Kerry Edwards 2004 Campaign Brochure

‘Our Plan for America

Stronger at Home, Respected in the World’

John Kerry and John Edwards have released a book outlining their plan to make America stronger at home and respected in the world. Together, they will ensure America is secure, that all Americans have the opportunity to fulfill their potential, and that families are strong and have the support they need.

Together, they will restore America's respect in the world, make us independent of Mideast oil, create and keep good jobs in America, strengthen education and ensure everyone can afford to attend college, and make health care affordable and accessible for all Americans.

Restore America's Respect in the World and Make us Independent of Mideast Oil

Today, we face four great challenges above all others - First, to win the global war against terror; Second, to stop the spread of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons; Third, to promote democracy, freedom, and opportunity around the world, starting by winning the peace in Iraq; Fourth, end our dependence on Mideast oil. To meet these challenges, Kerry and Edwards will:

Launch and Lead A New Era Of Alliances.

The threat of terrorism demands alliances on a global scale - to utilize every available resource to get the terrorists before they can strike us. Kerry-Edwards will lead a coalition of the able - because no force on earth is more able than the United States and its Allies.

Modernize The World's Most Powerful Military To Meet New Threats.

Kerry-Edwards will ensure that our forces are fully prepared for the dangerous and vital missions they may face, and that America's military always remains second to none. We must extend our capabilities to better face new threats of terrorism, failed states and homeland defense.

Deploy All That Is In America's Arsenal.

The war on terror cannot be won by military might alone. Kerry - Edwards will deploy all the forces in America's arsenal - our diplomacy, our intelligence system, our economic power, and the appeal of our values and ideas - to make America more secure and prevent a new generation of terrorists from emerging.

Free America From Its Dangerous Dependence On Mideast Oil.

To secure our full independence and freedom, we must free America from its dangerous dependence on Mideast oil. By tapping American ingenuity, we can achieve that goal while growing our economy and protecting our environment. Kerry-Edwards will create a new energy and conservation trust fund to accelerate the development of innovative technologies, such as more efficient cars and trucks, the development of biofuels, and creating clean, secure, hydrogen-based energy. Kerry-Edwards will also expand the supply of natural gas, assure 20% of electricity comes from renewable sources by 2020, and make clean coal part of our energy solution.

Create New Jobs, Strengthen the Middle Class, and Ensure Educational Opportunity

Reward Companies that Create Jobs in America.

The Kerry-Edwards plan will end tax breaks for companies that move jobs overseas and use the savings to reduce the corporate tax rate by 5 percent, cutting taxes for 99 percent of corporations. The Kerry-Edwards plan also includes a New Jobs Tax Credit for new hiring in manufacturing, other businesses affected by outsourcing, and small businesses.

Strengthen the Middle Class.

As incomes decline and costs rise, families are having a hard time paying their bills, let alone saving for tomorrow. Health care costs are up by nearly 50 percent, college tuition has increased by 35 percent, and gas prices have skyrocketed. A Kerry-Edwards administration will provide relief to middle class families by cutting taxes and investing in health care and education.

Invest in the Jobs of the Future.

To keep America competitive for the future, a Kerry-Edwards administration will invest in research and technology and provide tax credits to unleash innovation in broadband, energy and small business. They will also provide a tax credit on up to $4,000 for each of four years of college tuition. And they will work for responsible immigration laws that honor America's promise and strengthen America's economy and security.

Restore Fiscal Discipline to Washington.

Kerry and Edwards have a record of fiscal discipline that is absent in this administration, and they have promised to live within the budget principles that helped lead this nation to balance the budget. Their plan will cut the deficit in half in four years, increasing economic confidence and keep interest rates from rising.

Provide High-Quality Health Care, Improve Education, and Strengthen Families

Up to $1,000 of Health Care Premium Relief

The Kerry-Edwards plan will provide relief for employers who offer their employees quality health coverage by helping out with certain high cost health cases - saving families up to $1,000 per year.

A Health Plan for Every Child

The Kerry-Edwards plan will pick up the full cost of the more than 20 million children enrolled in Medicaid. In exchange, states will expand eligibility for children's health coverage and low-income adults and enroll every child automatically.

Manage Skyrocketing Health Care Costs

The Kerry-Edwards plan will improve health outcomes while reducing health care costs by cutting administrative costs, waste, fraud, and abuse; enhancing disease management efforts; and reforming malpractice insurance.

