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Edwards talks moral high road; He cites a "void in moral leadership" in America and urges students to act

Apr 20, 2006 7:06 PM

Steve Koehler
Springfield News-Leader
Apr 20, 2006

Former Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards preached morals at his keynote speech Wednesday night at Missouri State University's Public Affairs Conference. Edwards, who may run for his party's presidential nomination in 2008:

• Said the country's "great moral issue of its time" is poverty.

• Called a federal budget that gives subsidies and tax cuts to oil companies while cutting funding for nutritional programs for poor children and the elderly "immoral."

• Charged that the country is suffering from "a huge void in moral leadership."

Edwards is former senator from North Carolina and now director of the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina. He said there are 37 million Americans living in poverty who "are worrying about feeding their children. This is just wrong."

Edwards called the stereotype of the poor not wanting to work "a lie."

"Most of them are women working two jobs, 15 to 16 hours a day, six days a week. They do it because they love their children. They live every single day on the edge of a razor," he said.

Edwards offered the crowd of 1,100 at Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts a number of his ideas for turning the poverty problem around.

Those include raising minimum wage, allowing service workers to organize and join unions, helping poor families start savings accounts with the government matching whatever they save, cracking down on "predatory" payday money lenders and giving housing subsidies to allow lower-income families to move into better neighborhoods.

Edwards made a direct plea to students to join his cause.

"I'm asking them to lead the fight against poverty in this country. The time for waiting is past," he said.

MSU sophomore Dustin Coady, 19, said he liked what he heard from Edwards and thought he would make a good candidate.

Edwards left Springfield immediately for a trip to New Hampshire, the site of the first presidential primary election in 2008.

"He was tackling a lot of issues that the world has to deal with," Coady said.

Edwards, who spoke for about 30 minutes, then took questions from the audience on a variety of subjects. His responses garnered loud applause.

• War in Iraq: Edwards said he was wrong when he voted for the resolution that gave President Bush the authority to invade Iraq.

"You can't lead if you don't tell the truth," he said referring to the Bush administration.

Edwards said keeping large numbers of troops in the country sends a signal that the U.S. "is there forever and is there for oil."

Edwards said he would draw down between 40,000 and 50,000 troops and "expect the Iraqis to step up to the plate."

• Health care: Edwards said the system "is in crisis" and that the medical savings account proposal is "a terrible idea."

"It's a great idea for John Edwards or George Bush but not for those who need it most. You can put away $60,000 to $80,000 a year tax-free. Most who need it don't have that to put away," he said.

"Health care is not a privilege for the privileged but a right for everybody."

• Religion and politics: Edwards said he grew up in a Southern Baptist home and prays daily.

"I embrace faith, and I believe America should embrace all faiths and those who don't have faith.

If we are multicultural and multifaith than we ought to embrace all faiths," Edwards said. "Faith is not a political tool."

Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback will give the keynote speech tonight.

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