated
Disease Control and Prevention. with many conventional painkillers. AIDS
More can and must be done to protect sufferers report that marijuana effectively
Americans, and our economy, from this counteracts the appetite loss and nausea
devastating disease and the public panic it can associated with HIV drugs. In addition,
cause. marijuana has shown promise as a treatment
for glaucoma, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and
post-polio syndrome. Containing over 400
different molecular compounds, the marijuana
plant may have other beneficial uses waiting
to be discovered by researchers.

Unfortunately, the current administration has


chosen to ignore the vast potential of medical
marijuana in favor of intensifying the
destructive "war on drugs." Most medical
marijuana clinics are non-profit collectives
treating terminally ill patients. Currently, the
DEA raids marijuana clinics, destroying
property and arresting patients. These actions
are an extension of a punishment-based
approach to drug policy that favors large-scale
incarcerations. Our nation already keeps
nearly half a million drug offenders behind
bars. It makes no sense to waste manpower
and resources arresting and jailing doctors and
their patients for practicing a proven
alternative medicine.

Our drug policy must be based on a rational


examination of scientific evidence. Two main
goals of a compassionate health care system
are the treatment of disease and the alleviation
of patient suffering. A growing body of
evidence suggests that marijuana has vast
potential in both of these areas. Therefore, the
current policy of categorically rejecting
marijuana as a legitimate medical treatment
directly opposes these goals. I support issuing
Medical Marijuana an executive order allowing marijuana for
medical purposes, effectively ending DEA
The overwhelming majority of Americans raids on medical marijuana patients and their
support legalizing medical marijuana. Alaska, providers. Disease sufferers should not have to
Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, turn to dangerous black markets to obtain this
Maryland, Nevada, and Oregon have adopted beneficial drug. Instead, doctors should be free
measures to allow patients access to this to prescribe marijuana and marijuana-based
beneficial drug, which has been found to medicines to their patients as needed to treat
provide broad-spectrum relief from a variety illness and manage pain. This will be an
of ailments. Patients suffering from cancer important step toward joining our friends in
the UK, Spain, Germany, and Portugal in
93
moving away from criminally-enforced marijuana in spite of federal law. The present
prohibitions that divert resources from administration has sought to override such
domestic projects and distract law state statutes, viewing the use of medicinal
enforcement officials from critical national marijuana for purposes in the same light as
security issues. heroin or cocaine.

Kucinich Statement to Congress: "Last year, federal agents raided the Women
and Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, an
The following is a statement I recently made organization that under California state law
in Congress in arguing that doctors in legally dispensed marijuana to patients whose
California and other states that have legalized doctors had recommended it for pain and
medical marijuana should be allowed to suffering. Eighty-five percent of this
continue their work without the interference of organization's 225 members were terminally
the federal government. ill with cancer or AIDS.

"Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for "This is about compassion. The federal
yielding me the time. government should use its power to help
terminally ill citizens, not arrest them. And
"There is a context here which is worth states deserve to have the right to make their
reflecting on, and that is the law enforcement own decisions regarding the use of medical
policies of an administration which cannot marijuana. I strongly urge my colleagues to
effectively meet the challenge of international support this amendment."
terrorism, but is ready to wage a phony drug
war, including locking up people dying of
cancer simply because those poor souls seek
relief from horrible pain.

"I ask, can we truly be so lacking in


compassion? This is not about legalizing
marijuana. That is just a smoke screen. It is an
amendment to end federal raids on medical
marijuana patients and providers in states
where medical marijuana is legal. Despite
marijuana's recognized therapeutic value,
including a National Academy of Science
Institute of Medicine report, recommending its
use in certain circumstances, federal law
refuses to recognize the importance and safety
of medicinal marijuana.

"Instead, federal penalties for all marijuana


use, regardless of purpose, include up to a year
in prison for the possession of even small
amounts.

"Let us reflect again on how cynical and how


dark it is to even contemplate sending
someone to prison for a year, when they may
not even have that much time left in their life;
but since 1996, eight states have enacted laws
to allow very ill patients to use medical
94
obscenely profitable drug companies -- but a
debacle for America's senior citizens.

Because I don't want to believe that the


AARP's national leadership willfully sold out
its members, I guess I prefer to say that they
naively allowed themselves to be sold a bill of
goods. But senior citizens weren't fooled -- the
AARP membership engaged in the biggest
revolt against its leadership since the 1980s,
with somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000
members resigning from the organization in
just a couple of weeks.

The problems with the bill are many-fold. For


one thing, it does nothing to restrain the
skyrocketing escalation of drug prices -- and
that failure is largely responsible for the bill's
exorbitant price tag -- $400 billion -- for
American taxpayers. Second, the bill does not
restrain exorbitantly priced drugs or allow for
a blanket re-importation of American-made
drugs from Canada, where the same drugs are
sold for 30-70% less than they are here.

Third, the bill's new "asset tests" and


eligibility requirements mean that many low-
income seniors (perhaps as many as 3 million)
will no longer qualify for pharmaceutical
subsidies. Fourth, the bill loosens
requirements for health plan quality assurance,
makes the health care labyrinth ever more
complex, and fails to provide any standardized
systems or adequate tools to allow patients to
make informed health care choices.

And maybe worst of all, the bill doesn't even


provide much of a drug benefit! Instead of
paying a modest co-payment for prescription
drugs like most seniors were anticipating,
Medicare Bill under this bill, seniors with $5,100 of drug
costs will have to pick up $3,600 of the cost
The so-called "new" Medicare bill passed in themselves. And this, of course, is after and in
2003 is not about reforming Medicare, it is addition to paying an average premium of
about dismantling it. It is a Republican bait $420 a year for the so-called "benefit." What it
and switch of historic proportions, and if it is all adds up to is this: According to the highly
allowed to stand, it may well result in the respected Consumers Union, publisher of
unraveling of Medicare itself. Actually, it is a Consumer Reports magazine, because of the
curious kind of Medicare reform: a giveaway bill's meager drug benefit and its failure to
to HMOs, big insurance companies, and contain drug prices, MOST seniors will be
spending MORE on drugs in 2007, when the
95
so-called benefit is fully in effect, than they do Medicare, truly comprehensive coverage,
today when there is no Medicare drug benefit available to all Americans.
at all.
Also see:
Of course, some folks make out very well,
indeed, under this bill. It's absolutely larded Universal Health Care for details about
with handouts to drug companies and private "Enhanced Medicare for All" and how it can
insurers, many of whom are, unsurprisingly, be financed.
major campaign contributors to President
Bush and the Republican Congress.

In the end, however, I think one of the worst


things about this bill is that by forcing
traditional Medicare to compete against
private plans beginning in 2010, it may well
lead to the privatization of Medicare and
putting seniors in the hands of "insurance
sharks" who are more concerned about profits
than providing quality medical care.

To understand why the privatization of


Medicare is such a bad idea, you have to
understand that insurance companies don't
want to insure too many people who might
actually need real health care. They make
money by "cherry picking" -- that is, by
insuring healthy and wealthy customers and
excluding the less healthy and less fortunate.
Under this bill, they will be free to do that,
thus leaving the poorest and the sickest elderly
folks to be insured by Medicare. Of course,
that will allow the private insurance
companies to make money, while the
Medicare program loses it -- thus giving the
Republicans another chance to crow about the
efficiencies of the private sector over the
public sector. In truth, of course, private
insurance companies in America -- which fail
to cover over 40 million citizens -- now spend
more than $1,000 per person on health care
administration costs, while Canada's system of
public health care -- which covers everyone in
that country -- spends only about $300 per
person on administrative costs.

I am proud to have voted against this shameful


Medicare "reform" bill. And I will do
everything in my power to reverse it and again
make Medicare a solemn contract with
America's seniors. Nor will I stop there. I will
also lead the fight to make enhanced
96
develop mental illness because of the
conditions in which they are forced to live.
Hundreds of thousands of mentally ill citizens
are arrested and locked up every year -- most
for nonviolent crimes like disorderly conduct
or trespassing. In fact, our nation's prisons are
now the largest provider of mental health in
the nation, despite the fact that it is much more
expensive to incarcerate a person than it is to
provide psychological treatment. There are a
half-million mentally ill veterans who are
homeless. These fellow citizens need help, but
it is not always available.

For those who are not homeless, incarcerated,


or living in a shelter, treatments for mental
illnesses can work -- if they can afford them.
Unfortunately, most companies do not treat
mental illness as insurable, forcing patients
and their families to pay the high expenses out
of pocket.

This climate of neglect towards the mentally


ill must change.

I have long been an advocate of increased


funding towards mental health programs. I am
a strong supporter of The Paul Wellstone
Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act and
co-sponsored numerous other acts that also
address the issue of insurance companies
charging significantly more for mental
ailments than they do for physical ailments.

I co-sponsored the Mental Health Juvenile


Justice Act, which aims to divert our youth
who need mental health counseling and
substance abuse counseling away from
detention halls and into treatment centers. I
have also written letters in support of mental
Mental Health health treatment and services and addressed
congress about the essence of these issues.
Millions of citizens in this country are being
neglected by our current leadership. Among Mental health care is a right, not a privilege.
them are the homeless, veterans, convicts, and We can ensure that everyone has access to the
the mentally ill. These members of our society treatments and counseling they need, as part of
are intricately linked, because there is much my not-for-profit universal health care plan.
overlap between them. Those who are This fundamental change in our health care
mentally ill are often homeless because they system will provide full coverage, including
are unable to work. Homeless people often mental health, to every American, both
working and unemployed. By taking the profit
97
out of health care, we will be able to direct our These are the words of Dennis on September
resources towards doctors and patients, not 28, 2004, the day he introduced the
corporations and CEOs. legislation:

When people start getting the mental help they "By now, it is well known that drug costs are
need, not only will we be a healthier society, high and getting higher. It is also well known
but our prisons will benefit and there will that the rising costs of drugs are a major
fewer people forced to live on the streets. contributor to the spiraling cost of health care
more generally.

"But what is less well known is that one of the


main reasons that drug costs are so high is that
drug companies get legal manufacturing
monopolies through the patent system. When
they get exclusive rights to manufacture a
drug, they can do whatever they want with
prices. And they often do. Drug markups are
several hundred percent over market values
and sometimes more. Meanwhile, some are
deciding between their drugs and food or
paying their bills. In many cases, people are
selling their belongings, spending their
retirement savings and going into bankruptcy
to afford drugs they need to simply stay
healthy. This is unjust and unsustainable,
especially for Cleveland's elderly and poor
who spend far more on drugs as a portion of
their income than other age groups. No other
country grants monopolies on drugs without
concessions like price controls.

"Later today, I will introduce legislation that


will lower the price of drugs for all Ohioans.
The idea is simple: instead of giving a
monopoly for every new drug, any qualified
entity will be able to manufacture and
distribute it. Competition will lower prices and
allow greater access to prescription drugs for
many people.
Prescription Drugs
"How would it work? My bill would greatly
April 2006 increase funding for research and development
of pharmaceuticals through the National
Perhaps the most shocking increases in health Institutes of Health. The NIH would develop
care are occurring in prescription drugs. This some research capacity in house and would
is a problem like so many where Dennis has a fund other research at institutions like
real solution. H. R. 5155, the Free Market pharmaceutical companies, small biotech
Drug Act, will dramatically lower the cost of companies and universities. In exchange for
prescription drugs if and when enacted. accepting federal research dollars, all research
findings would be made public and patents

98
would be available to any company that "According to a report by the non-profit group
wished to manufacture the drugs. Families USA, the former chairman and CEO
of Bristol-Myers Squibb, Charles A.
"The bill would not prevent anyone from Heimbold, Jr., made $74,890,918 in 2001, not
getting a patent. But patented drugs developed counting his $76,095,611 worth of
with private funding would have to compete unexercised stock options. The chairman of
with drugs whose research and development Wyeth made $40,521,011, exclusive of his
was publicly funded, which would be difficult. $40,629,459 in stock options.
The result would be that most drug research
would be publicly funded. "And that still does not even the extravagant
spending on marketing and advertising. Right
"My bill also corrects another major problem now, when you pay for drugs, you are also
with pharmaceuticals today: The paying for all of this. Patents make it possible.
pharmaceutical companies are getting less
efficient. They are increasingly turning out "The Free Market Drug Act is a bold bill that
drugs that are less important to public health increases transparency, efficiency and, most
because they are not as profitable. For importantly, lowers the price of prescription
example, roughly 70% of new FDA approved drugs. As it stands, pharmaceuticals are
drugs are copycats or "me too" drugs which becoming increasingly out of reach. But the
are small variations on existing drugs, usually good people of Ohio not only deserve
done to reduce R&D costs and extend the accessible pharmaceuticals, they need them.
patent life of an existing drug. We should be The Free Market Drug Act, already
focusing instead on breakthrough drugs that cosponsored by my colleagues John Conyers,
require more basic research but may not be as Jose Serrano, Barbara Lee, Raul Grijalva, and
profitable. How many more Viagra knockoffs Major Owens, is a major step in the direction
do we need? Our research priorities would be of fairly priced drugs for all."
better decided by the world renowned NIH,
which houses several Nobel Laureates.

"Another benefit of the bill lies in the


disclosure requirement. Since research will
have to be made public as it evolves, it will be
more difficult to hide research that may show
any adverse effects of a drug. We want to
know about it before the drug goes to market,
not after.

"Now, the opposition from this bill will come


primarily from the pharmaceutical industry
and it is easy to see why. They have a lot to
lose. In 2002, there were 10 pharmaceutical
companies in the Fortune 500. According to a
report (by Public Citizen), the combined
profits of those 10 companies was more than
the profits of the rest of the fortune 500
companies COMBINED. In the same year,
they spent more than $91 million on lobbying.
Marcia Angell, the former editor of the New
England Journal of Medicine writes in a recent
article.

99
The plan is embodied in HR 676 the
Conyers-Kucinich bill, written by Dennis
Kucinich & John Conyers

The plan covers all healthcare needs,


including dental care, mental health care,
vision care, prescription drugs, and long-
term care - at NO extra cost!

Kucinich's plan, HR 676, is supported by 78


Members of Congress, 250 Union Locals,
and 14,000 physicians and is endorsed by
the New Hampshire Democratic Party.

"Health care is an essential safeguard of


human life and dignity and there is an
obligation for society to ensure that every
person be able to realize this right."
Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, Chicago
Archdiocese

Our health care system is broken, and H.R.


676, the Conyers-Kucinich bill, is the only
comprehensive solution to the problem. It is
also the system endorsed by more than 14,000
physicians from Physicians for a National
Health Program. Nearly 46 million Americans
have no health care and over 40 million more
have only minimal coverage. In 2005 some
41% of moderate and middle income
Americans went without health care for part of
the year. Even more shocking is that 53% of
those earning less than $20,000 went without
insurance for all of 2005. In fact, the National
Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine
estimates that 18,000 Americans die each year
because they have no health insurance.

Universal Health Care The American health system is quite sick.


