Dennis Kucinich on Poverty

Poverty


America is losing its way at home and in the world. We have no money to rebuild America's cities, but we have money to blow up cities in Iraq. No money to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to shelter the homeless in America, but money to rain death, destruction, and starvation on Iraq.


Once again, the hopes of people of two nations are being smashed by weapons in the name of eliminating weapons. Let us abolish weapons of mass destruction at home. I am from the inner city. I have inspected these weapons.


• Joblessness is a weapon of mass destruction.


• Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction.


• Hunger is a weapon of mass destruction.


• Poor health care is a weapon of mass destruction.


• Poor education is a weapon of mass destruction.
• Discrimination is a weapon of mass destruction.

Let us abolish such weapons of mass destruction here at home. Eight and a half million Americans are unemployed. Bankruptcies are up. The number of uninsured without health care is up. The price of prescription drugs is up. Poverty is up. Crime is up. Homelessness is up. Hopelessness is up. Fear is up. Let us use the trillion dollars which some would cast upon Iraq in bombs and warring troops, instead for the restoration of the American dream, to rebuild our economy, to rebuild our cities and to expand opportunities for all.


Those who say we can have guns and butter do not know the cost of guns and do not know the bread you would put your butter on is being stolen. America may spend over a trillion dollars for war in Iraq. America can give a trillion dollar tax cut to the rich, spend a trillion dollars to put weapons in space, but not a dime more for temporary assistance to needy families.


I believe the American people are people of strength, wisdom, and courage. They have a right to expect their government to be truly representative! It is time to say stop this war. It is time to recognize that the terror we visit on the people of Iraq will bring terror to our own people. Bring our troops home. Come home, America. Come home and fix your broken streets and mend your broken dreams. Come home and rebuild your cities and create full employment, put millions who are unemployed back to work. Come home and establish a living wage, let workers share the wealth they create. Come home and provide affordable housing. Come home and provide single-payer, guaranteed health care for the 41 million Americans who suffer illness with no relief. Come home, America. Come home and provide free public college for all who aspire to attend.


Come home and act affirmatively to make sure that all opportunities are afforded to all Americans.


http://www.kucinichonline.com/pdfs/Kucinich_Poverty.pdf

I will never understand why Republicans support this war which is a huge waste of tax dollars. All they do is complain about paying taxes, complain about helping people in need, and yet their president is charging trillions on the Chinese credit card. A tiny percentage of tax dollars goes to social programs- most of it goes to the military industrial complex.

n/t

when everything is so fu&%ed up here at home? They will not even take care of returning veterans.

Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction in any place of the world.

only lieing pursed lips are.

This man speaks to me, and he speaks for me. I'm very proud to call him my candidate.

Kucinich has a position on just about every issue you might think of. There's lots more where that one came from.

Poverty, ignorance, fear, war, misery, and disease are necessary for increased corporate profits and the continuation of corporate control of our government.

Yes, this is how he *USED* to speak... a long time ago.

He dropped all of this midway through the '04 campaign.

He's all war and impeachment now.

We poor folk are invisible to him and to his supporters now.

Just shutting down the Military Industrial complex will make so much more money available for social programs.

Universal not for profit Health care- how can that not help the poor?

He has plans to great a new jobs program, not to mention cancel NAFTA and save the remaining jobs going overseas.

Then there is guaranteed pre-K and college!

Edwards talks about poverty but what will he DO about it?

when I called in '04, disillusioned, hurt, and ready to quit.

What does DK do????? He talks and talks about the war. We poor folk don't even rate a mention.

I TOLD you what Edwards does. Remember?

HE gets other Dems to make poverty important! HE tells them he'll help them campaign, if they also work for poverty issues! That's for starters.

Remember the institute he started? If you think that's all talk, go pound your head on those walls until you realize they are REAL.

WHEN has DK done that?

Nope, if it's not about war or about impeachment, it doesn't get heard.

I can't wait that long.

Dennis didn't work at a hedge fund to "learn about poverty" -- he lived homeless to learn about that.