hvactec
VIP Member
( When cancer affected his son Teddy at an early age, Senator Kennedy made it the cause of his career to ensure that all Americans have access to high quality, affordable health care. )
"One of the most shameful things about modern America is that in our unbelievably rich land, the quality of health care available to many of our people is unbelievably poor, and the cost is unbelievably high."
I am proud to be here with all of you today. I am proud of our country. proud of the Democratic Party, and proud of the dream we have for America and our future.
Since the time of Jefferson and Jackson, the Democratic Party has always held its standard high. As a party, we have stood for action, hope and progress in meeting the people's basic needs. We are not a party of reaction or retreat. We are not the party of McKinley or Harding. We are not the party of Coolidge or Hoover.
At our best, we have had leaders with both the vision to see the path, and the skill to guide the nation forward, to bring us closer to our historic goals:
Woodrow Wilson saw a world at peace.
Franklin Roosevelt lit a candle in the darkness of the depression.
Harry Truman raised Europe to its feet after the devastation of war.
John Kennedy touched the hearts of youth and launched the longest period of economic growth and price stability in our history.
Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey brought the dream of equality closer to reality.
And Jimmy Carter has led us to the threshold of peace in the Middle East and given America world leadership in the cause of human rights.
We meet, however, at a time of caution and uncertainty in the land. The hopes and. dreams of millions of citizens are riding on. our leadership.
Sometimes a party must sail against the wind. We cannot afford to drift or lie at anchor. We cannot heed the call of those who say it is time to furl the sail.
We know that some things in America today are wrong. It is wrong that prices are rising as rapidly as they are.
But it is also wrong that millions of our fellow citizens ere out of work.
It is wrong that cities are struggling against decay. It is wrong that women and minorities are denied their equal rights. And it is wrong that millions who are sick cannot afford the care they need.
I support the fight against inflation. But no tight against inflation can be effective or successful unless the fight is fair. The party that tore itself apart over Vietnam in the 1960's cannot afford to tear itself apart today over budget cuts in basic social programs.
There could be few more divisive issues for America and for our party than a Democratic policy of drastic slashes in the federal budget at the expense of the elderly, the poor, the black, the sick, the cities and the unemployed.
There must be sacrifice if we are to bring the economy back to health. But the burden must be fairly shared by all. We cannot accept a policy that asks greater sacrifice from labor than from business. We cannot accept IL policy that cuts spending to the bone in areas like jobs and health, but allows billions of dollars in wasteful spending for tax subsidies to continue, and adds even greater fat and waste through inflationary spending for defense.
Read more Democratic National Convention Health Care | In His Own Words | Edward M. Kennedy
"One of the most shameful things about modern America is that in our unbelievably rich land, the quality of health care available to many of our people is unbelievably poor, and the cost is unbelievably high."
I am proud to be here with all of you today. I am proud of our country. proud of the Democratic Party, and proud of the dream we have for America and our future.
Since the time of Jefferson and Jackson, the Democratic Party has always held its standard high. As a party, we have stood for action, hope and progress in meeting the people's basic needs. We are not a party of reaction or retreat. We are not the party of McKinley or Harding. We are not the party of Coolidge or Hoover.
At our best, we have had leaders with both the vision to see the path, and the skill to guide the nation forward, to bring us closer to our historic goals:
Woodrow Wilson saw a world at peace.
Franklin Roosevelt lit a candle in the darkness of the depression.
Harry Truman raised Europe to its feet after the devastation of war.
John Kennedy touched the hearts of youth and launched the longest period of economic growth and price stability in our history.
Lyndon Johnson and Hubert Humphrey brought the dream of equality closer to reality.
And Jimmy Carter has led us to the threshold of peace in the Middle East and given America world leadership in the cause of human rights.
We meet, however, at a time of caution and uncertainty in the land. The hopes and. dreams of millions of citizens are riding on. our leadership.
Sometimes a party must sail against the wind. We cannot afford to drift or lie at anchor. We cannot heed the call of those who say it is time to furl the sail.
We know that some things in America today are wrong. It is wrong that prices are rising as rapidly as they are.
But it is also wrong that millions of our fellow citizens ere out of work.
It is wrong that cities are struggling against decay. It is wrong that women and minorities are denied their equal rights. And it is wrong that millions who are sick cannot afford the care they need.
I support the fight against inflation. But no tight against inflation can be effective or successful unless the fight is fair. The party that tore itself apart over Vietnam in the 1960's cannot afford to tear itself apart today over budget cuts in basic social programs.
There could be few more divisive issues for America and for our party than a Democratic policy of drastic slashes in the federal budget at the expense of the elderly, the poor, the black, the sick, the cities and the unemployed.
There must be sacrifice if we are to bring the economy back to health. But the burden must be fairly shared by all. We cannot accept a policy that asks greater sacrifice from labor than from business. We cannot accept IL policy that cuts spending to the bone in areas like jobs and health, but allows billions of dollars in wasteful spending for tax subsidies to continue, and adds even greater fat and waste through inflationary spending for defense.
Read more Democratic National Convention Health Care | In His Own Words | Edward M. Kennedy
