Marian Wright Edelman: McCain's Budget Freeze Would Leave Millions in the Cold

[bigtree]

September 26, 2008 | 11:33 PM (EST)


Will Our Children Fare Better than Us?

This debate underscored the central question that each of us must ask ourselves before choosing our next president: Will our children and our children's children fare better than us?

Since 2001, we have spent hundreds of billions on two wars, and that doesn't even take into account anticipated further spending requests throughout the next few years to sustain these wars. Yet tonight, Senator McCain called for a federal budget freeze that would literally leave millions of children and families out in the cold.

In America today 13 million children are living in poverty and nearly 9 million are living without health coverage. I fear that these upside-down political priorities will be our nation's Achilles heel in our ability to compete in a global economy. If our next leader is willing to continue to spend billions on the wars but refuses to adequately fund programs designed to protect America's most vulnerable, what does that say about our nation's moral compass?


http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/09/the_mississippi_debate_first_t.html

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

1. Are there no poor houses?

Have not the work houses shut down?

John McCain

[4lbs]

2. Simple. McCain will just allow those millions to live in his many mansions and cars.

problem solved.

;)

:D

[bigtree]

5. cake

[redhatgirl]

3. Kick

[bigtree]

4. kick

:kick:

welcome to du, redhatgirl . . .

[bigtree]

6. I just drop this other view on this in this ignored thread, instead of starting another

poverty doesn't seem to be flashy enough, I suppose, to rate much attention here, but . . .


from the NEA:

McCain Proposed Spending Freeze Would Leave Millions of America's Students in the Cold

NEA President reacts to presidential debate

WASHINGTON, Sept. 27 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senators John McCain and Barack Obama squared off last night in Mississippi for the first presidential debate. During one segment, the candidates were asked about which priorities they would adjust if elected president in hopes of improving the current economic crisis.

The following can be attributed to NEA President Dennis Van Roekel:

"In the midst of the worst economic crisis America has faced since the
Great Depression, Sen. John McCain tonight showed that he still does not
understand the needs of working Americans. He still fails to grasp the
direct link between a 21st century education system and a robust economy.
McCain also showed he cannot relate to educators because he is still
proposing a spending freeze, effectively creating a No Child Left Behind
funding gap of $15 billion and putting a crunch on millions of special
education students, low-income students, children living in poverty and the
hiring of future teachers.

"Sen. Obama, on the other hand, understands that all roads to economic
security and prosperity go through our public schools. That is why he
insists education remain a priority. Obama's plan calls for making college
both accessible and affordable, emphasizing math and science to keep
America competitive in a changing global economy, and doubling the
investment in early childhood education."

http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-27-2008/0004893468&EDATE=