Event with Bill Clinton in Chicago Stresses Unity & Action
Report from Josh:
Note, see Gary's great write-up in the Comments Section!Last night was an evening of music and politics at the Lyric Opera House. Musical acts included Ben Sidran's jazz trio, Big Time Sarahand the Teardrops, American Idol favorite Jennifer Hudson, and Chicago Samba.
Speakers ranged from Studs Terkel to Mort Sahl, Diana Kerry to our new Illinois Field Director Avis La Velle. Even Senator Durbin spoke, supporting both Kerry and the local Senate front-runner, saying "Tell your Mama, tell your Papa, America needs Barack Obama."
Kerry supporters from all across the state were also in attendance, and greeted the headlining speaker Bill Clinton with a warm ovation once he appeared.
The former President spoke of the key differences between the Republicans in power and candidate John Kerry. He noted the cost of the Bush tax cuts. He noted that after-school programs have been cut, police officers have been let go; that port security remains ineffective, and that National Guard soldiers continue to go without health care.
President Clinton stressed that people in the audience go away with these examples firmly in mind. "Not even 5% of America knows about this -- you've got to get out there and tell your family and friends," he said.
Judging by the enthusiasm of last night's crowd, his words did not fall on deaf ears.
1 Comments:
From Magali:
What Pres. Bill Clinton Wants You to Remember
At the Kerry Victory Fundraiser in Chicago here is
what Bill Clinton wanted the audience to remember and
tell their friends about the Bush Administration. If
you agree with the administration’s choices he said
then vote for them. If you disagree, he simply
stated, “Then John Kerry is your man”
1. PORT SECURITY v. TAX CUTS Currently, only 5% of
containers that come through the ports of the US are
check for biological, chemical and nuclear weapons.
To make Americans safer the national security experts
say that a minimum of 10% of containers should be
checked. The cost would be $1Billion per year. So
where would this money come from? Pres. Clinton tells
us that each of the richest 200,000 millionaires will
get back $87,000 in tax cuts because of the Bush Tax
Cuts. If each of these 200,000 individuals were to
get back only $83,000 in tax cuts so that $5000 were
deducted from their tax return then we would have
enough money ($1 Billion) to search the containers for
Weapons of Mass Destruction and protect $300 million
Americans. So when Bush Administration says they are
strong on terrorism it looks more like they are
stronger at protecting their tax cuts than protecting
ordinary Americans. Tom Delay, the Republican
Leadership and the Bush Administration have all stood
to protect the tax cut over supporting safer port
security.
2. HEALTH BENEFITS FOR NATIONAL GUARD. National Guard
units are being called into service to go to Iraq.
They are being forced to leave their jobs, and their
businesses. The effect is that they are losing these
jobs and their businesses can’t be sustained while
they are serving in Iraq. So they are coming home to
no jobs and no healthcare. So while they are serving
side by side with the full time military, they are
being injured and suffering grave injuries along with
the full time military there is a big difference in
how they are being treated when they get home. The
full-time military gets lifetime healthcare from the
government for their service. The national guard gets
emergency care when they come off the battle field,
but after they get out of the hospital they are left
with nothing. There is no lifetime health care for
National Guard injured in war and the Bush
Administration knows this and does nothing about those
who have sacrificed so much for this country.
3. TAX CUTS TRADE OFF Most Americans didn’t get back
the enormous tax cuts that the richest Americans got,
$87,000. But they did get a cut in social programs
that directly affect their lives. In a time when
national security is one of our primary concerns the
Bush Administration is cutting back on federal grants
that keep more cops on the street. So Americans see
few cops on the street. They also had to cut after
school programs. So $2.1 million children no longer
have after school programs and are left on the street.
They will also let the Assault Weapons Ban lapse so
as a result of the tax cuts we will have fewer cops on
the street, more children without after school
programs on the street and more assault weapons on the
street. What kind of crime policy is that?
4. NUCLEAR TEST BAN TREATY – The Bush Administration
has backed out of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty and are
actively developing small bunker buster nuclear
weapons, for a first strike capability. They are not
saying that a weapon of this kind if used in Baghdad
would have destroyed half of the City and its
residents in one nuclear explosion.
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