By Crystal Swann
July 16, 2007

Presidential candidate and former Senator John Edwards applauded the work of the Conference of Mayors Task Force on Poverty, Work and Opportunity during his June 25 plenary address of the Annual Meeting in Los Angeles. In his speech, Edwards outlined his antipoverty platform for addressing the critical issue facing cities including housing, policing, healthcare, education, and global warming.

“I’m proud of the work you [mayors] are doing [to address poverty]. The truth of the matter is that you all are in the trenches and you see firsthand the blight of poverty,” said Edwards. Highlighting the themes found in his new book, “Ending Poverty in America,” Edwards outlined his vision for ending poverty and closing the gap between the “two Americas.” “Ending poverty is the cause of my life,” stated Edwards. Invoking the images of Hurricane Katrina, he stated, “What the world wants to know if the richest nation in the world believes its o.k. for 38 million people in America to living in poverty?”

The Edwards plan focuses on growing the middle class and includes, establishing of a living wage, expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit program; strengthening the rights of workers to organize; and increasing access to savings accounts for low-income workers. With over 28 million Americans who do not have bank accounts, Edwards stressed that the federal government must assist low-income families to beginning saving by providing a government match for the savings they place into banking institutions and by strengthening the anti-predatory lending laws to protect low-incomes and to help grow the middle class.

Since the 1970s, the portion of national income attributed to the superrich — that is, the top one-tenth of one percent of earners — has essentially tripled while the wages of the middle class and poor have barely moved thus creating Edwards’ “two-Americas gap.”

Access to affordable housing and safe communities remains the staple of the Edward anti-poverty platform. The federal government needs to recommit itself to providing low-income housing and police officers in this country, he stated. Reaffirmed his strong commitment for the Hope VI and COPS programs, Edwards called for the “create a one million new housing vouchers and more cops on the streets. The COPS program had extraordinarily positive results and we must go back to that business in America.”

Additionally on the issues of health care and education, Edwards called for the creation of a universal healthcare system that requires employers to provide coverage for their employees or to pay into a fund that will cover their employees. He believes taxpayer should subsidize payments for healthcare while prohibiting pre-existing conditions, covering mental health, preventative care, and long-term care. Accordingly, this healthcare structure would allow people to choose either a private or public health coverage and would be portable with administrative costs capped at 15 percent. On education, he calls for the creation of “college for everyone,” program that would pay for the first year of college (tuition and books) for qualified high school graduates with a ten hour per week work requirement.

Perhaps Edwards‘ most interesting suggestion was connecting mayoral leadership on climate change to the ultimate reduction in worldwide poverty. “The work (on climate change) is being done by you mayors. It is not being done at the national level … but if America follows your lead would could see the creation of at one million “green” collar jobs in this country [and billions worldwide]; more independence from oil consumption; becomes a leader on the issue; and potential to impact national security,” he stated. In a moment of extreme hyperbole, Edwards outlined a scenario in which the mayoral leadership being shown on climate change today could result in the reduction of poverty worldwide by leading the way on biofuels and lessoning the world’s dependence on oil.

For more information on the Conference of Mayors Task Force on Poverty, Work and Opportunity, including the poverty resolutions that where adopted in Los Angeles or to view Edwards speech, visit the website usmayors.org/chhs.