The Heartland Presidential Forum is TODAY December 1st, 2:30 pm eastern, 1:30 pm central, 11:30 am pacific
Heartland Presidential Candidate Forum to Ignite New Values Debate
Community Groups to Lead Nation in Challenging Status QuoLaunch Campaign for Community Values
(Washington, DC) This presidential campaign season will see more stories and hear more debate about our country’s values. The real conversation begins at the Heartland Presidential Candidate Forum when grassroots community groups ignite a new values debate in American politics as five presidential candidates are challenged to offer bold solutions for getting America back to where we are at our best. Senator John Edwards, Senator Hillary Clinton, Senator Chris Dodd, Senator Barack Obama and Congressman Dennis Kucinich have confirmed to attend the forum on December 1, 2007 at HyVee Hall in Des Moines, in which hundreds of community groups will launch a major national campaign for Community Values that is about creating a new standard in politics and advancing a new national agenda that does not accept leaving people behind, as we strive for prosperity as a nation.
“This nation is at its best when we recognize our individual success and prosperity depends on the collective responsibility of us all working together to solve our shared problems. Whether it’s providing relief for hurricane victims, building an immigration system that is just and humane or ensuring fair wages and decent working conditions for us all, America can and must do better,” says Deepak Bhargava, executive director of Center for Community Change. “Community values are core American values that our politicians have forgotten. We hear America’s call and with this campaign we are getting America back on track.”
Community leaders who have been in the trenches dealing with social issues have bold and fresh ideas to offer in the perennial debate over the condition of the nation. The Campaign for Community Values is not a Washington-led campaign, rather is deeply rooted in the community and is diverse, authentic and powerful with membership in the hundreds of thousands and the power to reach millions. This campaign will boldly defy the ‘on your own’ mentality in Washington that is failing America and will lead the nation in challenging political leaders to end the status quo and build a society that shares the ladder of opportunity.
Healthcare, immigration reform and worker rights are key issues that impact us all and are a focus of the Campaign for Community Values. When the Democratic presidential candidates gather at HyVee Hall on December 1, they can expect to hear personal stories that reflect the need for a new political direction that improves the lives of all people and serve the common good. Five thousand everyday Americans will witness this interaction that will surely be the most authentic America has seen thus far on the campaign trail. On election day 2008, community value voters will choose the candidate brave enough to lead. Visit www.iowaheartlandforum.org for more information and to apply for media credentials.
--Moira Mack
2 comments:
As far as the health care topic, government healthcare has come up a few times now and I have mixed feelings about it. In Canada where it's citizens have "free healthcare" it is not so free. There taxes are around 50%. Are Americans ready to pay that much in taxes? I believe it would not pass here in the states. It saddens me that we do not all have healthcare in the U.S. It puts many people without it in large amounts of debt due to medical bills and medical care is not getting any cheaper.
Insurance
It's true that taxes in Canada are high, Daren. But I'm not sure you can conclude that the entire reason for that is universal healthcare. It's a part, surely.
Here, the issue is one of priorities. The vast majority of our tax dollars is going to the Iraq occupation. If we re-prioritize our budget, allocating tax dollars where they are most needed at home, cutting out waste and corruption, we can pay for healthcare while cutting taxes on the middle and lower classes (and ending the tax cuts for the upper class).
Other savings come from insuring all Americans, which brings down the cost of healthcare overall; putting medical decisions back into the hands of doctors instead of insurance companies (and taking the profit margins out of insurance); computerizing medical systems; etc.
We are one of the last developed countries on earth not to have instituted universal healthcare. It can be done. It just takes the will and committment to do it.
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