Young Missourians for Edwards

Bold Ideas And Real Action For Our Generation
College for Everyone
Millions of students leave college with crushing levels of debt. More than half of college aid comes in the form of loans. Over the next decade, the cost of college will deny college to 2 million high school graduates.
John Edwards believes we must bring college within reach for every young person. In the fall of 2005, he launched a program called College for Everyone in a rural county in Eastern North Carolina, which pays for tuition and books for high school students who agree to work part-time during their first year at a public college.
Edwards has proposed making the program available nationwide so every student who is willing to work hard has the chance to pursue a higher education. Research has shown that the first year of college is the most difficult one, where additional student aid can make the greatest difference.
Iraq
We can be proud of our long history of using our strength to fight for the freedom of others, but our standing in the world has been badly tarnished. The price of the conflict has been high for the youngest troops who serve on the front lines. American troops in Iraq between the ages of 17 and 19 are nearly five times more likely to die than those older than 50.
These Americans – who have signed up for their service and demonstrated their love for their country – demonstrate what is best about us. They deserve a better strategy in return.
John Edwards has laid out a comprehensive proposal for Congress to implement his plan to stop President Bush's escalation of the war in Iraq. The first step is by immediately withdrawing 40,000-50,000 troops from Iraq, with the complete withdrawal of all combat troops from Iraq within 12 to 18 months, allowing the Iraqis to assume greater responsibility for rebuilding their own country.
Climate Change
The planet has gotten nearly one degree hotter over the past 30 years and will get another degree hotter due to greenhouse gas pollution already in the atmosphere. If we don't change course soon, we will see dramatic climate changes, tens of millions of refugees, and hundreds of millions of people starve. The effects of climate change will be greatest on the generation that is in school today.
John Edwards has outlined a bold plan for America to achieve energy independence and halt global warming. Our generation must be the one that halts global warming. We must say “yes” to expanding renewable fuels, ending forever our dependence on foreign oil, and building the new energy economy. He believes that, to achieve these goals, we must ask the American people to be patriotic about something other than war.
However, we cannot wait for another election to address global warming. The solutions to huge problems sometimes involve small changes that add up to great things when we all do them together. For the first National Day of Action on January 27th, John Edwards asked all One Corps chapters to get together and take action to help conserve energy and fight global warming. And as part of his efforts, Edwards has made his campaign "carbon neutral."
Ending Poverty in America
In the richest country in the history of the globe, we have more millionaires and more billionaires that ever, but we also have more Americans living in poverty, not less. There are 37 million people unable to fulfill their basic needs of food and shelter, no matter how many jobs they work.
John Edwards has challenged America with a plan for action that sets a clear goal: lift 12 million Americans out of poverty in a decade and eliminate poverty over the next 30 years. To get there, he proposed major new initiatives to reward work, break up high-poverty neighborhoods, help families save, and encourage families to act responsibly. In his vision of a "Working Society," everyone who is able to work will be expected to work and rewarded for working. Edwards also called on communities to discourage the reckless behavior that threatens the future of many young people.
Edwards believes that to lead the world in addressing the challenges of our century, America must restore our moral authority. Restoring our moral authority means leading by example, and making clear that hard challenges don't frighten us, but call us to action. One Corps chapters have taken up the call, with a day of action devoted to fighting poverty in their local communities.
Fighting Global Poverty
Global poverty is not just a moral issue for the United States – it is a national security issue. If we tackle it, we will be doing a good and moral thing by helping to improve the lives of billions of people around the world who live on less than $2 per day. We will also begin to create a world in which the ideologies of radical terrorism are overwhelmed by the ideologies of education, democracy, and opportunity. If we tackle it, we have the chance to change a generation of potential enemies into a generation of friends.
As president, John Edwards will fundamentally transform America's approach to the world. Under his transformational plan [LINK], America will lead the world toward a primary education for every child, invest in preventative medicines that could save millions of lives each year, and strengthen political and economic rights in developing nations.
Universal Health Care
With the number of employers offering decent benefits declining and a full-time job market that is getting harder to crack, a disproportionate portion of those without health care are young people fresh out of college. Thirty-one percent of young adults don't have health insurance, the fastest growing group of uninsured. The American health care system is broken.
John Edwards has released an acclaimed plan to strengthen America's health care system and insure all Americans by 2012. His plan is based on the principle of shared responsibility: businesses, families, and governments must each do their part to achieve universal health coverage and a better health care system for all of us. It will hold down costs and offer all Americans a choice of competing plans, including at least one public plan based upon Medicare.
Securing universal healthcare for every American will require the active involvement of millions of Americans. Our campaign has started the ball rolling. On Saturday, February 24, thousands of One Corps members gathered in local communities to participate in a National Day of Action spread the word about Edwards' plan for universal health care, build support, and reach out to help those in need.