Pulitzer Prize journalists Donald Barlett and
Dennis Kucinich is the only Presidential James Steele, in their stunning analysis of the
Candidate with a plan for a Universal health care industry, Critical Condition (2006
Single Payer, NOT FOR PROFIT Broadway Books), insist that "... U.S. health
Healthcare system. care is second-rate at the start of the twenty-
first century and destined to get a lot worse
MEDICARE FOR ALL and much more expensive." Consider the
following facts from Tom Daschle's article for
the Center for American Progress: "Paying

100
More but Getting Less: Myths and the Global health system." We spend about 50%
Case for U.S. Health Reform": more than the next most expensive
nation and nearly twice per person
• Americans are The Healthiest People what the Canadians do. On May 1,
in the World. 2006 Paul Krugman explained in
FACT: Citizens of 34 nations live Death by Insurance how incredibly
longer than Americans. wasteful the current system is. The
• The U.S. is the Best Place to Get Sick. doctor he referenced has two full-time
FACT: The World Health Organization staff members for billing, and two
ranked the U.S. 37th in the world for secretaries spend half their time
health system performance. Countries collecting insurance information on the
like Australia and the United Kingdom 301 different private plans they deal
rank above the U.S. Americans have with. This type of waste is easily 20%.
lower odds of surviving colorectal Also consider that 98% of Medicare
cancer and childhood leukemia than funds are spent on medical care.
Canadians who do have national health
care. Americans also experience IMPORTANT: The hackneyed -- and
greater problems in coordination of inaccurate -- mantra of Republicans when
care than the previously mentioned universal health care is introduced is to blame
countries and New Zealand. trial lawyers and malpractice cases for our
• Covering All Americans Will Lead to lack of national health care. In fact, 0.46% of
Rationing. our total health spending is spent on awards,
FACT: Same-day access to primary- legal costs, and underwriting costs -- about the
care physicians in the U.S. (33%) is far same as Canada and the United Kingdom and
less available than in the United about the same amount we spend on dog and
Kingdom (41%), Australia (54%) and cat food each year. While "defensive
New Zealand (60%). Per capita medicine" may drive up the price, it hardly
spending for health care averaged accounts for our stunning health care costs.
$2,696 in countries without waiting The belief that citizens should give up their
lists and $5,267 in the U.S. right to fair legal redress for legally proven
• Global Competitiveness is Hampered medical mistakes in exchange for lower health
in Comprehensive System. care costs rings as true as the promise that if
FACT: "Health care costs are not just we must give up our civil rights to be safe
a burden and barrier to care for from terrorists.
individuals; they are taking a heavy
toll on American businesses." The Even those with coverage too often pay
strain on employers in 2005 was exorbitant rates. The current profit-driven
staggering. "The average total system, dominated by private insurance firms
premiums for an employer-based and their bureaucracies, has failed.
family plan was $9,979 in 2005 ..."
Most of our competitors in the world We must establish streamlined national health
markets finance their systems outside insurance, "Enhanced Medicare for
corporate taxes and employer Everyone." It would be publicly financed
mandates. Without Medicare for health care, privately delivered, and will put
Everyone, the U.S. will continue to patients and doctors back in control of the
hemorrhage jobs. system. Coverage will be more complete than
• We Cannot Afford to Cover All private insurance plans; encourage prevention;
Americans. and include prescription drugs, dental care,
FACT: We already spend enough to mental health care, and alternative and
have universal health care. "The truth complementary medicine.
is, we cannot afford to not reform the
101
Perhaps the clearest and most eloquent "Mainstream" writers like Ph. D. economist
explanation of the Conyers-Kucinich National and columnist for the New York Times Paul
Health Insurance Bill was given on February Krugman now agree with those doctors and
4, 2003, in Washington, D.C., by Dr. Marcia Dennis that "covering everyone under
Angell in introducing H.R. 676. Backed by Medicare would actually be significantly
over 14,000 doctors, this is the future of cheaper than our current system." They all
American medicine. recognize that we already spend enough to
provide national health care to all but lack the
"We are here today to introduce a national political courage to make the tough decision
health insurance program. Such a program is that doctors, nurses, and medical professionals
no longer optional; it's necessary. must run our health care system -- not "for-
profit" insurance companies, who make
"Americans have the most expensive health money by denying health care.
care system in the world. We spend about
twice as much per person as other developed It is time to recognize that all the civilized
nations, and that gap is growing. That's not countries have a solution that we must adapt to
because we are sicker or more demanding this country. American businesses can no
(Canadians, for example, see their doctors longer be competitive shouldering the entire
more often and spend more time in the cost of health care. Health care is a right that
hospital). And it's not because we get better all Americans deserve.
results. By the usual measures of health (life
expectancy, infant mortality, immunization
rates), we do worse than most other developed
countries. Furthermore, we are the only
developed nation that does not provide
comprehensive health care to all its citizens.
Some 42 million Americans are uninsured
(nearly 46 million today -- updated figure) --
disproportionately the sick, the poor, and
minorities -- and most of the rest of us are
underinsured. In sum, our health care system
is outrageously expensive, yet inadequate.
Why? The only plausible explanation is that
there's something about our system -- about
the way we finance and deliver health care --
that's enormously inefficient. The failures of
the system were partly masked during the
economic boom of the 1990s, but now they
stand starkly exposed. There is no question
that with the deepening recession and rising
unemployment, in the words of John Breaux,
"The system is collapsing around us."

"The underlying problem is that we treat


health care like a market commodity instead
of a social service. Health care is targeted not
to medical need, but to the ability to pay.
Markets are good for many things, but they
are not a good way to distribute health care.
To understand what's happening, let's look at
how the health care market works ... "
102
international relief organizations such as the
UN World Food Program, whose work saves
countless lives in over 80 countries through
school feeding projects, nutrition programs for
HIV/AIDS sufferers, refugee food relief and
many other vital tasks.

But aid is not enough. Impoverished countries


are being ravaged by debt payments to global
institutions like the International Monetary
Fund and World Bank. $2.5 billion is
transferred every year from Sub-Saharan
Africa to foreign bankers and creditors, while
40% of its population experiences some form
of malnutrition. We must push for the
immediate cancellation of all bilateral debts of
poor countries as well as cancellation of debts
to the IMF and World Bank.

In addition, the economic policies dictated to


poor countries by the IMF and the World Bank
-- so-called "structural adjustment programs"
-- have devastated Third World economies.
Last year's food crisis in Malawi, where as
many as several thousand died of hunger,
followed IMF-mandated cutbacks in
agricultural aid to small farmers and in food
subsidies for families. It is time that we end
this cruel betrayal of the world's hungry by
working to end structural adjustment.

Less than a year after President Bush and the


GOP made headlines promising a commitment
to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa, their backsliding
is already well underway. After pledging up to
$3 billion per year to combat the epidemic in
his State of the Union address, President Bush
submitted a budget request calling for only $2
billion in next year's budget. Thankfully, my
colleague, Rep. Dick Durbin, introduced an
amendment adding an extra $289 million and
Aid to Africa shamed the Republican leadership into
supporting the measure. We won that fight, but
It is an outrage that President Bush is the president still has not demonstrated that
proposing to cut core funding for overseas his high-minded words mean anything when it
humanitarian aid while millions in Africa and comes to battling the great plague of our
worldwide face the threat of hunger and times.
poverty. The United States should fully fund
efforts to improve the lives of the world's poor
by dramatically increasing our allocations to
103
Common sense dictates that we pursue a
policy of normalizing relations with Cuba. We
need to work for repeal of the Helms-Burton
Act and the immediate lifting of the trade
embargo. We must lift not only the trade
embargo. We must also lift the travel ban. We
must cooperate with Cuba on issues of
national security.

It is time to create a new era in Cuban-


American relations.

Here are several steps to restoring a more


humane and effective policy toward this
important neighbor:

Support normal bilateral trade with Cuba.


Farm communities throughout the U.S. are
being denied a natural market in Cuba, and
Americans are being denied products from
Cuba.
Restore Americans' freedom to travel to Cuba.
Our government's travel ban violates the
Constitutionally guaranteed freedom of
movement.
Work to repeal the Cuban Adjustment Act,
which has encouraged smuggling and put lives
at risk -- and has reinforced arbitrary and
unequal immigration policies.
Support increased national security
cooperation with Cuba.

Cuban Embargo

Our policy toward Cuba has failed. More than


four decades of a unilateral embargo and
persistently hostile and aggressive rhetoric and
actions from successive administrations have
created only misery for the Cuban people and
have hurt, not helped, U.S. interests at large.

104
abundantly clear that the Bush Administration
wanted him gone.

We need an independent investigation into the


circumstances of his departure -- one designed
to determine whether he "resigned," as the
Administration claims, or was forcibly
removed, as some evidence suggests. And this
investigation must be undertaken by the
United Nations, the OAS, and the Caribbean
community, not the Bush Administration. I
would further suggest that that investigation
extend to the roles that the World Bank and
the International Monetary Fund played in
creating the framework for failure. Pressure
should be applied to the World Bank and the
IMF and donor nations to unblock badly
needed financial assistance. Order must be
maintained by a United Nations-led coalition
of nations while the leaders of Haiti, through
their Constitution, can restore a Constitutional
government through the electoral process.
That same UN-led coalition must support,
mediate, and monitor the Haitian election
from start to finish.

The UN has already begun providing


humanitarian assistance. This is a vital
undertaking, and the UN peacekeeping forces
must see it as a priority. We must also be very
aware of the attempts that will be made to
privatize, as they were in Iraq -- to install the
Haliburtons and the Bechtels as the
"rebuilders" of Haiti -- and be prepared to see
to it that these attempts do not succeed.
Finally, but perhaps foremost, the United
States must change its immigration policy
toward Haiti. "Equal treatment for Haitians."
People fleeing for their lives, seeking refuge
or asylum or simply opportunity, should not be
thrown in immigration jails and then forced to
return to face the dangers and the turmoil they
Haiti are trying to escape. It is an absolute outrage
to the principles of human rights that the Bush
What we are witnessing in Haiti is a clear Administration has singled out Haitians from
failure of U.S. foreign policy under the Bush among all other peoples for "special"
Administration and a possible violation of treatment. It is discrimination. It is racist. It is
international law. Whatever the circumstances unconscionable. And it must end.
of President Aristide's departure, it is

105
us. America has maintained into perpetuity an
obsession with overwhelming U.S. military
superiority. We have insisted that everyone
else adhere to rules of international order that
we have no intention of following ourselves.
We have demonstrated a contempt for
international organizations and any
multilateral constraints whatsoever on the
employment of American power.

All of this has estranged and frightened our


allies and provoked enduring enmity in the
councils of other governments and the hearts
of citizens around the world. George Bush's
foreign policies have made us new foreign
enemies. George Bush's defense policies have
weakened our defenses. George Bush's
responses to 9/11 have made future 9/11s
more likely to occur.

In the America of my dreams, the America I


see taking root and flourishing under new
administration, other nations will encounter an
America that abides by Lincoln's precept:
"The only lasting way to eliminate an enemy
is to make him your friend." We will
accommodate rather than alienate, make
friends instead of enemies, and employ carrots
far more often than sticks. We need an
administration that will drain the swamps of
hopelessness, exploitation, and humiliation
that cause vulnerable individuals to head down
the terrorist road. We need leaders who will be
both tough on terror and tough on the causes
of terror.

We spend one-tenth of one percent of our


Gross National Income on development aid --
the lowest of any developed country. Is this a
formula for winning the hearts and minds of
the next global generation?

We must seek to re-engage the world by


collaborating with the world's nations on our
International Cooperation most intractable common challenges. The
Bush Administration has squandered
In the past three years, the U.S. has subjected opportunities to cooperatively address
the world community to a doctrine of environmental degradation, persistent hunger,
preventive, unilateral, and illegal first strikes ignorance and illiteracy, safe water, the AIDS
against "forces of evil" that have not attacked pandemic, the degrading status of women in
so many places, failed states, cultural
106
obliteration, transnational governance of If our country must spend hundreds of billions
exploitative transnational corporations, and of dollars every year preparing for war, we can
perhaps most important of all, the desperate spend at least one percent of that amount for a
grinding poverty of two billion souls -- fully department aimed at preventing war.
one-third of the planet. We need leadership
who will work to bridge the chasm between The Department of Peace will seek to make
the rich and the poor -- around the block and nonviolence an organizing principle of society.
around the world. It will present a wider range of alternatives
within the councils of our government. It will
We must work to replace the law of force on offer a new clear vision of people working out
the world stage with the force of law. By their differences without resort to primitive
showing such open disdain for the UN Charter violence, of peaceful coexistence in a tolerant
and international law during the past three world, of peace as a higher evolution of the
years, we have become in the eyes of many human psyche.
the primary outlaw on the world stage. If we
disregard the law of nations, we're left with Millions of citizens of the world have taken to
the law of the despot, where the only their streets this past year to bravely protest
constraint on violence is the power and our country's launching a foolish and
ruthlessness of those who would employ it. dangerous war whose consequences we can
Rest assured, in that world we won't be the still only dimly foresee. But the Department of
only ones to use it. Peace idea aspires to do more than just prevent
particular wars. With a Department of Peace,
We must immediately move for the United we can articulate a vision of the future where
States to re-engage in the important treaties humanity has abolished war itself.
that the Bush Administration has abandoned.
We must affirm and ratify treaties, beginning
with:

The Kyoto Treaty on Global Climate Change


The Biodiversity Treaty
The Forest Protection Treaty
The Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
The Landmine Ban Treaty
The Biological Weapons Convention
The Chemical Weapons Convention
The International Criminal Court
Our country and all nations must review and
modify all treaties that reject national
sovereignty in the cause of a global corporate
ethic that does not respect human rights,
workers' rights, and environmental quality
standards. This means reviewing the practices
and the practical impact of the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the World
Trade Organization, the International
Monetary Fund, and the World Bank.

I am working to create a Department of Peace


to stand alongside the Department of Defense.
107
In November of 2006, after an October
upsurge in violence in Iraq, the American
people moved decisively to reject Republican
rule, principally because of the conduct of the
war. Democratic leaders well understand we
regained control of the Congress because of
the situation in Iraq. However, two months
later, the Congress is still searching for a plan
around which it can unite to hasten the end of
US involvement in Iraq and the return home of
140,000 US troops.

There is a compelling need for a new direction


in Iraq, one that recognizes the plight of the
people of Iraq, the false and illegal basis of the
United States war against Iraq, the realities on
the ground which make a military resolution
of the conflict unrealistic and the urgent
responsibility of the United States, which
caused the chaos, to use the process of
diplomacy and international law to achieve
stability in Iraq, a process which will establish
peace and stability in Iraq allow our troops to
return home with dignity.

The Administration is preparing to escalate the


conflict. They intend to increase troop
numbers to unprecedented levels, without
establishing an ending date for the so called
troop surge. By definition, this escalation
means a continuation of the occupation, more
troop and civilian casualties, more anger
toward the US, more support for the
insurgency, more instability in Iraq and in the
region, and prolonged civil war at a time when
there is a general agreement in the world
community that the solution in Iraq must be
political not military. Iraq is now a training
ground for insurgents who practice against our
troops.

