I GREW UP in a small, rural town, and my parents didn't have a lot of money. My mother worked at the post office and my father earned his living in a textile mill. They worked hard to provide a better life for their children, and they taught me to believe that somebody from a little town in North Carolina could do just about anything if he worked hard and played by the rules.
I am running for president to make sure that every child can have the same opportunities in life that I've had. That's the great promise of America - no matter the circumstances you were born into, if you work hard and do what's right, you'll be able to build a better life for yourself and your family.
But today, the promise of America is being threatened by lobbyists and their corporate clients who have taken over our government and sold out the middle class. Middle-class incomes have stagnated for the past seven years, and families across the country are working harder than ever but are still struggling to cover the rising costs of healthcare, education, and transportation. The truth is that our economy is only growing at the top.
How long will we let big corporations and special interests dictate the direction of our country, while middle-class Americans suffer? America needs a president who will take on these powers and fight to reclaim our country. That's why I have proposed a four-part Middle Class Rising agenda to make sure that all Americans have a fair shot at the American dream.
The first thing we need to do is create more jobs and make sure those jobs pay enough for people to get ahead. As president, I will end the failed NAFTA trade model and pursue a trade policy that ends tax loopholes for companies that send American jobs overseas. I will also invest in renewable sources of energy to create new industries and good-paying jobs. I will make sure work pays by raising the minimum wage to $9.50 an hour, and I will build career ladders to help low-wage workers move into better jobs. I will put the government back on the side of working people by strengthening organized labor. And finally, I will reform our tax code to make sure that the people who need tax breaks - our middle-class families - are the ones getting them.
The second thing we need to do is give families the tools to build a secure financial future. In today's economy, people cannot rely on their employers for their long-term retirement security, so as president I will create Universal Retirement Accounts that can be taken from job to job. To respond to the mortgage crisis, I will pass a tough new national law to prevent predatory lending abuses, and I will rein in credit card and other abusive lending practices by creating a new consumer watchdog agency.
The third thing we need to do is remove the burdens that weigh families down. We need to help people balance their work and home lives by making sure that workplace policies keep up with changes in the economy. As president, I will expand early-education programs, provide paid leave and sick leave to all workers, and expand job protection under the Family and Medical Leave Act. I will also expand opportunities to attend college through my "College for Everyone" program.
The fourth thing we need to do is create universal healthcare in America. Not only are healthcare costs putting a huge strain on American families and our competitiveness in the global economy, but our broken healthcare system that leaves 47 million Americans without healthcare is also a moral disgrace. I have proposed a healthcare plan that calls for shared responsibility among people, businesses, and the government, and will ensure that every man, woman, and child in America has access to affordable, quality coverage.
Our country faces huge challenges. But the great thing about the American people is that they have the strength and courage to rise up and bring about the change our country needs - just as they have over and over again in our nation's history. I know if we rise to the challenge - together - we can restore the promise of America and meet the great moral test of our generation: to ensure we leave America better than we found it.
John Edwards is a Democratic candidate for president.