World Class Education

The Kerry-Edwards plan will support more resources and more reform in our schools. The plan will fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act so students have smaller classes and more textbooks. The plan will make reform work for our schools, supporting innovations in public schools like smaller schools, all-girls schools focused on math and science, and charter schools. And the plan will invest in afterschool programs so that 3.5 million children have a safe, quality place to go after school.

Every Classroom Has a Great Teacher

The Kerry-Edwards plan will raise teacher pay, especially in the schools and subjects where great teachers are in the shortest supply, and will improve teachers' professional development and training opportunities. At the same time, the plan will create rigorous new tests for new teachers; provide higher pay for teachers who have extra skills and excel in helping children learn; and ensure fast, fair procedures for improving or removing teachers who do not perform well on the job, while preserving protections from arbitrary dismissal.

Every Young Person Graduates

Today 3 in 10 young people do not finish high school, and half of Hispanics, African Americans, Native Americans don't graduate. Kerry-Edwards will keep better track of graduation rates to hold schools accountable for raising them; will offer more tutoring and mentoring to at-risk youth; will make big high schools smaller when they are not working for their students; and will strengthen the high school curriculum so all students can graduate with a meaningful diploma.

John Kerry A Lifetime of Service and Strength

John Kerry is running for president to make America stronger at home and more respected in the world. He has a plan to restore the values that have always made America a leader in the world. He has a plan to create good-paying jobs at home - jobs that let American families get ahead in an America where the middle class is growing, not being squeezed. He has a plan to make health care a right for all Americans. He has a plan to make this nation independent from Middle East oil. And he has a plan to modernize and strengthen America's military and lead a new era of alliances - so young Americans are never put in harm's way because we insisted on going it alone.

John Kerry is running for president to answer the call to service - just as he has answered that call all his life. He was born on December 11, 1943 at Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Colorado. His father, Richard, volunteered in the Army Air Corps during World War II. His mother, Rosemary, was a lifelong community activist.

As he was about to graduate from Yale, John Kerry volunteered to serve in Vietnam. His leadership, courage, and sacrifice earned him a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. In Vietnam, John Kerry saw the lives of his fellow soldiers put at risk because some leaders in Washington were making bad decisions.

When he returned home, he became a spokesman for Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) and later co-founded Vietnam Veterans of America. John Kerry then went to work as a prosecutor, putting behind bars "the number two organized crime figure in New England." He fought for victims' rights and created programs for rape counseling.

John Kerry was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1982. Two years later, he was elected to the United States Senate and has won reelection three-times since. In the Senate, John Kerry fought to strengthen our economy, improve public education, make health care more affordable, and protect our environment. And during his 19 years on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he has distinguished himself as one of our nation's most respected voices on national security and international affairs.

John Kerry sees America as a country of the future, a country of optimists. As he says, "We just need to believe in ourselves. Let America be America again."

About John Edwards

John Edwards is running for vice president to fight for the same people he has always fought for – everyday Americans who deserve a better life. Whether in the courtroom or the Senate, John Edwards has been guided by the small-town values his parents taught him when he was young – hard work, responsibility, and community. And those same values guide him in his campaign to be vice president.

ohn Edwards was raised in North Carolina by his two hard-working and devoted parents, Wallace and Bobbie. The son of a mill worker, he was the first person in his family to attend college. He worked his way through North Carolina State University and later earned a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

After graduating from law school, John Edwards set out on a path to fight for families who needed help. For nearly two decades, he stood up for victims’ rights against the insurance industry and stood down their armies of lawyers. He gave families hope in their darkest moments and helped them overcome challenges greater than any they had ever known. His passion and dedication to the people he defended earned him the respect, recognition, and gratitude of people across North Carolina.

 In 1998, John Edwards took this commitment to public service to give a voice in the United States Senate to the people he had represented throughout his career. He ran for the Senate and won, defeating an incumbent Republican Senator.

In Congress, John Edwards champions the issues that matter to American families. He is working to provide Americans with quality health care and he co-authored the Patients' Bill of Rights and helped pass it in the Senate. He fought for middle-class tax cuts to help families save and get ahead. And he worked to improve our schools, improve teacher pay, and expand afterschool programs.

As a member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, Edwards has worked tirelessly to build a strong national defense and strengthen the security of our homeland. In the wake of September 11th, he served as a member of the joint House and Senate panel investigating the terrorist attacks. Whether in the courtroom or the Senate, John Edwards has defended people who deserve better. And today, he’s running for vice president because he believes America can do better.