What is needed is a comprehensive political


process. And the decision is not President
Bush's alone to make.
The Kucinich Plan for Iraq
Congress, as a coequal branch of government
Kucinich unveils comprehensive exit plan has a responsibility to assist in the initiation of
to bring troops home, stabilize Iraq this process. Congress, under Article 1,
Dennis J Kucinich, Monday, January 8, 2007, Section 8 of the US Constitution has the war-
New York City making power. Congress appropriates funds
for the war. Congress does not dispense with
108
its obligation to the American people simply care because this Administration, with the
by opposing a troop surge in Iraq. active participation of the Congress,
authorized a war without reason, without
There are 140,000 troops remaining in Iraq conscience, without international law.
right now. What about them? When will they
come home? Why would we leave those The US thinks in terms of solving our own
troops in Iraq when we have the money to military, strategic, logistical, and political
bring them home? Soon the President will ask problems. The US can determine how to solve
for more money for the war. Why would our problems, but the Iraqi people will have
Congress appropriate more money to keep the problems far into the future. This requires an
troops in Iraq through the end of President intensive focus on the processes needed to
Bush's term, at a total cost of upwards of two stabilize Iraq. If you solve the Iraqi problem
trillion dollars and thousands of more troop you solve the US problem. Any
casualties, when military experts say there is comprehensive plan for Iraq must take into
no military solution? Our soldiers stand for us account as a primary matter the conditions and
in the field, we must to stand for them in our the needs of the Iraqi people, while providing
legislature by bringing them home. our nation with a means of righting grievous
wrongs and taking steps to regain US
It is simply not credible to maintain that one credibility and felicity within the world
opposes the war and yet continues to fund it. community.
This contradiction runs as a deep fault line
through our politics, undermining public trust I am offering such a plan today. This plan
in the political process and in those elected to responds to the concerns of a majority of
represent the people. If you oppose the war, Americans. On Tuesday, when Congress
then do not vote to fund it. resumes its work, I will present this plan to
leadership and members as the only viable
If you have money which can be used to bring alternative to the Bush Administration's policy
the troops home or to prosecute the war, do of continued occupation and escalation.
not say you want to bring the troops home Congress must know that it cannot and must
while you appropriate money in a not stand by and watch our troops and
supplemental to keep them in Iraq fighting a innocent Iraqi civilians die.
war that cannot be won militarily. This is why
the Administration should be notified now that These are the elements of the Kucinich
Congress will not approve of the Plan:
appropriations request of up to $160 billion in
the spring for the purposes of continuing the 1. The US announces it will end the
occupation and the war. Continuing to fund occupation, close military bases and withdraw.
the war is not a plan. It would represent the The insurgency has been fueled by the
continuation of disaster. occupation and the prospect of a long-term
presence as indicated by the building of
The US sent our troops into Iraq without a permanent bases. A US declaration of an
clear mission. We created a financial, military intention to withdraw troops and close bases
and moral dilemma for our nation and now we will help dampen the insurgency which has
are talking about the Iraq war as our problem. been inspired to resist colonization and fight
The Iraqis are forgotten. Their country has invaders and those who have supported US
been destroyed: 650,000 casualties, [based on policy. Furthermore this will provide an
the Lancet Report which surveyed casualties opening where parties within Iraq and in the
from March of 2003 to July of 2006] the region can set the stage for negotiations
shredding of the social fabric of the nation, towards peaceful settlement.
civil war, lack of access to food, shelter,
electricity, clean drinking water and health
109
2. .US announces that it will use existing be on a process which solves the problems of
funds to bring the troops and necessary Iraq. The US has told the international
equipment home. Congress appropriated $70 community, "This is our policy and we want
billion in bridge funds on October 1 st for the you to come and help us implement it." The
war. Money from this and other DOD international community may have an interest
accounts can be used to fund the troops in the in helping Iraq, but has no interest in
field over the next few months, and to pay for participating in the implementation of failed
the cost of the return of the troops, (which has US policy.
been estimated at between $5 and $7 billion
dollars) while a political settlement is being A shift in US policy away from unilateralism
negotiated and preparations are made for a and toward cooperation will provide new
transition to an international security and opportunities for exploring common concerns
peacekeeping force. about the plight of Iraq. The UN is the
appropriate place to convene, through the
3. Order a simultaneous return of all US office of the Secretary General, all countries
contractors to the United States and turn over that have interests, concerns and influence,
all contracting work to the Iraqi government. including the five permanent members of the
The contracting process has been rife with Security Council and the European
world-class corruption, with contractors community, and all Arab nations.
stealing from the US Government and
cheating the Iraqi people, taking large The end of the US occupation and the closing
contracts and giving 5% or so to Iraqi of military bases are necessary preconditions
subcontractors. for such a conference. When the US creates a
shift of policy and announces it will focus on
Reconstruction activities must be reorganized the concerns of the people of Iraq, it will
and closely monitored in Iraq by the Iraqi provide a powerful incentive for nations to
government, with the assistance of the participate.
international community. The massive
corruption as it relates to US contractors, It is well known that while some nations may
should be investigated by congressional see the instability in Iraq as an opportunity,
committees and federal grand juries. The lack there is also an even-present danger that the
of tangible benefits, the lack of accountability civil war in Iraq threatens the stability of
for billions of dollars, while millions of Iraqis nations throughout the region. The impending
do not have a means of financial support, nor end of the occupation will provide a
substantive employment, cries out for justice. breakthrough for the cooperation between the
US and the UN and the UN and countries of
It is noteworthy that after the first Gulf War, the region. The regional conference must
Iraqis reestablished electricity within three include Iran, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and
months, despite sanctions. Four years into the Jordan.
US occupation there is no water, nor reliable
electricity in Bagdhad, despite massive 5. Prepare an international security and
funding from the US and from the Madrid peacekeeping force to move in, replacing US
conference. The greatest mystery involves the troops who then return home. The UN has an
activities of private security companies who indispensable role to play here, but cannot do
function as mercenaries. Reports of false flag it as long as the US is committed to an
operations must be investigated by an occupation. The UN is the only international
international tribunal. organization with the ability to mobilize and
the legitimacy to authorize troops.
4. Convene a regional conference for the
purpose of developing a security and The UN is the place to develop the process, to
stabilization force for Iraq. The focus should build the political consensus, to craft a
110
political agreement, to prepare the ground for process of reconciliation to take place around
the peacekeeping mission, to implement the it, and that those who were opposed to the
basis of an agreement that will end the government should give up and join the
occupation and begin the transition to government. Reconciliation must not be
international peacekeepers. This process will confused with capitulation, nor with
take at least three months from the time the realignments for the purposes of protecting
US announces the intention to end the power relationships.
occupation.
For example, Kurds need to be assured that
The US will necessarily have to fund a their own autonomy will be regarded and
peacekeeping mission, which, by definition therefore obviate the need for the Kurds to
will not require as many troops. Fifty percent align with religious Shia for the purposes of
of the peacekeeping troops must come from self-protection. The problem in Iraq is that
nations with large Muslim populations. The every community is living in fear. The Shia,
international security force, under UN who are the majority fear they will not be
direction, will remain in place until the Iraqi allowed to government even though they are a
government is capable of handling its own majority. The Kurds are afraid they will lose
security. The UN can field an international the autonomy they have gained. The Sunnis
security and peace keeping mission, but such think they will continue to be made to pay for
an initiative will not take shape unless there is the sins of Saddam.
a peace to keep, and that will be dependent
upon a political process which reaches A reconciliation process which brings people
agreement between all the Iraqi parties. together is the only way to overcome their
fears and reconcile their differences. It is
Such an agreement means fewer troops will be essential to create a minimum of
needed. understanding and mutual confidence between
the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds.
According to UN sources, the UN the
peacekeeping mission in the Congo, which is But how can a reconciliation process be
four times larger in area than Iraq, required constructed in Iraq when there is such
about twenty thousand troops. Finally the UN mistrust: Ethnic cleansing is rampant. The
does not mobilize quickly because they police get their money from the US and their
depend upon governments to supply the ideas from Tehran. They function as religious
troops, and governments are slow. The militia, fighting for supremacy, while the
ambition of the UN is to deploy in less than Interior Ministry collaborates. Two or three
ninety days. However, without an agreement million people have been displaced. When
of parties the UN is not likely to approve a someone loses a family member, a loved one,
mission to Iraq, because countries will not a friend, the first response is likely to be that
give them troops. there is no reconciliation.

6. Develop and fund a process of national It is also difficult to move toward


reconciliation. The process of reconciliation reconciliation when one or several parties
must begin with a national conference, engaged in the conflict think they can win
organized with the assistance of the UN and outright. The Shia, some of whom are out for
with the participation of parties who can revenge, think they can win because they have
create, participate in and affect the process of the defacto support of the US. The end of the
reconciliation, defined as an airing of all US occupation will enhance the opportunity
grievances and the creation of pathways for the Shia to come to an accommodation
toward open, transparent talks producing truth with the Sunnis. They have the oil, the
and resolution of grievances. The Iraqi weapons, and support from Iran. They have
government has indicated a desire for the
111
little interest in reconciling with those who are functioning infrastructure with financial
seen as Baathists. mechanisms established protect the oil wealth
for the use of the people of Iraq.
The Sunnis think they have experience, as the
former army of Saddam, boasting half a 10. Iraq Economy. Set forth a plan to stabilize
million people insurgents. The Sunnis have so Iraq's cost for food and energy, on par to what
much more experience and motivation that as the prices were before the US invasion and
soon as the Americans leave they believe they occupation. This would block efforts
can defeat the Shia government. Any Sunni underway to raise the price of food and energy
revenge impulses can be held in check by at a time when most Iraqis do not have the
international peacekeepers. The only sure path means to meet their own needs.
toward reconciliation is through the political
process. All factions and all insurgents not 11.Economic Sovereignty. Work with the
with al Queda must be brought together in a world community to restore Iraq's fiscal
relentless process which involves Saudis, integrity without structural readjustment
Turks and Iranians. measures of the IMF or the World Bank. \n\n\n

7. Reconstruction and Jobs. Restart the failed 12 .International Truth and Reconciliation.
reconstruction program in Iraq. Rebuild roads, Establish a policy of truth and reconciliation
bridges, schools, hospitals, and other public between the people of the United States and
facilities, houses, and factories with jobs and the people of Iraq.
job training going to local Iraqis.
In 2002, I led the effort in the House of
8. Reparations. The US and Great Britain have Representatives challenging the Bush
a high moral obligation to enable a peace Administration's plans to go to war in Iraq. I
process by beginning a program of significant organized 125 Democrats to vote against the
reparations to the people of Iraq for the loss of Iraq war resolution. The analysis I offered at
lives, physical and emotional injuries, and that time stands out in bold relief for its
damage to property. There should be special foresight when compared to the assessments
programs to rescue the tens of thousands of of many who today aspire to national
Iraqi orphans from lives of destitution. This is leadership. Just as the caution I urged four
essential to enable reconciliation. years ago was well-placed, so the plan I am
presenting today is workable, and it responds
9. Political Sovereignty. Put an end to to the will of the American people, expressed
suspicions that the US invasion and this past November. This is a moment for
occupation was influenced by a desire to gain clarity and foresight. This is a moment to take
control of Iraq's oil assets by A) setting aside a new direction in Iraq. One with honor and
initiatives to privatize Iraqi oil interests or dignity. One which protects our troops and
other national assets, and B) by abandoning rescues Iraqi civilians. One which repairs our
efforts to change Iraqi national law to relationship with Iraqis and with the world.
facilitate privatization. Thank you.

Any attempt to sell Iraqi oil assets during the


US occupation will be a significant stumbling
block to peaceful resolution. The current Iraqi
constitution gives oil proceeds to the regions
and the central government gets nothing.
There must be fairness in the distribution of
oil resources in Iraq. An Iraqi National Oil
Trust should be established to guarantee the
oil assets will be used to create a fully
112
the Bush administration's "axis of evil." The
U.S. should develop diplomatic and
humanitarian relations with North Korea, with
the goals of assisting the Korean people,
furthering reunification, and advancing
disarmament. We should engage in direct
negotiations with North Korea, and in a
multilateral peace conference involving both
Koreas and the surrounding states, to pursue a
permanent peace settlement. As a part of this
process, we should consult closely with our
South Korean allies, to evaluate appropriate
conditions for a reduction or eventual
withdrawal of U.S. forces.

By engaging in direct negotiations with North


Korea and in a multilateral peace conference
involving both Koreas and the surrounding
states, the U.S. could pursue a permanent
peace settlement. This settlement would
include a non-aggression agreement and a
nuclear weapons-free zone.

Half a century after the Armistice agreement,


the United States still spends billions of
dollars every year to maintain some 37,000
troops in South Korea. Both Korean
governments have shown interest in
reconciliation and cooperation, but the Bush
administration has shown little support for
their efforts.

The Bush administration's harsh rhetoric and


hard-line policy have reversed the diplomatic
progress made under President Clinton and
aggravated a potential threat. The invasion of
Iraq, which did not present an imminent threat
to us, as well as George Bush's description of
North Korea as part of an "axis of evil," have
clearly increased the fear that North Korea is
next on the preemptive attack hit list.
Continuing a policy of isolation and threats
will back Kim Jong Il into a corner and make
the use of WMD more likely, not less.
Korea
U.S. foreign policy should aim to restore the
We need a new foreign policy towards Korea. world's trust in America, the trust that has
We need a President who will visit both been violated by the Bush administration.
Koreas, meet personally with Kim Jong Il, and First, we must abandon the doctrine of
strive to block the self-fulfilling prophecy of preemptive war that this administration has
promulgated, which has done so much to
113
alienate our friends and allies, and stop asking struggle. Many are tempted to see this as
other countries not to develop nuclear merely the latest chapter in an endless and
weapons while the U.S. continues to create timeless tragedy. And it's not. Not only is a
more. We must embrace a principled foreign just and peaceful solution possible -- it's
policy that relies on cooperative diplomacy inevitable. This was brought home to all of us
and views military action only as a last resort. recently, at the signing of the Geneva Accords
The United States must sign the Nuclear Non- by courageous Israelis and Palestinians.
Proliferation Treaty, the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, We need to keep in mind that there is no such
the Landmine Ban Treaty, the Biological thing as a victory for one side. No "win-lose"
Weapons Convention, and the Chemical solutions are possible, only "win-win"
Weapons Convention. The United States can outcomes. Coercion of one side or the other
lead the way to peace through word and deed. cannot succeed, no matter how strongly one
might want it, or how much force might be
brought to bear. Recently, four previous
directors of the Israeli General Security
Service stated publicly that Israel is headed for
a disaster that can only be averted by a peace
agreement with the Palestinians. This meeting
took place not long after the Israeli Chief of
Staff admitted to journalists that the policy of
using force and punitive measures had not
only failed to contain Palestinian violence, it
was in fact exacerbating it.

Israelis are living in fear, an understandable


result of more than three years of suicide
bombings and other terror attacks against
civilians. The measures carried out against the
Palestinian population have the support of
many Israelis, because of the logic of fear. But
as those outspoken military men have pointed
out, this logic is leading to unacceptable
outcomes, both in failing to protect Israelis,
and in terms of human rights abuses
committed against Palestinians.

These measures include hundreds of


roadblocks, mostly separating Palestinians
from each other. The roadblocks are one of the
two defining features of the occupation, since
they define every sphere of existence: access
to jobs, schools, medical care, relatives and
friends. The other defining feature is the
Middle East growth and spread of settlements, all of which
are illegal under international law. The daily
Israel and Palestine hardships imposed by Israel and the loss of
land fuel the despair that leads to terror. It's
For the past three years, Israelis and time to fight terror with the only weapon left
Palestinians have been locked in bitter, violent in Israel's arsenal: hope.

114
As we watch our brothers and sisters suffer
and die, we shouldn't be asking which side to
join, which side to strengthen so as to defeat
the other. The question is, how can we use our
power to foster healing and reconciliation?
The power and faith of the American people
has been used that way in the past in that part
of the world, particularly by President Carter
and President Clinton. Today we need to call
on that spirit and go with it further than ever
before.

The recent signing of a model peace


agreement known as the Geneva Accord
embodies a change in the logic of
peacemaking. Instead of small steps leading to
an uncertain future, unofficial negotiators --
with a high standing in their respective
societies -- have shown us what a
comprehensive peace agreement might look
like. It has inspired optimism all over the
world, because of the potential it has to
unblock the dialogue between the Israeli and
Palestinian societies.

That's why I've come out to affirm my support


for HR 479, introduced on December 9, 2003,
by Congresswoman Lois Capps along with 31
other cosponsors, myself included. The
resolution states that the Geneva Accord and
other private initiatives "demonstrate that both
Israelis and Palestinians have a partner for
peace, that both peoples want to end the
current vicious stalemate, and that both
peoples are prepared to make necessary
compromises in order to achieve peace."

Israelis and Palestinians, locked in to a


recursive conflict that feeds on itself, need to
see more private initiatives, and more
American support for them, as evidence that
we will be there to assist in ending the conflict
with our resources and moral power. We
cannot do this when what investment we
currently have is so overwhelmingly weighted
towards military means. The U.S. should
support the spirit of the Geneva Accord, which
demonstrates that representatives from both
Israel and Palestine can negotiate a mutually
beneficial and mutually agreeable contract to
resolve their longstanding conflict.
115
so many products purchased in our country are
made in sweat shops -- and a leader who feels
that walking a picket line is more important
than walking a golf course. The U.S. should
institute a policy that any company that
receives federal aid or assistance must observe
"Sweat Free" procurement laws.

To end sweat shop conditions, the global trade


regime must be confronted. This means
withdrawing from NAFTA and the WTO and
replacing them with bilateral agreements that
raise up labor and environmental standards
around the world. Workers' rights -- especially
to bargain collectively -- must be a component
of all trade agreements. Right now, the WTO
can be used to force products made by child
labor upon us, and secretly negotiated
elements of NAFTA can be used to challenge
U.S. environmental laws.

To address issues of economic exploitation in


the U.S., we must work to repeal Taft-Hartley,
to reinstitute a truly progressive tax system
including an estate tax, and to return to the
concepts of the Fair Labor Standards Act
passed during the New Deal.

Federal dollars must not subsidize sweat


shops, directly or indirectly. School districts in
Los Angeles and Minneapolis, as well as the
state of Maine, have already adopted no-sweat
procurement policies and these are models we
can build on. There is no reason why the
Federal government should continue to
underwrite corporate human rights abusers.

