Edwards Highlights Proposals To Rebuild The Middle Class Through 21st Century Manufacturing
As part of "Promise of a Better America Week," Edwards calls for smart trade and training policies, new manufacturing opportunities, cutting energy and health care costs, eliminating tax breaks for offshoring and other policies to rebuild American manufacturing
Dubuque, Iowa – Today, at the United Auto Workers Region 4 Presidential Candidates Forum, Senator John Edwards will unveil his eight-point plan to rebuild American manufacturing for the 21st century. Under President Bush, the United States has lost 3.3 million manufacturing jobs and since 1999, more than 40,000 U.S. manufacturing facilities have closed their doors. Edwards believes a strong manufacturing industry is critical to strengthening the middle class. Compared to other sectors, manufacturing is more productive, pays higher wages and benefits, and creates a greater spillover effect for local job creation. Edwards will rebuild the American manufacturing sector for the 21st century by calling for smart trade and training policies; creating new opportunities for manufacturing; cutting health care and energy costs; helping workers and communities recover from plant closings and eliminating tax breaks for offshoring.
"I grew up in Carolina mill towns and I've seen firsthand how people's lives are devastated when factories close down and these manufacturing jobs are lost," said Edwards. "Manufacturing has suffered more than any other sector of our economy because of currency manipulation, illegal foreign subsidies, bad trade deals and rising energy and health care costs. But instead of taking steps to reverse this unprecedented loss of manufacturing jobs, the politicians in Washington have favored profits on Wall Street over the people on Main Street.
"Our economy depends on a successful middle class, but our middle class depends on manufacturing. I am running for president on behalf of the men and women who worked in the mill with my father and lost their jobs when that mill closed. They need a president who will stand up for them, not big corporate interests. As president, I will take action to strengthen and grow our middle class by rebuilding American manufacturing for the 21st century."
Edwards will take the following steps to rebuild American manufacturing:
Smart Trade and Training Policies: Edwards believes we must promote smart trade for American workers and, as president, he will enact trade deals only if they make most families better off. To address the skills shortage reported by 80 percent of manufacturing employers, Edwards will also work with manufacturers to create industry-specific training connected to high-wage jobs, as part of his Training Works initiative, an historic investment in the American workforce.
New Opportunities for Manufacturing: The transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy sources presents an opportunity to reenergize American manufacturing. Through a New Energy Economy Fund, Edwards will dedicate $1 billion of the fund to ensure that American automakers are making the most fuel-efficient, advanced cars in the world – in the United States, with union workers. To help American manufacturers regain their edge in high-tech production, he will make the Research & Experimentation tax credit permanent.
Cutting Costs, Not Jobs: When nearly half of all small and medium manufacturers say that rising health care costs are their most pressing business problem, Edwards believes cutting health care costs must be a national priority. Edwards was the first candidate to offer a specific plan to guarantee true universal health care for every man, woman and child in America and he has also proposed an ambitious initiative to make health care more cost-effective. Rising energy prices have also had a devastating effect on American manufacturing. Edwards has a plan to fight rising oil and gas prices by creating energy competition, reducing speculation in the oil and gas markets, and bringing down demand through greater fuel efficiency and access to renewable sources.
Fighting Offshoring and Helping American Workers: Edwards will eliminate tax incentives for companies to move off shore by ensuring that American companies' profits are taxed at either the U.S. rate or by a foreign country at a comparable rate. Edwards will also help workers and communities impacted by plant closures get back on their feet through deploying technical assistance and recovery specialists and by making new resources available for shoring up the local tax base, attracting new family-sustaining jobs, and helping local businesses.
Edwards' proposals for 21st century manufacturing were introduced during the third day of the campaign's "Promise of a Better America Week." On Monday in New Hampshire, Edwards unveiled proposals to help veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Yesterday, he discussed his proposals to help Americans balance work and family and tomorrow Edwards will highlight his plans to ensure we meet the educational promise of our children.
http://johnedwards.com/issues/trade/20071114-manufacturing/
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