John Kerry: Children Are the Most Tragic Victims of Government’s Indifference
October 20th, 2005
This morning I posted a media alert that John Kerry was delivering the keynote address at a conference on “Keeping the Promise to At-Risk Youth” today in Washington, D.C. The Democratic Daily has obtained a copy of the text of his speech today.
On a personal note, as a single mother/only parent, I know full well the struggles of raising a child in today’s world. I have experienced many of the concerns described today in this speech. Parents of low to moderate income struggle daily with providing for their children’s needs, as the current administration continues to make cuts to the budget for fundamental basics like education and healthcare, more and more children are suffering. It’s tragic, it’s heartbreaking and it’s wrongminded.
It’s time for the grassroots to make a stand and fight for the children of America.
Remarks by Senator John Kerry - As prepared.
October 20, 2005 - Children United Nations, Washington, DC
Today, you’re hearing from a banner list of speakers. No doubt you’re hearing all the right things. But the truth is this kind of talk is nothing new.
Politicians are talented when it comes to telling an audience what they came to hear, but that doesn’t mean anything happens when it’s time to pass the budget. Year after year, challenges faced by our children are ignored – and nothing is going to change until grassroots pressure forces this town to make fundamentally different choices – putting our most urgent challenges, and those least fortunate – ahead of the wealthy, powerful and connected.
In recent months America has felt the full force of the failure to heed warning signs of impending or potential disaster. We have been painfully reminded of the price we pay in lives and in dollars for waiting too long to address critical challenges over-talked about but under-responded to.
Hurricane Katrina has certainly shown Americans at their best - and their government at its worst. And we are reminded starkly that government’s failures have consequences for all of us.
If you don’t invest in levee construction or wetlands preservation, and instead turn your emergency management agency into a holding pen for the cronies of your cronies–there will be consequences.
If you deliberately move away from energy independence–there will be consequences.
If you run up federal spending at a faster rate than any administration since World War II, and nonetheless insist on a wild spree of tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and most powerful corporations–there will be consequences.
If you attack science and deny its findings, and disinvest in research and technology–there will be consequences.
It’s easy to understand why so many Americans just don’t trust anything they hear from Washington anymore.
Actions in public life do have consequences, my friends. And that’s why if you listen carefully, beneath all the talk and debate and rumors and recriminations in Washington, you can hear another sound–the steady clucking of chickens coming home to roost.
It comes down to this: at the very moment when we should be carefully planting the seeds that will provide for America’s future prosperity and security, kids have fallen victim to some of the most powerful special interests in Washington.
MORE - READ THE FULL SPEECH HERE -
http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=911
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