I would strongly support legislation banning


the domestic sale of goods made in
sweatshops, the use of "hot cargo" provisions,
or any other disincentives to the manufacture
of consumer products by sweatshop labor,
child labor, convict labor, or bonded labor
abroad. For years, the government and the
Sweat Shops courts have used trade sanctions to protect
corporate intellectual property rights. It's time
It is time this country makes a priority of we started using these tools to protect workers'
ending sweat shop conditions at home and rights and human rights.
abroad. Working people in our country
deserve a leader who will expose the fact that Unfortunately, voluntary corporate compliance
often means non-compliance. In recent years,
116
apparel manufacturers have tried to pass off there is no alternative but to repeal NAFTA
what basically amounts to a self-monitoring and withdraw from the WTO. I have sworn to
system -- the Fair Labor Association -- as a repeal NAFTA and the WTO, and I will
solution to the problem of sweat shop labor. unalterably continue to work toward these
Only a strong, independent body that includes goals.
workers' rights advocates can be counted on to
monitor compliance. I encourage students' and For a decade, we have been subjected to a
labor groups' efforts to hold corporations grand experiment called NAFTA. When that
accountable, as the Worker Rights Consortium agreement was signed in 1993, it was
is doing today. enthusiastically supported by big business,
Republicans, and all too many Democrats.
The United States can lead in lifting up Now it is clear that this experiment has failed.
environmental and labor standards around the We've lost over 3 million manufacturing jobs
globe, instead of allowing multinational since July 2000. Over a half million of these
corporations to drive them down under current are directly attributable to NAFTA. Our trade
arrangements. U.S. trade officials (including deficit grew to $418 billion last year and
Democrats) have worked diligently to try to continues to climb. And, because of the WTO,
ensure that every Disney movie secures its corporations have been granted unprecedented
licensing fee. Yet while our government works powers to sue the government in closed trade
to enforce copyright and patent laws over the courts anytime laws designed to protect
face of the planet, a concern for people often workers or the environment are deemed to
seems mysteriously absent. infringe on corporate "rights."

Because the 20-year resurgence of sweat This is called "free trade." But where is
shops has been the by-product of a well freedom when jobs are lost? Where is freedom
crafted campaign to enrich multinational when industries threaten to move out of the
corporations at the expense of employees, it country unless wages are cut? Where is
will take a strong commitment and plan to freedom when the right to bargain collectively
reverse the free fall of workers. I have both the is crushed? Where is freedom when a union is
commitment and a plan. Workers' rights are broken? Where is freedom when you can't
truly human rights, whether they apply to the make a mortgage payment? Where is freedom
maquila in Mexico or to workers in Saipan or when you can't send your children to college?
New York's Chinatown. An economic democracy is a precondition of a
political democracy. Where is freedom?
The notion of a minimum wage must be
replaced by the right to a living wage -- It is time to reclaim state and local
everywhere. sovereignty, which NAFTA has usurped. No
NAFTA, no Fast Track Authority. Fast track is
a barrier. Fast track brought us NAFTA. It
prohibits amending trade agreements. We
could not amend NAFTA Chapter 11, which
grants corporate investors in all NAFTA
countries the right to challenge any local,
state, or federal regulations, which, those
corporations say, hurt their profits. No more
back track on democracy. No more back track
Trade on workers' rights. No more back track on
human rights. No back track on the Bill of
If the United States is to be free to negotiate Rights.
fair trade agreements that protect jobs, the
rights of workers, and the environment, then
117
The Bush administration wants to extend It is an outrage that President Bush is
NAFTA throughout the Western Hemisphere proposing to cut core funding for overseas
through the Free Trade Agreement of the humanitarian aid while millions worldwide
Americas (FTAA). This proposal is being face the threat of hunger. The United States
pushed by the administration and its should fully fund efforts to eradicate hunger
Republican allies in Congress and the by dramatically increasing our allocation to
corporate world, although it is opposed by the UN World Food Program, whose work
many leaders throughout Latin America. saves countless lives in over 80 countries,
through school feeding projects, nutrition
The only way to undo the damage these trade programs for HIV/AIDS sufferers, refugee
deals have caused is to end them. If the United food relief, and many other vital tasks.
States is to be free to negotiate fair trade
agreements that protect jobs, the rights of Drop the Debt
workers, and the environment, then there is no
alternative but to withdraw from the WTO. If Poor countries facing widespread hunger are
our agriculture, textiles, and other industries being ravaged by debt payments to global
are going to be able to help pull the world up, institutions like the International Monetary
rather than being dragged down to the level of Fund and World Bank. $2.5 billion is
serfdom or exported abroad, we must put an transferred every year from Sub-Saharan
end to the disaster known as the WTO. Africa to foreign bankers and creditors, while
40% of its population experiences some form
The NAFTA and WTO treaties include legal of malnutrition. We should push for the
clauses permitting the signatory countries to immediate cancellation of all bilateral debts of
withdraw from them at any time, following a countries facing hunger, as well as
routine notification period. The President cancellation of debts to the IMF and World
should invoke these withdrawal clauses and Bank.
once and for all take America out of an unfair
system of corporate trade. We should return to Swords into Plowshares
bilateral trade conditioned on workers' rights,
human rights, and environmental quality President Eisenhower once observed: "Every
principles. This would provide security for gun that is made, every warship launched,
American workers and for workers worldwide. every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a
theft from those who hunger and are not fed,
We need a new start. We must begin from those who are cold and are not clothed." This
scratch with decent, bilaterally negotiated year our nation will spend over $360 billion
trade agreements between this country and on the Pentagon, but barely more than $1
each other country we trade with, agreements million on food aid for the world's hungry. It
that are based from the start on the needs of is time the U.S. set an example for the world
people and communities. by proposing a 15% cut in the military budget
to help meet pressing social needs, including
hunger, both abroad and at home. I have
proposed a bill to establish a Department of
Peace to mediate international conflicts,
negotiate arms control agreements, and
promote nonviolence, so that other nations can
devote resources to the fight against hunger,
World Hunger not the arms race.

Foreign Aid

118
acting like an Empire, unilaterally
undermining international agreements such as
the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The ABM
treaty first entered into force October 3, 1972,
between the U.S. and former USSR to
constrain the Parties from deploying territory-
wide defenses against strategic ballistic
missiles.

By withdrawing from the ABM Treaty on June


14, 2002, saying that "the U.S. must protect its
homeland, its forces, and its friends and allies
against the threats of missile attacks from
rogue nations and terrorist groups" (George W.
Bush), the President insists that he has the
authority to terminate any treaty without the
consent of Congress. But according to Article
6, Clause 2, of the Constitution, treaties
constitute the "supreme law of the land." And
the President does not have the authority to
repeal laws: Article I, Section I, empowers
Congress to create laws, and charges the
President only with carrying out these laws.
Thus, the President's termination of the ABM
Treaty represents an unconstitutional repeal of
a law duly enacted by Congress.

I filed a lawsuit in federal district court to


block the President from withdrawing from
the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972. The
United States must immediately re-engage in
the important treaties that the Bush
Administration has abandoned. We must
affirm and ratify treaties, beginning with:

The Kyoto Treaty on Global Climate Change


The Biodiversity Treaty
The Forest Protection Treaty
The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty
The Landmine Ban Treaty
The Biological Weapons Convention
The Chemical Weapons Convention
The International Criminal Court

Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty

Our security will be enhanced by working


with other nations and the UN instead of
119
The United States was founded on hope,
optimism, and a commitment to freedom. We
can once again become a beacon of hope for
the world. To do that, we must reject the
current administration's policies of fear,
suspicion, and preemptive war. It is time to
jettison our illusions and fears and to
transform age-old challenges with new
thinking. This is the idea behind my proposal
to establish a Department of Peace. This is the
idea to make nonviolence an organizing
principle at home and abroad and dedicate
ourselves to peaceful coexistence, consensus
building, disarmament, and respect for
international treaties. Violence and war are not
inevitable. Nonviolence and peace are
inevitable.

We can conceive of peace as not simply the


absence of violence but the presence of the
capacity for a higher evolution of human
awareness, of respect, trust, and integrity. We
can conceive of peace as a tool to tap the
infinite capabilities of humanity to transform
consciousness and conditions that impel or
compel violence at a personal, group, or
national level toward creating understanding,
compassion, and love. We can bring forth new
understandings where peace, not war, becomes
inevitable. We can move from wars to end all
wars to peace to end all wars.

Citizens across the United States are now


uniting in a great cause to establish a
Department of Peace, seeking nothing less
than the transformation of our society, to make
nonviolence an organizing principle, to make
war archaic through creating a paradigm shift
in our culture for human development for
economic and political justice and for violence
control. Its work in violence control will be to
support disarmament, treaties, peaceful
coexistence and peaceful consensus building.
Its focus on economic and political justice will
Department of Peace examine and enhance resource distribution,
human and economic rights and strengthen
H.R. 808, Department of Peace and democratic values.
Nonviolence Act
We must change the metaphor of our society
from one of war to one of peace. The
Department of Defense now requires in excess
120
of $400 billion for its activities. A Department Congressman Kucinich is the 2003 recipient
of Peace can be an effective counterbalance, of the Gandhi Peace Award. Former
redirecting our national energies towards recipients include Eleanor Roosevelt, Cesar
nonviolent intervention, mediation, and Chavez, A.J. Muste, Dr. Linus Pauling,
conflict resolution on all matters of human Dorothy Day, Sen. Wayne Morse and Marian
security. Wright Edelman.

A Department of Peace can look at the For more information about efforts to establish
domestic issues that our society faces and a Department of Peace, see The Peace
often ignores as we focus on matters Alliance.
internationally. We have a problem with
violence in our own society, and we need to http://www.thepeacealliance.org/
look at it and address it in a structured way.
Domestically, the Department of Peace would
address violence in the home, spousal abuse,
child abuse, gangs, and police-community
relations conflicts, and would work with
individuals and groups to achieve changes in
attitudes that examine the mythologies of
cherished world views, such as "violence is
inevitable" or "war is inevitable." Thus, it will
help with the discovery of new selves and new
paths toward peaceful consensus.

The Department of Peace will also address


human development and the unique concerns
of women and children. It will envision and
seek to implement plans for peace education,
not simply as a course of study, but as a
template for all pursuits of knowledge within
formal educational settings.

Americans have proven over and over again


we're a nation that can rise to the challenges of
our times, because our people have that
capacity. And so, the concept of a Department
of Peace is the vehicle by which we express
our belief that we have the capacity to evolve
as a people, that someday we could look back
at this moment and understand that we took
the steps along the way to make war archaic.

Violence is not inevitable. War is not


inevitable. Nonviolence and peace are
inevitable. We can make of this world a gift of
peace which will confirm the presence of
universal spirit in our lives. We can send into
the future the gift which will protect our
children from fear, from harm, from
destruction.

121
remediation. Also, we must develop a program
to provide care and restitution for people
suffering as a result of the United States' use
of depleted uranium munitions, nuclear
weapons, nuclear weapons production, nuclear
testing, and uranium mining.

Through four wars (Gulf War I, Sarajevo,


Afghanistan, and Gulf War II), the U.S.
military has deployed tons of nuclear tank
missiles of depleted uranium (DU), which are
solid 10-pound uranium bullets made from
radioactive waste from the U.S. Department of
Energy's uranium enrichment process. At least
350 tons of solid radioactive uranium remains
in Iraq after Gulf War I, and 2,000 more tons
of radioactive rubble has been added from our
present Gulf War II. Depleted uranium has a
half-life of 4.5 billion years.

According to Pentagon experts, approximately


13,000 Gulf War I veterans are now dead as
result of injuries and illnesses incurred while
participating in military operations between
August 1990 and October 1991. As of May
2002, at least 221,000 veterans were on
disability as result of injuries and illnesses
incurred during military operations in the
Persian Gulf combat theater of operations. All
of our troops presently in Iraq are continually
being exposed to this radioactive depleted
uranium contamination, other war related
contaminants, water- and food-borne illnesses,
and endemic diseases every second they
remain there.

A recent study shows that U.S. Gulf War


veterans' children have a much higher
likelihood of having three specific types of
birth defects: two types of heart valve
abnormality occurring to children of male
veterans, and genital-urinary defects to
children born of female veterans. A study of
British veterans of the Gulf War, Bosnia, and
Depleted Uranium Kosovo reveals that they have 10 to 14 times
the usual level of chromosomal abnormalities.
The United States must order an end to illegal
use of depleted uranium munitions and lead an A Canadian medical research facility recently
international effort to recover depleted found that the urine of Afghani people living
uranium. We must promote environmental near the area where the United States carried
out military operations contained radioactive
122
isotopes 100 to 400 times as high as Gulf War Weapons may not be unduly inhumane. (The
veterans from the United Kingdom who were "humaneness" test). The Hague Conventions
tested in 1999. The Canadian team recorded of 1899 and 1907 use the terms "unnecessary
an average of 315.5 nanograms of these suffering" and "superfluous injury" for this
isotopes in people in Jalalabad, Tora Bora, and concept.
Mazar-e-Sharif. A 12-year-old boy near Kabul Weapons may not have an unduly negative
tested at 2,031 nanograms. The maximum effect on the natural environment. (The
exposure considered safe by the United States "environmental" test).
is 9 nanograms/year. With growing evidence DU weaponry fails all four tests:
of an increase in birth defects and stillborns,
the situation should be addressed as an issue It cannot be "contained" to legal fields of
of the highest priority. battle and thus fails the territorial test. Instead,
the DU is air-borne far afield of legal targets
According to humanitarian law specialist, to illegal (civilian) targets: hospitals, schools,
Karen Parker J.D., a weapon is made illegal in civilian dwellings, and even neighboring
two ways: (1) by adoption of a specific treaty countries with which the user is not at war.
banning it; and (2) because it may not be used It cannot be "turned off" when the war is over.
without violating the existing law and customs Instead, DU weaponry continues to act after
of war. A weapon made illegal only because hostilities are over and thus fails the temporal
there is a specific treaty banning it is only test. Even with rigorous cleanup of war zones,
illegal for countries that ratify such a treaty. A the air-borne particles have a half-life of
weapon that is illegal by operation of existing billions of years and have potential to keep
law is illegal for all countries. This is true killing and injuring former combatants and
even if there is also a treaty on this weapon non-combatants long after the war is over. The
and a country has not ratified that treaty. As toxicity is confirmed by U.S. Army
there is no specific treaty banning depleted documents. The Director of the U.S. Army
uranium weapons, its illegality must be Environmental Policy Institute stated in a
established in the second fashion. congressionally mandated report that "No
available technology can significantly change
The laws and customs of war (humanitarian the inherent chemical and radiological toxicity
law) include all treaties governing military of DU. These are intrinsic properties of
operations, weapons, and protection of victims uranium." (Health and Environmental
of war, as well as all customary international Consequences of Depleted Uranium Use in the
law on these subjects. In other words, in U.S. Army: Technical Report, AEPI, June
evaluating whether a particular weapon is 1995)
legal or illegal when there is not a specific It is inhumane and thus fails the humaneness
treaty, the whole of humanitarian law must be test. DU weaponry is inhumane because of
consulted. how it can kill -- by cancer, kidney disease,
etc. -- and long after the hostilities are over,
There are four rules derived from the whole of when the killing must stop. DU is inhumane
humanitarian law regarding weapons: because it can cause birth (genetic) defects
such as cranial facial anomalies, missing
Weapons may only be used in the legal field of limbs, grossly deformed and non-viable
battle, defined as legal military targets of the infants and the like, thus affecting children
enemy in the war. Weapons may not have an who may never be a military target and who
adverse effect off of the legal field of battle. are born after the war is over. The teratogenic
(The "territorial" test). nature of DU weapons and the possible
Weapons can only be used for the duration of burdening of the gene pool of future
an armed conflict. A weapon that is used or generations raise the possibility that the use of
continues to act after the war is over violates DU weaponry amounts to genocide.
this criterion. (The "temporal" test). It cannot be used without unduly damaging
123
the natural environment and thus fails the thought they were only going to be there for a
environment test. Damage to the natural first tour. That 40% of the people in Iraq today
environment includes contamination of water are either guardsmen or guardswomen or
and agricultural land necessary for the reservists. We never anticipated being in
subsistence of the civilian population far combat under those conditions.
beyond the lifetime of that population. The
U.S. Army also confirms that depleted We also know as the United States continues
uranium contamination will affect food and to get deeper and deeper into this conflict,
water. The primary U.S. Army training there is no question that there will be a draft.
manual: Soldier's Manual of Common Tasks There are bills sponsored by both parties in
states, "NOTE: (Depleted uranium) Congress to create a draft. In 2004 the
contamination will make food and water selective service system put up on their
unsafe for consumption." Cleanup is an website a call for people to staff local draft
inexact science and, in any case, extremely boards. There was a commotion about it
expensive -- far beyond the ability of a poor immediately after that went up; they took it
country to pay for. down. There's a substantial amount of money
In the course of armed conflicts (wars), in the budget to be able to put into effect the
weapons may only be used against legal structure to create a draft.
military targets and for the duration of the war.
Weapons may not cause undue suffering or With high stakes at hand, America is getting
superfluous injury. Weapons may not use or deeper and deeper into this situation in Iraq.
employ "poison." Weapons may not severely It's getting much worse every day. Now we're
damage the environment. DU weaponry being told by people in both parties,
cannot be used in military operations without Democrats and Republicans alike, that we
violating these rules, and therefore must be have to stay the course. We can't "cut and
considered illegal. Use of illegal weapons run." We have to go in and finish the job that
constitutes a violation of humanitarian law and we went in there to do. We're hearing all kinds
subjects the violators to legal liability for their of euphemisms that are frankly are vaguely
effects on victims and the environment, as reminiscent of the kinds of euphemisms that
well as criminal liability. In my view, use of we heard in the sixties, which caused the
DU weaponry necessarily violates the grave United States to make a deeper and deeper
breach provisions of the Geneva Conventions, commitment in a place called Vietnam.
and hence its use constitutes a war crime or
crime against humanity. There was a point in the early sixties where
the casualty level of Americans was below
All illegal use of depleted uranium munitions 100. Then it went into the hundreds. Then it
should be halted, as the U.S. becomes a leader went into the thousands. Then it went into the
in the international movement to recover tens of thousands. And all the time we kept
depleted uranium. wading into this war in Vietnam, people just
kept talking as if it was just going to end. And
there was almost this obliviousness to the fact
that we kept getting in deeper and deeper. And
the casualties kept piling up. And the more
lives that were lost, the more people kept
The Draft insisting, "Well, we've got to stay there."

