Kerry's Senate Floor Speech from Today:Calls for "Shared Sacrifice"

[DJcairo]

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) today joined Senator Joseph Biden (D-Del.) in calling for shared sacrifice by the wealthiest one percent of Americans to help pay the cost of $87 billion supplemental spending request for the war in Iraq.

“Senator Biden and I are making a common-sense proposal. Rather than borrowing an additional $87 billion, we want to scale back some of the new tax cuts for Americans making over $300,000 a year,” said Kerry in a speech delivered from the floor of the Senate.

“To put this in perspective with the men and women who are making the sacrifice in uniform – who are putting it all on the line for the country – the average enlisted man or woman makes $30,000 per year and the average officer makes $67,000.

“We all know what’s happening. The troops didn’t make millions in the 1980s and 1990s; they’re hardworking men and women, mostly from the middle class, who are fighting America’s war. It’s not unfair to ask those that earn the very most – those many fortunate, talented and hardworking Americans earning more than $300,000 – to sacrifice some of their tax cuts in order to promote a free Iraq; to reduce some of the burden being placed on future generations; and help sustain education, health care, and homeland security.”

The Biden-Kerry amendment to the supplemental spending request reduces the size of the Bush tax cut for the wealthiest one percent of Americans to help pay for the war in Iraq. The rate adjustment would occur during the final six years of the President’s 10-year tax cut plan.

“With 130,000 troops sacrificing every day in Iraq, terribly unfunded domestic programs, and historic debt growing in Washington, it is an equitable and responsible proposal. And I am confident that these patriotic Americans are prepared to sacrifice as well,” Kerry concluded.

Read the full speech here:
http://kerry.senate.gov/high/record.cfm?id=212683

[George_Bonanza]

1. We need to stay in Iraq

We (even though I'm Canadian and Chretien opposed Bush) made this mess, we clean it up. We created an environment where Iraqi women get kidnapped and raped on a daily basis, we clean it up. We created an environment where mob rule exists, WE clean it up.

[Feanorcurufinwe]

3. I wouldn't put that way but I agree we have a responsibility to deal with

the mess we created.

John Kerry's Plan for Involving the UN and Providing Security in Iraq

“We need a United Nations resolution for a multinational force under U.S. command. Part of that is to turn the political, humanitarian and government component of this over to the United Nations. That is the fastest way to get additional countries invested. It is the best way to reduce the cost to the American people.”

-John Kerry on Face the Nation (September 14, 2003)

1. GET A UN RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING A MILITARY FORCE UNDER U.S. COMMAND

2. PUT THE CREATION OF A NEW IRAQI GOVERNMENT AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF IRAQ UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE UNITED NATIONS

3. TRANSFER AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO IRAQIS

4. ACCELERATE EFFORTS TO TRAIN AND EQUIP IRAQI SECURITY FORCES

Paying for the Plan

FINANCE THE COSTS BY ROLLING BACK TAX CUTS FOR THE WEALTHIEST AMERICANS

* Kerry believes that we should roll-back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy in order to pay for our responsibilities in Iraq. John Kerry and Senator Joseph Biden have introduced an amendment in the United States Senate that would do just that -- pay for the cost of U.S. efforts in Iraq by reducing the tax cut for the wealthiest 1% of Americans. Further, under Kerry's Plan greater international funding participation should eventually reduce the cost to the American taxpayer.

WINNING THE BATTLE AT HOME

* America’s military strength also depends on a strong U.S. economy. For the U.S. to afford to pay to build communities in Iraq, we need to put people back to work and improve our schools and health here at home. Senator Kerry has proposed a State Tax Relief and Education Fund that will give $30 billion to states to stop cuts in educations and health care. Instead of tax cuts aimed at the wealthy, Senator Kerry would take an additional $30 billion to invest in the American people with domestic programs to help the states provide services to our communities, to support education for our children, and to restore jobs eliminated over the past two and a half years during the Bush Administration’s job-destroying “recovery.”


More details: http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/iraq_plan.html

[w4rma]

2. Good speech. He's saying alot of good things here.

:thumbsup: