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Politics : Those Damned Democrat's -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sandintoes who wrote (909)	1/24/2003 12:44:26 PM
From: Tadsamillionaire	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1604

Five contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday told the nation's mayors the Bush administration was not serving the interests of their cities well and that come 2004 it would be a time for a change in America's leadership. Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass. and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., Rep. Richard Gephart, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean and civil rights activist Al Sharpton each addressed the National Conference of Democratic Mayors meeting in Washington to argue why they should be the choice to take on Bush in the next presidential election. "We deserve leadership at this great moment in American history that is prepared to offer the American people truth and common sense, an effort to find the common ground," said Kerry. "I believe this country deserves a president that understands the problems of cities and is prepared to create a new urban partnership," Kerry said. The forum came as mayors from around the country gathered for the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting. The summit served as a sounding board for local government officials who faced escalating budget deficits under increasing federal demands for increased domestic security and a reformed public education system. Budget deficits in the nation's 50 states are approaching $90 billion and have been described as the most dramatic crisis lawmakers have seen in more than 20 years, according to the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group representing state legislatures. Local governments have been buckling under the stress of reduced revenues and are struggling over what services such as Medicaid, to cut, how they will pay for federal education mandates and increased domestic security. The candidates lambasted Bush's education reform plan, proposal to make the 2001 tax cuts permanent and the conflict with Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein that could potentially take the country into war. At the same time, they told the mayors how they could run government better. Gephardt told the mayors that if the U.S. economy is not working, the local governments would have a difficult time. He called Bush's plan to make his 10-year, $1.35 trillion tax cut permanent "nonsense." He said he hopes the president's plan is defeated and the money given to the cash-strapped states. He pointed out the Democrats made a balanced federal budget a priority in 1994 at the cost of loosing control of the U.S House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. Gephardt said it was time for that to change. "We need to restore Democratic leadership to the top posts in this country to move this country back in the right direction, Gephardt said. Dean said the argument on tax cuts should center not on how much they should be, but rather should there be a tax cut at all. The candidates also attacked Bush on education. Bush's education reform package dubbed "No Child Left Behind" was signed into law last year and mandated that states integrate accountability and performance measures into their schools. The new law, the cornerstone of the Bush education agenda, requires annual testing for children in grades 3 through 8 in reading and math. The law also provides about $1 billion aimed at ensuring all children read by the third grade, while requiring states to have "highly qualified" -- but not necessarily certified -- teachers in every classroom within five years. Kerry told the mayors it was unacceptable to have a president travel around the country "making mockery of the words 'Leave no child behind'" while states are loosing revenue and are unable to fund education initiatives. "We are forced together to watch millions of children be left behind on a daily basis because adults are unwilling to assume responsibility for children and make certain we have the early child education, the day care and the kinds of schools that provide children an alternative ...," Kerry said. Dean referred to Bush's plan as the "Leave every school board behind" law. He said if he is chosen to face Bush in 2004, he would spend $27 billion to fully fund special education, the most underfunded segment of public school system. Dean, who referred to himself as a fiscal conservative, also took on the issue of health care, and pointed to achievements he made in Vermont. Health care in his state, he told the mayors, was available to everyone under the age of 18. Medicaid, typically an entitlement for low-income citizens, was available for the middle class, he said. Sharpton, considered the clear underdog in the Democratic field, used his quick wit and sharp tongue to draw the most applause and laughs from the crowd on what he considered Bush's inattention to the needs of the states. Known for his arrests as a protester, Sharpton criticized the state's inability to hire adequate police officers due to a lack of federal funding. That comes as crime statistics have begun to show the incidence of crime increasing. He challenged Bush, saying he is a law and order man who does not support law and order. "Everybody knows that I am a protester and I have been arrested. I demand to have enough police to arrest me when I protest," Sharpton said as the crowd burst into laughter. Sharpton said it made no sense not to give cities money to invest in homeland security, but spend billions of dollars to prepare for a potential war with Iraq. He said he did not understand how Bush could take on Saddam Hussein without giving the American people concrete evidence that he has weapons of mass destruction. "When I was growing up they used to break in our house. When the cop comes, I don't' go after the guy who broke in my house. I am not afraid of a guy who has the rifle. I am not going after the guy who broke the door down. I tell him about the guy across the street who I don't like that fought with my daddy 20 years ago. He may have a weapon, let's go get him first," Sharpton said to thunderous applause. upi.com