The United States is talking about sending in Historian Barbara Tuchman wrote a book
more troops to Iraq. We already know that our some of you may be familiar with called "The
government has extended the tour of duty for March of Folly," where she traced throughout
members of the armed service. That they have human history how governments pursued what
sent people back for a second tour when they they fully knew to be the wrong course of
124
action, but once it proved to be wrong, they Few politicians have the courage to raise the
kept doing it anyhow. She described it as a obvious questions of the military industrial
kind of "wooden-headedness." complex that President Dwight Eisenhower
warned us about and which no one else seems
"Wooden-headedness, the source of self- to see. While we spend approximately what
deception, is a factor that plays a remarkably the rest of the world combined does on their
large role in government. It consists in military (with most of the big spending
assessing a situation in terms of preconceived nations our allies!), we have tremendous
fixed notions while ignoring or rejecting any waste. While many retired generals and
contrary signs. It is acting according to wish admirals have stated that at least 15% waste
while not allowing oneself to be deflected by could be cut from past military budgets,
the facts. It is epitomized in a historian's politicians seem to panic when the
statement about Phillip II of Spain, the administration refers to the military budget as
surpassing wooden-head of all sovereigns: 'No our "security" budget.
experience of the failure of his policy could
shake his belief in its essential excellence.'" Does anyone seriously believe that the Iraq
-- Barbara Tuchman, "The March of Folly" War is a defensive war against an enemy that
struck us or would have struck us?
This country surely knows that we've gone in
the wrong direction in Iraq. But we're Most Americans now realize that using 19
somehow committed to continuing it. We're hijackers armed with knives or box cutters as a
putting in more troops, more resources, pretext for a war in Iraq or for trillions of
running the risk of precipitating a holy war in dollars of additional defense expenditures
that region, and setting this country on a path makes no sense and is about as honest as was
of separating ourselves from the world the case for war. The terrorists have no
community. submarines, planes, or armies. Yet, a small
group of fanatics with small arms has been
It's time for this nation, Democrats and used to justify some $5,000 per taxpayer per
Republicans alike, to come together and year in military expenditures. It is likely that
oppose all efforts to reinstate the draft. For the the war in Iraq will cost each taxpayer about
sake of our children and our future, we must $15,000 above that.
end this wrongful war.
Militarism not only invites military solutions
to diplomatic problems, but also destroys the
economic dreams of countless families and
ultimately sabotages our entire economy, as
Chalmers Johnson points out in The Sorrows
of Empire.

April 28, 2006, Daytona Beach News-Journal


(Florida)

$60 Billion for Real Security: Dent in the


Military Budget Military-Industrial Complex?

April 2006 By Jack Shanahan

This budget chooses war over health care, tax "We have failed to discard the outmoded 'force
cuts over education, special interests over the on force' military philosophy driving today's
needs of the nation, and rich over poor. military thinking, planning and spending. So
we end up with fighter jets at $320 million a
125
copy, $3 billion submarines, $13.5 billion must contribute to broader foreign policy
aircraft carriers. Try to connect the dots objectives, and complement our domestic
between these weapons and what is needed to priorities.
fight guerrillas, terrorists and fringe religious
fanatics. Don't spend too long trying to Since the 1970s, the Democratic Party,
connect the dots. They don't connect. It's plain especially its progressive wing, has been put
irrational, and it's all driven by the confluence on the rhetorical and political defensive on
of power among members of Congress, the national security issues. Conservatives have
president, and powerful defense contractors sought to portray their opponents as weak on
and their lobbyists. That's the group President defense, and have denigrated legitimate
Dwight D. Eisenhower aptly labeled the differences of opinion as naivete or disloyalty.
military-industrial complex so many years
ago. It's the military industrial complex that The attacks of September 11 and the
drives senseless Pentagon spending. To feed consequent "War on Terror" have allowed the
the military industrial complex, we are under- Bush administration to frame the national
funding education for our children, under- security debate as it sees fit. The attack on Iraq
funding health care for millions of Americans, was portrayed as a part of this war, despite a
under-funding environmental needs and much lack of any credible evidence linking Saddam
more. In turn, this is threatening the quality of Hussein to al Qaeda. At the same time,
life for most Americans and adversely budgets for defense programs across the board
affecting our ability to compete globally. have been greatly increased, with no reference
That's bad for national security. Passage of to, or debate regarding, their relevance to the
Woolsey's bill, called the Common Sense war against those who attacked us. The
Budget Act, would also eventually level the perception of an ongoing emergency has made
slippery slope the military industrial complex many Democrats hesitant to take on the
has put this nation on. And that's really good administration, in an area that effectively has
for national security." been surrendered to the Republicans.

Jack Shanahan, a retired Navy vice admiral, The current administration clearly believes
lives in Ormond Beach. He heads the Military that international terrorism can be defeated
Advisory Committee of Business Leaders for solely through military, law enforcement, and
Sensible Priorities. intelligence actions, without addressing the
underlying foreign policy issues that, while in
We must cut bloated and unneeded weaponry no way justifying the attacks on us, certainly
from a military budget that now almost equals contribute to explaining them. This is a
the military spending of all other countries prescription for war without end, for
combined. The resulting peace dividend can exacerbating anti-Americanism and winning
then be invested in education, health care, more recruits to al Qaeda, and for continuing
environmental clean-up, urban infrastructure, to alienate our friends and allies worldwide.
Social Security, veterans' benefits, and other The reluctance of Congress and the public to
pressing domestic needs. criticize the President during wartime (which,
given the nature of terrorism, could be defined
National Security by the White House as lasting indefinitely)
also facilitates the accomplishment of this
The current administration's national security administration's domestic agenda, including
doctrine, with its reliance on preventive war as the erosion of civil liberties and economic
a standard instrument of policy, is making the policies blatantly favoring the wealthiest
world more dangerous. We must reject this among us.
approach, and develop and communicate to
the American people our own vision of My vision of national security ties together not
national security. National security policy only military but diplomatic, economic, and
126
human rights polices, and views the use of the Bush Administration's Nuclear Posture
military force as a last resort. Building the link Review, which is a strategy for nuclear
between domestic and defense issues, I proliferation. We must assure the world
believe that this country is more secure when community that the United States will not be
the largest possible number of its citizens have the first to use nuclear weapons.
a stake in its success, when decent education, Cancel all U.S. nuclear weapons programs.
healthcare, and housing contribute to We must work to put an end to the
productive lives for everyone. development of any new nuclear weapons, to
the manufacture of any nuclear weapons, and
The U.S. military is the strongest in the world, to any plans to test nuclear weapons.
by far, and will remain so. We need to Stop the use of all depleted uranium
recognize the accomplishments of, and munitions. We must order an end to the United
hardships experienced by, our men and States' use of depleted uranium munitions. We
women in uniform. My position on pay and must lead an international effort to recover
benefits, for both active duty military and depleted uranium. We must promote
retired veterans, reflects this recognition. The environmental remediation. We must develop
Kucinich approach to national security is anti- a program to provide care and restitution for
militarist, not anti-military. people suffering as a result of the United
States' use of depleted uranium munitions,
National security must be defined in terms nuclear weapons, nuclear weapons production,
much broader than size of the defense budget, nuclear testing, and uranium mining.
or number of carrier battle groups, fighter Ban all nuclear weapons testing by the United
aircraft, or infantry divisions. Unfortunately, States. We must enact a new policy banning
the response of many Democrats has been to nuclear testing and work to ratify the
paint their canvas in a Republican frame, to Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
accept the need for vastly higher budgets and Open talks with all nuclear powers. The U.S.
assertive use of military force, with minor must begin new talks with Russia, China,
fine-tuning. It is time to redefine the Britain, France, India, Israel, and Pakistan to
argument, to convey to the public that develop a plan aimed at the complete
effective multilateral institutions, appropriate elimination of nuclear weapons. The first step
economic aid, principled foreign policy, and should be to suspend all "readiness" levels of
support for arms control regimes buy us more nuclear weapons systems, including those of
real security than launching preventive attacks the United States.
or further increasing the Pentagon budget. Encourage participation in the Nuclear Non-
Proliferation Treaty. We must encourage all
nations to actively participate in the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty and meet personally
with the leaders of India, Israel, and Pakistan
to request that they sign as non-nuclear
weapons states. The President must also meet
personally with Kim Jong Il to encourage
Nuclear Weapons North Korea to rejoin the community of
nations through reaffirming its participation as
The United States must take the following a non-nuclear weapons state.
steps to promote world peace: Discourage nations from acquiring nuclear
weapons. We must work with the nations of
Lead the way toward the complete elimination North Korea, Iran, Algeria, Sudan, Syria, and
of nuclear weapons from the earth. Our goal others to discourage the acquisition of nuclear
should be a steady movement toward complete weapons capability.
nuclear disarmament. Reinstate the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and
Renounce first-strike policy. We must set aside cancel the Ballistic Missile Defense. We must
127
work with Russian President Vladimir Putin to We cannot hope to end terrorism by killing
reinstate the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The terrorists. Hatred feeds on violence and
treaty prevents both the United States and killing. I understand this and am here to offer
Russia from developing nationwide ABM a more practical approach: to reduce poverty
defense systems and limits employment of worldwide with bold changes in current U.S.
new ABM technologies. Consequently, the policy. NAFTA and the World Trade
ballistic missile defense program must be Organizations have only served to increase
cancelled. global poverty, thus deepening one of the most
Meet all requirements of the Nuclear Non- virulent causes of terrorism. This is why I am
Proliferation Treaty. We must work to ensure calling for immediate cancellation of NAFTA
that the United States leads the world again in and U.S. withdrawal from the WTO. For the
fulfilling all requirements of the treaty. This sake of justice and wellbeing, it is time we
means the United States must negotiate the established bilateral fair trade agreements that
complete elimination of its nuclear arsenal. contain strict provisions for workers' rights,
Commit to greatly expanding inspections. We human rights, and environmental principles.
must work with the 188 signatories of the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and the World opinion, which fuels much of the
International Atomic Energy Agency to terrorism against the United States and threats
greatly expand the use of inspections in all of terrorism, could easily be turned to
nations. America's advantage with less force and more
Lead an international effort to bring terrorists diplomacy, undergirded by an understanding
to justice. The United States must participate that "We share this fragile planet and are our
in a cooperative world effort to track down brother's keeper." This is why I believe it is
terrorists who are seeking to acquire nuclear imperative that we pull our troops out of Iraq,
weapons capability. where we are only worsening the quagmire
and losing more soldiers and innocent
civilians each day, and bring in UN
peacekeepers for a rapid transition to Iraqi
sovereignty. By reaching out and rejoining the
world community, we can wage peace to
simultaneously combat terrorism. The United
States must develop a deep understanding of
the cause-and-effect relationship between
history and acts of terror. America's goodwill
has been misused by previous administrations,
leading to a growing divide between us and
our allies and growing mistrust and hatred for
the United States among the world's most
oppressed populations. There is another path
for this nation; it is up to us to choose it.
Terrorism

The roots of terrorism lie in desperation.


People with no hope resort to acts of
indiscriminate violence. People with futures
don't typically strap on bombs to kill others.
We must all refrain from condoning some acts
of violence as justified while similar actions
by others are dismissed as "terrorism."

128
the "intelligence" obtained by torture that
there were WMDs in Iraq demonstrates that
people who are being tormented will say
anything to make the pain go away. We know
of at least 28 prisoners that were killed during
interrogation during our recent wars. One was
a high-ranking Iraqi officer who, apparently,
was not providing enough "actionable
intelligence" on WMDs. While God may
forgive us for our actions, others nations are
not as generous.

The reality is that the United States has


employed torture and has transported people
to certain torture -- and perhaps death. Torture
is not an American value, and the President's
signing statement reserving the right to torture
is a clear violation of international and U.S.
law that makes all of us -- and especially our
soldiers -- less safe. The dismissal of the
Geneva Convention as "quaint" and the legal
gymnastics performed by this administration
to justify brutalizing another human should
shock all of us.

The failure of Congress to confront the


President over the lawless signing statement is
another disturbing chapter in its failure to
exercise oversight of an "out of control"
administration.

For the head of the C.I.A. to testify in front of


Congress that "water boarding" is a
"professional interrogation technique" is
horrifying. In essence, the American people
are being told that Thomas de Torquemada
and the rest of the Spanish Inquisitors were
not torturers when they used the "aselli," the
water torment; they were merely professional
and forceful questioners. Let us be candid,
Torture water boarding is a war crime. And following
the administration's legal analysis, the Spanish
April 2006 inquisitors were not guilty of torture because
their goal was not to inflict pain, it was merely
How can a President say: "We do not torture" to save souls. The fact that people would
but reserve the right to do so? This type of suffer pain was just an unfortunate by-product
deception and brutality is losing us essential of saving souls.
and necessary friends all over the world. We
are also losing our souls in exchange for an Nothing is more misleading -- or immoral --
imaginary, short-term gain. In fact, some of than the use of the "ticking time bomb"
scenario. Even if such a scenario existed --
129
which has yet to be documented -- does it Treating our servicemen and veterans with
justify wholesale torture and the brutalization anything other than honor is not appropriate
of people we suspect could or might do and must not be tolerated by any U.S.
something in the future? As we have learned, Administration. The families of those in
framing all threats as "imminent" is a service must no longer be ignored, their needs
convenient way to anaesthetize people's no longer neglected. The fact that the families
consciences to agree that the ends do justify of many American soldiers need food stamps
the means. to survive should shame us all. The rights and
welfare of the retired and disabled must no
The America that people around the world longer be an unwanted expense, but instead a
have come to love and admire is being responsibility of gratitude that will be
destroyed by degrees by messianic militarists honorably satisfied.
who believe that torture and force are the tools
God has given them to use. Clearly, if they As an Ohio Congressman, I have proven my
simply employ them to merely save lives, why commitment to the wellbeing of veterans
not employ them to save immortal souls? throughout my career. In the 106th Congress, I
helped to pass the Veterans' Millennium
Torture degrades us as a people. History has Health Care Act, H.R. 2116, which allowed
shown that when torture is employed, for the expansion of veterans' benefits and
interrogators become lazy and brutal, and long term health care benefits. It also
many, many innocent people die or are eliminated the establishment of a framework
destroyed for life. Our humanity is the first for hospital closures that make it easier for the
death in the process. government to close important and necessary
veterans' health facilities.
My reasons for opposing torture are not just
the clear moral prohibition, but a more I support legislation that provides the
practical reason: What would you do if your necessary services to our nation's veterans. I
child was tortured -- especially if they were was a co-sponsor of H.R. 179, the "Keep Our
innocent, as so many tortured people are? Promise to America's Military Retirees Act,"
to restore health care benefits to military
Torture breeds torture and brutality. Torture is retirees with more than 20 years of service.
a slope no American should step onto. More recently, I have also become a co-
sponsor of legislation, H.R. 303, to permit
retired members of the Armed Forces with
over 20 years of service and who have service-
connected disabilities to receive compensation
from the Department.

Something is inherently wrong with the way


the current Administration is treating our
veterans. They have sent troops into battle one
Veterans day, and slashed their benefits the next. The
Administration has made a mockery of the
The men and women who serve the United treatment of our veterans; ignoring their needs
States of America in the armed forces deserve and slashing the Department of Veteran
unyielding support and appreciation from our Affairs budget by 27%. While thousands of
country. On the battlefield, they pledge to men and women stood risking their lives in the
leave no soldier behind; it is our duty to Middle East, the Bush administration cut their
uphold this pledge to them at home. Our combat pay by one-third. Although this
society must again show its respect for those reduction is built into the $87.5 billion
who work for us and protect us. President Bush has just received, Halliburton
130
and Bechtel have not been asked to reduce any
of their enormous profits. The members of the
Guard and Reserve units in Iraq are finding
out that the separation pay they have received
for their families is also being reduced. This is
a shameful dishonor and it must be stopped. It
is time for soldiers and all Americans to
receive not a minimum wage but a true living
wage!

It was wrong to send our troops to Iraq and it


is wrong to keep there them there. But it is
unacceptable to be slashing their benefits!
Every day more of our men and women are
killed and wounded, and the Administration
has no exit plan. For more than a year now, I
have laid out my exit plan to this occupation,
which has turned into a quagmire. My plan to
get the UN into Iraq and the U.S. out will
bring our troops home quickly and increase
American security. We must spend no more
money on war profiteering while veterans lose
their benefits, families live without health
care, and people all over the country lose their
jobs.

The White House has turned its back on the


very people who serve this country, investing
instead in an $87 billion package that will only
lead to more false promises, more money
wasted, and more of our sons' and daughters'
lives lost. It is time for this government to
show some respect for these people by
providing them with the support and benefits
they deserve. It is time to support our troops
by bringing them home now!

While I have strongly opposed this war and


call for an end to the occupation in Iraq, I am
committed to treating its veterans with the
utmost respect and dignity, providing all of the
benefits and support that they need to live
comfortable, successful lives. Citizens who
have risked their lives to serve their country
deserve nothing less.

131
all nuclear weapons.
Our nation must:

Revive the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty.


Sign and enforce the Comprehensive Test Ban
Treaty.
Abandon plans to build a so-called missile
shield.
Prohibit the introduction of weapons into
outer space.
Statement by Dennis Kucinich to Anti-
Landmine Campaign:

Foremost among the reasons I decided to run


for president is my deep and personal
commitment to peace and disarmament. The
worldwide campaign to ban landmines is a
remarkable testament to the power of citizen
action in the struggle for nonviolence. I have
been proud to offer my unwavering support
for those efforts from the very beginning. I
have been a strong supporter of the Mine Ban
Treaty and of its ratification by the United
States. In 2001, I joined with 124 members of
Congress to urge President Bush not to
abandon efforts to ban antipersonnel land
mines. And I have proposed institutionalizing
America's commitment to disarmament by
establishing a cabinet-level Department of
Peace to mediate international conflicts,
coordinate arms control, and promote
nonviolence. To the worldwide movement to
ban landmines, I say: You have my full
support.

Weapons and Non-Proliferation

We must demand that our nation and all


nations:

Abide by the principles of the Nuclear Non-


Proliferation Treaty.
Stop the development of new nuclear
weapons.
Take all nuclear weapons systems off alert.
Persist towards total, worldwide elimination of

132
action policies. And I continue the fight for
diversity and civil rights. Until America is
truly a level playing field, affirmative action
will be essential to achieving those goals.

For the first time since Brown v. Board of


Education, which opened up educational
opportunities for millions of Americans, our
public schools are becoming increasingly
segregated by race. In our cities, indices of
black-white segregation suggest extreme
separation of minorities far beyond the levels
reported in other multi-racial societies such as
Brazil, Canada, Australia, and the UK. In fact,
the only other nation where minority
segregation indices routinely exceed those
reported in the United States was the Union of
South Africa under apartheid.

Segregation in our cities leads to dire


consequences in the educational environment
for minorities. High minority school districts
receive far less in state and local educational
funding than districts that have predominantly
white students.

America's diversity is a strength, not a


weakness, and it is absolutely critical that we
nurture programs that enhance opportunities
for those who have been historically left
behind. To do nothing, to abolish affirmative
action, is to use de jure means to fall back into
the de facto segregation of the past, which
made a mockery of democracy, equality,
liberty and justice - the very values on which
this nation was founded.

Affirmative action is still essential, because a


truly level playing field is still an elusive goal,
not a reality. Today, we must stand united in
our support of affirmative action. Our nation is
Affirmative Action
at a critical junction; the Supreme Court must
not send our nation back into some of the
Affirmative action is necessary, affirmative darkest moments in our history, but instead
action is right, and affirmative action must be lead our nation to a fair and just future.
preserved. I supported the Supreme Court's
decision allowing colleges and universities to
use race and ethnicity as an admission factor.
In Congress, I joined with 110 representatives
to file a friend of the court brief in defense of
the University of Michigan's affirmative
133
A study of the best means by which to make
reparations for slavery
Immediate statehood for the District of
Columbia
Abolition of the racist death penalty
An end to the racist "War on Drugs"
Tougher gun control laws
Creation of affordable housing and a
crackdown on predatory lending
Protection of workers' rights
Universal health coverage
Investment in education
Crime
Our nation's police should be fully capable of
protecting neighborhoods from crime and
drugs while respecting the rights of residents
and communities. I support strengthening
civilian review boards, greater community
policing, and an end to the drug war that has
poisoned relations between cops and
neighborhoods in too many cities. I also
support legislation introduced by my
colleague Rep. John Conyers to deny federal
funds to police departments that continue to
practice racial profiling.

Affirmative Action
Affirmative action is right, it is necessary, and
it must be preserved. I supported the Supreme
Court's decision allowing colleges and
universities to use race and ethnicity as an
admission factor. In Congress, I joined with
110 representatives to file a friend of the court
brief in defense of the University of
Michigan's affirmative action policies. And I
continue the fight for diversity and civil rights.
Until America is truly a level playing field,
affirmative action will be essential to
achieving those goals.

African American Issues Drug War


A safe, free, and just America is undermined,
I grew up in the inner city of Cleveland, where not bolstered, by the costly and ineffective
my family was often the only Caucasian War on Drugs. This misguided policy -- which
family in the neighborhood. People of color emphasizes criminalization over treatment --
have been my friends and allies my entire life. has led to increased violent crime, misdirected
My own views reflect my concern with racial resources of law enforcement and restricted
justice. In summary, I support: Constitutional liberties.

Despite billions spent yearly on the drug war,


addiction is up. Our country must rethink a
134
policy that produces many casualties, but of malnutrition. We should push for the
benefits only the prison-industrial complex. immediate cancellation of all bilateral debts of
Nonviolent drug offenders often receive poor countries as well as cancellation of debts
Draconian sentences, tearing apart families. to the IMF and World Bank.

Racial bias in the enforcement of drug laws is In addition, the economic policies dictated to
pervasive. According to a Human Rights poor countries by the IMF and the World Bank
Watch report based on FBI statistics, blacks -- so-called "structural adjustment programs"
were arrested on drug charges at nearly five -- have devastated Third World economies.
times the rate of whites. Drug use is consistent Last year's food crisis in Malawi, where as
across racial and socioeconomic lines -- yet in many as several thousand died of hunger,
the state of New York, for example, 94% of followed IMF-mandated cutbacks in
incarcerated drug offenders are Latino or agricultural aid to small farmers and food
African-American, mostly from poor subsidies for families. We must end this cruel
communities. betrayal of the world's hungry by working to
end structural adjustment.
Countries in Europe and elsewhere are turning
away from failed policies. They are treating Voting Rights
addiction as a medical problem and are seeing Our election system is in need of serious
significant reductions in crime and violence -- reform. Too many Americans, especially
with fewer young people becoming involved African-Americans, have been intimidated,
with addictive drugs in the first place. In our excluded, and shut out from our democracy. I
country, due to misplaced priorities and support measures such as Election Day as a
resources, only one bed exists for every ten holiday; election-day voter registration;
people who apply for drug treatment. enhanced voting rights enforcement; an end to
Addiction is a medical and moral problem that the racially-biased disenfranchisement of
should be treated by professionals, not felons who have served their time; and full
dumped on the criminal justice system. Congressional representation for residents of
the District of Columbia.
Aid to Africa
It is an outrage that President Bush is In addition, we need comprehensive campaign
proposing to cut core funding for overseas finance reform and Clean Money public
humanitarian aid, while millions in Africa and financing of the public's elections, ample free
worldwide face the threat of hunger and television time for candidates, and the break-
poverty. The United States should fully fund up of the media monopolies that restrict
efforts to improve the lives of the world's poor political debate.
by dramatically increasing our allocations to
international relief organizations such as the
UN World Food Program, whose work saves
countless lives in over 80 countries through
school feeding projects, nutrition programs for
HIV/AIDS sufferers, refugee food relief and
many other vital tasks.

But aid is not enough. Impoverished countries


are being ravaged by debt payments to global
institutions like the International Monetary
Fund and World Bank. $2.5 billion is
transferred every year from Sub-Saharan
Africa to foreign bankers and creditors, while
40% of its population experiences some form
135
3. Trust Funds

4. Economic Development

5. Gaming

6. Energy Development

7. Housing

8. Indian Health Service Funding

9. Education

10. Homeland Security

11. Crime Rates on Indian Land

12. Diabetes

1. Sovereignty
Many people in this country have forgotten
that Native Americans constitute this country's
First Americans, and their tribes our First
Nations. We all need to remember that Indian
tribes are sovereign nations and treaties
between the tribes and the federal government
are treaties between sovereign equals. First
and foremost, we must honor our treaties with
our First Nations.

The current administration should offer all


First Nations an official apology for the past
injustices of the United States of America
toward native peoples. We cannot work
together now and in the future until we
reconcile the past. This healing needs to take
place.
Native Americans
Over time, Congress and the Supreme Court
Comprehensive American Indian Policy have eroded the sovereignty of tribes as
American Indians and Hawaiian and Alaskan nations. I look to Indian leaders to help me
Natives better understand these issues and help me
develop appropriate remedies that will allow
1. Sovereignty tribes to more fully protect tribal lands and
tribal members from erosion of the powers of
2. Government to Government Relations tribal courts. Search and seizure by states on
Indian lands without tribal court approval, and

136
violence against Indian women by non-Indians nations. Banks are not inclined to loan money
are two examples, out of many, that deserve to tribes or private corporations for enterprises
attention and reforms. We need executive on Indian lands.
orders, congressional acts, and court
appointments to erode the encroaching The federal government must take the
authority of states and the federal government initiative to ensure that worthy projects will be
over tribal sovereignty. funded, either by grants or loans, at levels that
will reasonably assure success. Assistance
It is clear to me that since the treaty times, and with economic development, leading to
even since the 1970's when tribal government sustainable self-sufficiency of tribes, must be
and sovereignty was restored, the federal the paramount feature of our federal Indian
government is on a conscious path toward the policy. The President should work with tribal
assimilation of Indian nations into the leaders, through consultation, to identify
dominant society of the colonists. I do not mechanisms to be put into effect that assist
support this policy of incremental destruction tribes with their economic goals. We can work
of Indian tribes in our country. In that spirit, I together to ensure that this becomes reality.
would streamline the recognition process for [back to top]
deserving tribes still seeking federal
recognition. [back to top] 5. Gaming
I see the current process of compacts as
2. Government-to-Government Relations infringing on tribal governments, which are
We need to strengthen the ability of federal sovereign governments. States have too much
agencies to consult with tribal governments, as control over the process and governance of
sovereign nations, whenever rule-making or casinos. The President should work with tribal
other agency activities affect or are of interest leaders to implement an Indian gaming
to tribes. The President should consult with development process that acknowledges the
Indian leaders regularly to ensure that the sovereignty of tribal governments, while also
administration is meeting the needs of respecting the gambling laws of states. [back
American Indians, Alaska Natives, and to top]
Hawaiian Natives. He should honor the
Clinton-era Executive Order requiring federal 6. Energy Development
agencies to develop Indian consultation The Federal government has failed in its
policies and maintain government-to- responsibilities as a guardian of Indian
government relationships with tribes. [back to resources and as a treaty partner; the
top] mismanagement of Indian mineral rights is
appalling. The mineral resources owned by
3. Trust Funds tribes and tribal members are theirs to use as
The trust fund is only as good as the people they deem necessary. By protecting tribal
managing it. I would overhaul the system to sovereignty and the trust fund, tribal
ensure accountability now and in the future. governments will be able to use these
Settlement of the Cobell vs Norton case needs resources free from the injustices of the past.
to be expedited in a manner that brings equity
and justice to all Indian people that have been I would like to emphasize, however, the
wronged in the past by fraudulent accounting legacy of health and environmental problems
on all levels of the bureaucracy. [back to top] from the extraction and production of uranium
and fossil fuels. I am not in favor of building
4. Economic Development more nuclear power plants and more coal fired
I understand that it is difficult to start a power plants at this time. I believe that we
business without first having the right amount should launch a national program to maximize
of capital on hand to succeed. This is why energy conservation and renewable energy
economic development is slow for Indian systems to eliminate the need for these
137
polluting facilities that harm the health of must strengthen funding and capacity of tribal
local people and the environment, and colleges and increase the numbers of tribal
contribute to global warming. The U.S. must colleges, elementary schools, and secondary
ratify the Kyoto Treaty on global warming. schools serving tribes and Indian populations.
Uranium, oil and coal reserves should be held We should also encourage the training of more
in reserve for times of real need; this is not the Indian teachers, through an economic
time. [back to top] incentives program.

7. Housing Education is the only solution proven to


Tribal housing authorities require better reduce poverty levels. This conclusion is
funding levels. Tribal people could receive backed by thousands of national studies.
training for home repairs and receive funding Given the opportunity, virtually all peoples
for helping others. The current system is too embrace education and training as a proven
slow, under funded and under staffed. The path out of poverty. [back to top]
President should work with tribal leaders to
ensure adequate housing for all, with a 10. Homeland Security
program that will instill pride in home Certainly in the border areas, tribes need to be
ownership. [back to top] an integral part of our homeland security
program. Tribal staff and governments should
8. Indian Health Service Funding have equal opportunity to training and
I understand that current data proves that participation within the system, and play an
funding per Indian in the federal health care important role in our security. I think,
system is lower than the funding per patient however, that homeland security is more than
expenditures for federal prisoners; in fact, it is just a border issue. All tribes should be full
half the amount. This injustice must be solved participants in our homeland security system.
by increasing the level of funding above the Tribes should be funded to train and
current substandard level to match the highest participate as federal partners for the
levels in the system. However, infrastructure protection of all Americans. We must ensure
and manpower needs of the Indian Health that tribes are adequately funded and trained
Service needs to be met in order to ensure to serve our nation in this capacity. [back to
better quality and faster service for Indian top]
patients. Funding levels must also ensure that
Indian Health Clinics are able to conduct 11. Crime Rates on Indian Land
research on health trends of their patients and Certainly, funding for tribal law enforcement
make regular reports to the tribes they serve. staff and infrastructure is a very important
element of this problem. We must ensure that
Under my plan for a universal, single-payer funding is adequate to the needs of tribes. On
system of health insurance for all, Native the other hand, this crime rate is, all but
Americans would receive the same high- certainly, symptomatic of poverty, high
quality health care as all Americans. unemployment, low education levels, and
Additionally, I would expect to see a despair. The administration I should work with
significant increase in the number of Native tribes to increase economic development
Americans in the health care field, as my plan opportunities on Indian lands and increase
for free education, from pre-K through funding for education programs.
college, will make it possible for more Native
Americans to become physicians, nurses, and I have also sponsored a bill that will create, for
other health care professionals. [back to top] the first time in our country, a Department of
Peace. This department will not only deal with
9. Education foreign policy initiatives, but will work to
We must provide for free education to all, solve the issues of violence in our streets,
from pre-kindergarten through college. We reservations, and homes. Economic
138
opportunity, education, and family counseling freedom, it has been encroaching on our civil
services, along with law enforcement, will liberties and curtailing our rights here at home.
help solve these problems, in addition to The federal government can and must protect
encouraging local approaches, including tribal Americans from the threat of terrorism
courts and traditional processes. [back to top] without eroding our constitutional liberties.
Today, Arab Americans are especially
12. Diabetes vulnerable to abuses of government power. Yet
It is my understanding that this disease in ultimately all Americans are put at risk when
Indian people may be due, in part at least, to our rights come under attack. We must work to
eating foods of the dominant non-Native preserve our constitutional rights and roll back
culture, rather than eating traditional native the most egregious infringements of our
foods. European grains may be a common individual freedoms.
cause for this disease in our native
populations. The high carbohydrate foods of I support:
the dominant culture may have a more severe
impact on native peoples. Regular Congressional oversight of major law
enforcement programs initiated since 9/11, to
I also understand that traditional cultural determine effectiveness in law enforcement
practices, including subsistence hunting, use and impact on civil liberties. Congress
gathering, and agriculture, are difficult and abdicated its responsibilities by hurriedly
nearly impossible for many on their rubber-stamping the Patriot Act with little
reservations, because of their locations. In scrutiny and almost no debate. I have fought
addition, environmental pollutants threaten the in Congress to ensure that civil liberties are
areas remaining to tribes for the practice of not being trampled, and I will continue that
their culture. fight and push for regular and formal
legislative oversight.
We must work to clean up polluted tribal land Sunset provisions on domestic intelligence
and strengthen pollution standards throughout gathering authorized by the Patriot Act. Many
the country. We should ensure that federal provisions of the Patriot Act relating to
agencies assist tribes with protection of their domestic surveillance had been previously
natural resources. I support hunting and requested by law enforcement and repeatedly
fishing rights on tribal lands and traditional rejected by Congress. Congress must ensure
places for these practices. We should ensure that unconstitutional expansions of federal
that funding programs are in place to help surveillance power do not become permanent
establish Indian-owned farmers' markets, features of our legal landscape.
distributing foods grown by Indians. Beyond Full Congressional hearings on the proposed
this, we need educational programs and Patriot II law. This proposal would drastically
increased funding to the Indian Health Service scale back judicial oversight of law
for the treatment of this and related diseases. enforcement and opens the way for serious
potential abuses of federal power. Peaceful
political and religious activity must not be
subjected to unlawful government spying.
Arab Americans Reports from the Inspector General of the
Justice Department on the impact of anti-
Balancing National Security and Civil terrorism legislation on U.S. citizens and legal
Liberties immigrants.
Elimination of the use of secret detention for
The freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights immigrants and citizens. Such detentions are
are among our most precious legacies as unconstitutional and represent blight on our
Americans. Yet, even as the Bush law enforcement system.
administration wraps itself in the rhetoric of Elimination of the use of secret evidence in
139
cases involving immigrants and citizens. erase the bitterness that still plagues relations
Restoration of full judicial oversight of with the countries of the region. We must
government surveillance programs targeting establish a Department of Peace to help settle
U.S. citizens and legal immigrants. conflicts and advance foreign policies that aim
Elimination of all forms of discriminatory to promote cooperation, not create enemies.
police profiling.
Elimination of requirements for institutions I support:
such as libraries and universities to provide
information to the federal government in non- The vision of two free and fully independent
criminal investigations without the consent of states, Israel and Palestine, living peacefully
the affected party. side by side and enjoying friendly relations
Immigration Rights with the other countries of the region. So far,
the Bush administration has failed to alleviate
The United States has always been a nation of doubts over how sincerely it remains
immigrants; they enrich our culture and committed to this vision. We must work
enliven our heritage. New residents living tirelessly to ensure that Israelis and
lawfully in the United States must not be made Palestinians live free from the threat of
scapegoats. We must work to ensure that violence and to bring an end to the occupation
America will do right by our newcomers. of 1967. Such an effort is not only in the
interests of the people of region but is also in
I support: the interests of the American people.
Direct negotiation by Israelis and Palestinians
Restoring the 245(i) visa exemption that to determine the final statues of Jerusalem. In
allows legal immigrants to renew their current order to achieve peace in the region, the final
visa without departing from the U.S. status of Jerusalem must be negotiated
Annual reports to Congress on the impact of peacefully between the two parties. Both sides
visa policies on tourism, international must refrain from unilateral actions that would
students, and visitors for business, tourism, prejudice the outcome of those negotiations.
and medical treatment by region and sector. Efforts to make the Middle East a region free
Allocating sufficient resources to consular of weapons of mass destruction. The George
offices overseas and relevant federal agencies H.W. Bush administration supported that goal
to fully implement visa screening, registration, when it voted for UN Security Council
and review procedures in a timely manner. resolution 687 in 1991. Yet little progress has
Eliminating discriminatory exclusion policies been made in the intervening years. All
targeting individuals of Middle Eastern countries of the region should work with the
descent. United States, the UN and its partners towards
Allocating sufficient resources to federal eliminating these weapons from the region.
agencies to reduce the citizenship Close work between the U.S. and the United
naturalization backlog that is now more than Nations and other international organizations
two years' duration. to resolve the humanitarian and development
Devoting needed resources to the "refugee and challenges in Iraq and Palestine.
asylum" programs to eliminate backlogs, Working with activists and civic organizations
expedite security clearances, and reunite fighting for human rights, democracy, and
families. greater freedom in the Middle East. We must
U.S. Interests in the Middle East challenge oppressive governments and stand
up for peaceful progressive change in the
The United States must work closely with the region.
Arab countries as well as Israel to promote Continued opposition to the expansion of
peace, strengthen ties, and achieve greater Israeli settlements in occupied territories.
freedom and human rights for all. Perpetual Strengthening bilateral relations with all
war and poisonous rhetoric will not help us governments in the Middle East, while
140
supporting the efforts of those in the region American foreign policy towards Ireland
who are striving to achieve democracy, human represents an opportunity to positively impact
rights, and greater freedom for their citizens. the international peace process, and I support
the highest level of involvement in the
negotiations of the Irish Peace Process. We
should consider all options for the most
effective placement of this responsibility to
determine whether it belongs in the hands of
the National Security Council or elsewhere
within the structure of the U.S. government. I
recommend sending a special envoy of
representatives to Ireland as needed to ensure
the full implementation of the Good Friday
Agreement, which I believe represents a
valuable opportunity for peace after many
years of violent conflict.

I strongly support efforts to increase human


rights and to punish those individuals and
governments that systematically violate these
rights. The work of independent organizations
such as Human Rights Watch contributes
greatly to the international community's
understanding of these violations, which occur
all too frequently. We must continue efforts to
identify and punish offenders wherever
possible.

I am aware that the utilization of federal


agencies and their employees to enforce
statutes and regulations is a key issue facing
Irish Americans today. The U.S. government
has already designated federal agencies to
ensure that recipients of U.S. funds are in
compliance with fair employment standards
and that officers trained by the U.S. military
have not committed human rights violations. I
continue to support these agencies in their
efforts to enforce the laws of the U.S.

Finally, it would be my honor and pleasure to


visit Ireland as part of a diplomatic envoy.
Irish-Americans This is the best and most effective way to truly
understand the issues and concerns of Irish
Achieving peace and justice in Ireland is an Americans so as to better meet their needs in
important step towards the resolution of the the United States.
regional conflicts which persist in today's
world community. I stand in full support of the To the millions of Irish Americans seeking
Irish peace process and of their returned lasting peace for their native region, I say, you
devolution. have my full support.

141
belief that no person should be discriminated
against for any reason, anytime.

America's diversity is its strength, not a


weakness, and it is absolutely critical that we
nurture programs such as affirmative action
that enhance opportunities for those who have
been historically left behind. To do nothing, to
abolish affirmative action, is to use de jure
means to fall back into the de facto
segregation of the past, which made a
mockery of democracy, equality, liberty, and
justice -- the very values on which this nation
was founded.

In our cities, indices of black-white


segregation suggest extreme separation of
minorities far beyond the levels reported in
other multi-racial societies, such as Brazil,
Canada, Australia, and the UK. In fact, the
only other nation where minority segregation
indices routinely exceed those reported in the
United States was the Union of South Africa
under apartheid. Segregation in our cities
leads to dire consequences in the educational
environment for minorities. High-minority
school districts receive far less in state and
local educational funding than districts that are
predominantly white.

It is time to face the fact that institutional


racism still exists and must be treated with
education -- and legal enforcement. Police
departments that consistently engage in racial
profiling must be subject to federal penalties.
"Driving while black" is an all too common
"crime" in America. The President should sign
an executive order ending all forms of racial
profiling.

A recent survey indicates that 75% of all


African Americans and other ethnic minorities
Racial Discrimination serving in the U.S. military have experienced
racially offensive behavior while in uniform.
The first key to overcoming institutional
racism in the military is to truly integrate the
I proudly endorse a comprehensive non- armed forces -- meaning, of course, the officer
discrimination policy, including non- corps. This can only be done with an even
discrimination based on race. It is my strict more vigorous affirmative action program. It
must be stated that the military has made far
greater strides than much of America.
142
We need federal legislation to prosecute hate condition of compassion and inherent respect.
crimes, which tend to be the most violent form Through elevating the cause of every creature,
of crime in American society. The signing of we elevate our own humanity.
federal hate crime legislation will send a
message of unity through our nation. America We lift up the cause of humanity by reaching
will not tolerate any citizen's human rights out and connecting with all things living. It is
being denied. our sense of interconnection with all living
things that brings us to respect the rights of
Also See: animals; to understand that animals are not to
be "lower than"; that animals should not have
Drug War less of a claim to existence, less of a claim to
Death Penalty the possibility of survival, less of a claim to
Affirmative Action dignity.
Arab Americans
Honoring the Life and Accomplishments of Every one of us knows a story of animal
Coretta Scott King cruelty; every one of us knows how in one
In Honor and Recognition of Civil Rights way or another official policies have
Activist Rosa Parks sanctioned cruelty to animals. I am working to
put compassion into action in our policies with
respect to animals in this country and to have
America set a higher standard, not only for
this country, but for the world; to make sure
that all of God's creatures, that all animals are
given a chance to have dignity in our society
and are given a chance to experience the
appreciation they should have as living beings.

I would include advocacy of animal rights in


the Department of Peace, which I have already
proposed to Congress. This cabinet-level
department would work with, and offer an
alternative to, the Defense Department. There
have been numerous studies that have
suggested a link between animal cruelty and
domestic violence. The Department of Peace
would not only seek to resolve international
conflicts with nonviolent means, but also seek
to instill a peaceful paradigm into the hearts of
all the people of the world, so that one day
war will be an archaic relic of a time that has
passed.

Animal Rights My farm policy favors independent and


family-owned farms. I support a national ban
As a necessary component of the living world, on packer ownership of livestock, and
we must extend compassion to one another numerous new incentives for farmers to
and to every living thing. Our mission as convert to sustainable and organic farming and
human beings can truly be to elevate this ranching techniques. The vision of the meat
world from a condition of suffering and that we consume coming from happy and
cruelty to the planet's creatures, and towards a healthy free-range animals can become more
of a reality, as opposed to the inhumane
143
conditions that the often mutated chickens and General has been handed unfettered power to
cows and pigs are forced to sustain in our wiretap, search, jail, and invade our most
current system. sacred right to privacy. The government must
not be allowed, without probable cause or
As a member of Congress, I have cosponsored warrant, to snoop on our communications,
every piece of major animal protection medical records, library records, and student
legislation. In addition, I hold the distinction records.
of being the only vegan in Congress. I made
this lifestyle change many years ago, because I The recent disclosures of the President's
consider all life on our Earth to be sacred. As a refusal to follow the FISA law should worry
vegan, I choose not to eat any animals or all Americans concerned with the dangers
animal products. I strive to live my life in posed by a too-powerful executive. We elect
accordance with my convictions, and any Presidents, not kings, and no president is
other choice of diet would defy my ideals and, above a clearly written law expressly curbing
in my judgment, be hypocritical. his powers.

Far more worrisome, however, is the lap dog


Congress that we currently have -- something
even Republican Congress people are
sheepishly admitting. For example, only eight
members of Congress have been told
ANYTHING about the FISA violations and
they are sworn to secrecy. However, when
they are asked if they have been told much,
several have acknowledged that they have
been pretty much left in the dark.

That is not a Republic in action. No people


should be frightened into giving up their
precious rights. Recent refusals by the
Attorney General to disclose whether similar
programs are being used against purely
domestic communications should send a chill
down all our spines.

The time to stop the erosion of our rights is


now. All elected officials want terrorists to be
listened to and caught. Does anyone seriously
believe that terrorists feel they can talk freely
on the phone? The misleading and duplicitous
response that the government can't talk about
its secret programs even in secret sessions of
Civil Liberties Congress is, frankly, ludicrous.

April 2006

The "Patriot Act" is not what American


patriots have fought and died for. To allow our
Bill of Rights to be nullified without judicial
supervision invites tyranny. The Attorney

144
help in Congress. I ran in the DC primary and
stand in unwavering support of DC statehood.

The majority of Americans may not be aware


that the citizens of Washington DC are
currently disenfranchised and largely ignored,
because they lack statehood. There are nearly
600,000 taxpaying citizens in the District of
Columbia who have no federal voting
representation in Congress. Despite the fact
that DC residents have fought and died in
every war since the War for Independence,
and including the recent "Operation Iraqi
Freedom," they do not return home to a
democratic society with the same rights and
privileges as all other Americans who served
their country.

We need to fully restore DC to financial


health. We must provide for increased
infrastructure, jobs, education, and health care
spending. I have a broad-based plan to
promote this. DC residents pay enough
annually in federal taxes to support a state. In
fact, they pay more federal taxes than several
states and have a per capita tax payment that is
above the national average. Because it belongs
to the federal government, approximately 50%
of DC's real estate is exempt from taxation.
Over half of all sales in DC are to the federal
government or other tax-exempt
organizations, and this produces no revenue to
the DC government.

It is time DC residents had statehood and the


same rights as all Americans. This can be
achieved specifically through the following
steps:

Create local authority within the District over


our three branches of government: legislative,
executive, and judicial.
DC Statehood Eliminate all federal government committees
and/or subcommittees that have oversight or
As someone who works in the District of appropriation power over the DC government.
Columbia, and as a member of the Provide complete and equal voting
Government Reform Committee, I have a representation in the United States Congress.
close relationship to the District and a special Achieve equality through statehood.
obligation to the people of the District. I've As Sam Smith wrote in his article, The Case
been there whenever the District has needed for DC Statehood, "Our right is entire

145
membership in the United State of America as As an example of commitment to these
the 51st state. Let us seek nothing less." principles, in 2004 I delayed campaigning to
stay at my post on Capitol Hill, fighting
Bush's proposal to block-grant Medicaid -- a
proposal that would have reduced support for
the community-based services on which many
Americans with disabilities depend. I have
strongly supported such services in my Ohio
district, as when I helped save the Tremont
Neighborhood Opportunity Center in
Cleveland from closure.

In Congress, I have fought for full financing


of the shamefully under-funded Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which
requires the federal government to provide
40% of the extra cost of educating students
with special needs. In the 107th Congress
(2001-2002), I co-sponsored several bills with
this objective. Most recently in the 108th
Congress, I was an original co-sponsor of H.R.
2107, the Keep Our Pact Act, which required
the full financing of the IDEA.

I have supported the Rehabilitation Act, which


helps provide job training for people with
disabilities; the Blind Empowerment Act of
2001, which increases disability insurance for
blind individuals; and the National Health
Insurance Act, which would provide
affordable, comprehensive health care to all.

We need equal-rights oriented judges who


interpret the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA) broadly. We need an amendment to the
ADA to ensure the coverage that was
originally intended prior to restrictive rulings
by Republican-appointed judges. The Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission needs
increased resources, as do the civil rights
divisions in the Departments of Justice,
Education, and Health and Human Services, to
enforce the rights of people with disabilities.
Disability Rights
I support community-based services, home
I am a longtime supporter of people with care, and adequate resources for families with
disabilities and their struggle for equal rights. I children with severe disabilities. My plan for
believe all of our people should be able to universal health coverage will make it possible
participate in all avenues of American life. for these goals to become a reality (see
Universal Health Care).

146
I believe our long-term service system must forces, and study at universities, the Bush
change. Recently, I became a co-sponsor of administration has waged an assault on
MiCASSA, the Medicaid Community-based immigrant's rights. Undocumented workers
Services and Supports Act of 2001, to give have been left in legal limbo, while local
people real choice in long-term care options. police forces have been pressured against their
This act aims to reform Medicaid and end the will to hunt down undocumented workers,
institutional bias, while allowing individuals which jeopardizes their relationships with
who are eligible for Nursing Facility Services immigrant communities. Thousands of
or Intermediate Care Facility Services for the immigrants have been detained in secret,
Mentally Retarded Services (ICF-MR) the denied due process, and deported.
opportunity to choose MiCASSA as an
alternative. The money will follow the In the economic sphere, undocumented
individual. workers have become convenient scapegoats.
Yet the reality, as shown in study after study,
is that they pay more in taxes than they
receive in government services.

Welcoming immigrants to our shores is one of


our country's vital traditions -- the heart and
soul of the American dream. In Congress, I
have co-sponsored a number of bills to help
immigrants, including the Family Unity
Legalization Act, which allows those who
have been in the country for over five years to
legalize their status. Among other legislation
in this area, I have co-sponsored a bill
supportive of refugees from Columbia and
Peru and a bill helping nationals from El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Haiti to
become permanent residents.

We need to honor this welcoming legacy by


legalizing the status of hard-working, tax-
paying undocumented workers in the U.S. It
would clear out the backlog in the
naturalization process so that those who are
eligible to become citizens can do so without
endless delays. It would offer immigrants a
clear road map to citizenship, so that they can
become fully participating members of our
communities. And it would work with our
partners in Mexico to normalize the flow of
immigrants by forging an agreement on
migration.
Immigrants' Rights
I am a strong supporter of the USA Family Act
Our country is a nation of immigrants. They (HR 440). It offers immigrants a clear road
have enriched our heritage and enlivened our map to legal status in the United States.
culture. As millions of newcomers continue to Among other changes, it grants legal
work hard, raise families, serve in our armed permanent residence to immigrants who have
been living in the U.S. for five or more years.
147
It offers conditional legal status and work immigration laws. These proposals include
authorization to all law-abiding immigrants efforts to legalize some undocumented
living in the United States for less than five workers in the United States and to institute
years. And it revokes current laws that bar temporary worker programs.
certain people who live abroad from re-
entering the U.S. for a period of three to 10 Are there programs you specifically favor or
years. oppose?

We cannot continue with a system in which "I am a strong supporter of the USA Family
millions of workers and their families live in Act (HR 440), which was recently introduced
fear and are subject to economic exploitation. by my colleague Rep. Luis Gutierrez, chair of
There is no place in our country for second- the Hispanic Caucus's immigration task force.
class status. It is time to restore respect for the The goal of the bill is simple: It offers
rights and contributions of immigrants. immigrants a clear road map to legal status in
the United States. It grants legal permanent
Questions and Answers: residence to immigrants who have been living
in the U.S. for five or more years. It offers
In general, do you agree with the Supreme conditional legal status and work authorization
Court's decision to allow higher education to all law-abiding immigrants living in the
institutions to use race and ethnicity as a United States for less than five years. In
decision factor in student admissions? addition, the bill revokes current laws that bar
certain people who live abroad from re-
"Yes. Affirmative action is right, it is entering the U.S. for a period of three to 10
necessary, and it must be preserved. I years, as well as portions of the law that place
supported the Supreme Court's decision immigrants at risk of deportation for having
allowing colleges and universities to use race committed minor, nonviolent offenses in the
and ethnicity as an admission factor. In past. I support this bill because I believe we
Congress, I joined with 110 representatives to cannot continue with a system in which
file a friend of the court brief in defense of the millions of workers and their families live in
University of Michigan's affirmative action fear and are subject to economic exploitation.
policies. And I continue to fight for diversity There is no place in our country for second-
and civil rights. Until America is truly a level class status."
playing field, affirmative action will be
essential to achieving those goals." Do you feel bilingual education is a pedagogy
that should be used more broadly or less
Would you favor the use of the National extensively in the public school system?
Guard or other military personnel to assist in
securing U.S. borders? "I believe bilingual education is a valuable
tool to help immigrants and other students
"I oppose giving the Department of Defense with limited English proficiency. I support full
control over border security. In our federal funding of state and local bilingual
democracy, it is critical that we preserve the education programs."
distinction between our armed forces and
domestic law enforcement. Also, I am Do you believe children of undocumented
concerned about the threat of vigilantes immigrants should be allowed to pay in-state
intimidating or attacking individuals at the tuition to attend college in states where they
border. Border security is a job for state and have lived for several years and should have
local authorities, not soldiers or vigilantes." the opportunity to obtain immigration relief?

Members of Congress in both parties have "Yes. Obtaining high-quality education is a


introduced proposals to reframe our nation's top goal for many of America's newcomers
148
and they should receive all the help they can saying goes, an injury to one is an injury to
get. Offering in-state tuition levels for all. I welcome the AFL-CIO's call to end
immigrant students is a good first step. But employer penalties and I have joined with
even in-state tuition is unaffordable for many advocates for immigrants and people of color
families. The federal government should fully in urging that they be eliminated."
fund efforts to bring down the cost of higher
education and expand America's commitment
to public education."

Do you feel that federal protection related to


employment discrimination should be
expanded, left as it is, or reduced because it is
too cumbersome for employers?

"Federal anti-discrimination protection is a


critical tool for promoting equality and justice
in the workplace. I believe these laws must be
preserved and, where they are insufficient,
expanded to ensure that people of color have
equal opportunities in the job market."

Do you believe that the Department of


Homeland Security can still do its job of
protecting the homeland while protecting the
rights of immigrants, Hispanics, and other
persons of color?

"Absolutely. It's time Congress finally passed


the End Racial Profiling Act, which was
introduced by my colleague Rep. John
Conyers of Michigan. This bill would require
all federal, state and local agencies, including
the Department of Homeland Security, to take
steps to end racial profiling, and it would deny
federal funds to law enforcement agencies that
failed to do so. Unfortunately, the Republican-
controlled congress has repeatedly failed to act
on this bill. I continue to fight hard for it.
Discrimination and harassment of immigrants
and people of color must not be tolerated."

Do you support greater enforcement or stricter


penalties in regards to current law that
punishes employers who knowingly hire
undocumented immigrants?

"No. Sanctions on employers of


undocumented workers have failed. Our
immigration laws have allowed employers to
exploit immigrant workers and thus have
denied labor rights to all who work. As the
149
race, color, creed, sexual orientation or gender
identity or expression. For that reason I
support the right of gay, lesbian, bisexual and
transgendered persons to have the full
protections and rights afforded under civil law
including the right to marry the person of their
choice.

There are times, after decades of struggle and


perseverance in the name of equal protection,
justice, and civil liberty, when a single event
becomes a proud and shining moment in the
history of everything we stand for and cherish
as a nation.

In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S.


Constitution extended the precious and
powerful right to vote to women. In 1954, the
U.S. Supreme Court struck down the principle
of "separate but equal" that had denied
education opportunities to millions of children
because of the color of their skin. Ten years
later, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 ended
generations of discrimination based on race,
color, religion, or national origin. Only a year
later, Congress enacted and the President
signed an historic Voting Rights Act that
expanded non-discrimination at the ballot box.

On May 17th, 2004, the 50th anniversary of


the decision in Brown vs. the Board of
Education that declared "separate" is not
"equal," the people of the state of
Massachusetts became a part of another such
moment in history when the legally
empowered and legally protected right of civil
marriage is finally extended to all citizens,
regardless of gender. The decision by the
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to
recognize and uphold this civil right is a
victory not just for gay and lesbian citizens
who have been denied their civil rights and
relegated to second-class status. It is a victory
for all Americans who believe, as I do, that the
promise of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill
of Rights should be upheld for everyone.
LGBTQ Rights
As welcome as this moment is, it is only one
I believe that equality of opportunity should step in the struggle to achieve freedom of
be afforded to all Americans regardless of choice and equal protection under the law for
all citizens across the nation.
150
In Massachusetts, the law will now extend across the United States, the challenges will
legal benefits, protections, and obligations of most certainly become even more daunting.
civil marriage to same-sex couples: family As much as we wish we could, without
leave, health care and visitation, retirement qualification, celebrate this historic moment in
and survivor benefits, property rights, and Massachusetts, we cannot, for a moment,
scores of others. The laws of Massachusetts believe that the struggle for civil liberties,
will now apply equally to all loving and equal protection, and justice are over. That
committed partners who enter into a civil moment is not yet here. Nor will it be here
marriage. unless we stand together, ever strong, ever
vigilant, and never tiring.
What those laws do not do, and what they
cannot do, is extend the comparable federal Our message must remain strong, and it must
protections and rights to those same partners. be voiced and repeated and echoed in every
That is the next step -- a giant step that many city, every state, and every chamber where the
of the political "leaders" in our nation have not future of our nation is being decided. I have
shown the courage to take. been taking that message with me all across
this great country, as well as to the Platform
I firmly believe that this nation must take a Committee of the Democratic Party and to the
new direction: away from war and toward floor of the Democratic Convention in Boston
peace; away from convoluted schemes that in July of 2004. I ask you now, as someone
promise expanded health care for all who has advocated, supported, and defended
Americans but deliver only a fraction; away the equal rights to which you are entitled, to
from trade policies that rob our nation of jobs; add your voices to mine and become part of a
away from fear-inspired laws that deny basic campaign for change that did not end in 2004,
Constitutional rights and lead to oppression nor even in 2006.
and abuse. And, importantly, away from
policies that discriminate against targeted It will not end until peace, economic and
groups of citizens because their lifestyles are social justice, health care for all Americans,
"different." and Constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and
protections are afforded equally to all citizens.
Regrettably, the America of which I dream and
to which I and the many who stand with me
have committed ourselves, is not the same
America that the Republican Administration
or the Democratic Party are campaigning to
realize. The Republican Administration is
promoting a Constitutional Amendment that
would deny Americans the rights that the state
of Massachusetts has granted. The leadership
of the Democratic Party is content to advocate
a state-by-state approach to the issue of same-
sex marriages, cloaking its lack of resolve
with the words "civil unions." On this issue, as
on every other, the mainstream political
leadership of our nation finds political
expediency and political popularity preferable
to political courage.

As the fight to preserve newfound civil


liberties in Massachusetts continues, and the
effort grows to expand those liberties all
151
voted against it, and I introduced legislation
for its repeal. From traveling across America,
it's unmistakably clear to me that there is an
almost universal rejection of the PATRIOT
Act.

Just 45 days after the September 11, 2001


attacks, President Bush rammed the
"PATRIOT Act" through Congress with
virtually no debate. This law poses an
unprecedented threat to Americans' individual
freedoms and is a violation of our civil
liberties. Many provisions of the act had been
long sought after by law enforcement and
repeatedly rejected by Congress in the past.

Without a warrant or probable cause, the FBI


can now search your private medical records
or access your library records. Your doctor or
local library is forbidden from notifying you
when these searches take place. The
government may search your home while you
are away and in some cases even confiscate
your property. Judicial oversight of these
measures is virtually nonexistent. These are
only a few of the PATRIOT Act's provisions
that compromise our civil liberties.

I believe the only way to stop these


unconstitutional infringements on basic
American freedoms is to revoke the exorbitant
powers the PATRIOT Act has granted the
government. I voted against the PATRIOT Act.
I am working to repeal it.

Along with 20 other members of Congress, I


have introduced the Benjamin Franklin True
Patriot Act, which would repeal several major
sections of the law. It would eliminate the
PATRIOT Act's subjective search-and-seizure
provision, unwarranted incarcerations, and the
authority of federal officials to search our
private records without probable cause. The
act would restore the fundamental right of
Patriot Act attorney-client privilege, revoke various
Department of Justice secrecy orders, and
It's time for our Party to show some backbone. repeal provisions harmful to the rights of
It's time to stand for the repeal of the immigrants. In addition, it would restore
PATRIOT Act. As a member of the U.S. transparency to Department of Justice and
House of Representatives, I spoke against it, I Department of Homeland Security

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administrative procedures by revoking Why have a Republican House and Senate
Freedom of Information Act secrecy orders. never even offered one vote proposing a
Constitutional Amendment banning abortion?
Benjamin Franklin said: "Those who would If the issue were truly important to them as
give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little anything but a wedge issue, they would have.
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor The truth is that Republicans have hidden
Safety." In eroding our civil liberties, from an honest up or down vote on abortion
President Bush has taken our freedom while and will never allow one to take place in the
making us no safer, no better protected against Congress. Instead, they will continue fooling
terrorism. The "PATRIOT Act" is not what well-intentioned voters who feel strongly
American patriots fought and died for. As about abortion that they "feel their pain,"
Americans, we cannot allow fear and scare- when clearly they do not. Even if the Supreme
mongering to lead us to a place where we Court were to do the unlikely and return
abandon our most precious traditions. abortion to the states, it would merely mean
that the rich could travel to blue states for
abortion, while the poor would have less
access to terminating their pregnancies.

The fact is that most Americans, including


myself, are uncomfortable with abortions and
feel there are too many of them. At the same
time, the vast majority of Americans recognize
that there are circumstances in which a woman
and her doctor should be allowed to make this
most difficult decision without government
intervention. To return to the days when
woman could self-abort without penalty, but to
imprison doctors who would help them, seems
senseless, especially recognizing that a new
abortion law would likely become known as
"The Abortions for the Rich-Only Bill."

I have a plan to reduce abortions by


encouraging family planning, including
abstinence training, combined with a full
economic and health care plan that would
clearly alleviate the number of abortions.
Voters have a choice: Choose Republican
rhetoric that will never allow the issue to come
to a vote or a real plan to reduce the number of
abortions with a program of economic justice.
Factually, all the Republican rhetoric and
phony issues surrounding abortion have never
directly addressed the legality of abortion and
have had no or negilible impact on the number
Reproductive Rights of abortions.

April 2006

153
African Americans, have been intimidated,
excluded, and shut out from our democracy. I
support measures such as Election Day as a
holiday, election-day voter registration,
enhanced voting rights enforcement, an end to
the racially biased disenfranchisement of
felons who have served their time, and full
Congressional representation for residents of
the District of Columbia.

We cannot continue to punish former felons


after they have paid their debt to society. To
do so, perpetuates the racism of the
Reconstruction. Over a million black males
have unjustly been deprived of their right to
vote. The national media's collective silence
on the intentional purging of a
disproportionate number of black voters in
Florida in 2000 is living proof that the race
card is alive and well in the Republican party.

In addition, we need comprehensive campaign


finance reform and Clean Money public
financing of the public's elections, ample free
television time for candidates, and the break-
up of the media monopolies that restrict
political debate.

Other measures I support:

Instant Runoff Voting (IRV)


Comprehensive campaign finance reform and
Clean Money public financing of the public's
elections
Ample free television time for candidates,
coupled with the break-up of the media
monopolies that restrict political debate
Election Day as a holiday
Election Day voter registration
Enhanced voting rights enforcement
An end to the racially-biased
disenfranchisement of felons who have served
their time
Full Congressional representation for residents
of the District of Columbia
Cross-party endorsement or "fusion"
Voting Rights An inclusive debate process that does not
exclude credible third-party candidates
Our election system is in need of serious Expansion of elections, using full
reform. Too many Americans, especially (proportional) representation, which assures
more accurate and broader representation than
154
winner-take-all elections All water shall be considered to be forever in
Related Issues: the public domain.
It shall be the duty of each nation to provide
Campaign Reform and IRV accessible, affordable drinking water to its
Campaign Finance peoples.
DC Statehood There shall be public ownership of drinking
Floor Statements, 109th Congress: water systems, subject to municipal control.
Wealthy nations shall provide poor nations
Go to Paper Ballots with the means to obtain water for survival.
Water shall be protected from
commoditization and exempted from all trade
agreements.
Water privatization shall not be a condition of
debt restructuring, loan renewal or loan
forgiveness.
Governments shall use their powers to prevent
private aggregation of water rights.
Water shall be conserved through sustainable
agriculture and encouraging plant-based diets.
Water resources shall be protected from
pollution.
Our children should be educated about the
essential nature of water for maintaining life.

Water as a Human Right

Ten Principles

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