John Edwards
- Filed under: Uncategorized
- Date: Jan 18,2008
Early years:
Born June 10, 1953 in Seneca, S.C.
Education B.S., N.C. State University, 1974; law degree, University of North Carolina, 1977
Career:
1978-98 Lawyer specializing in personal injury cases; won at least $152 million for clients
1998-2004 U.S. Senator; first run for public office; served one term
2004 Sought Democratic Party presidential nomination; selected as running mate by nominee John Kerry; ticket lost to President Bush
2005 Director, Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
2006 Announces candidacy for president in 2008
Views:
Iraq: Withdraw 40,000-50,000 combat troops immediately, and all within 10 months of taking office. Prohibit permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq . Keep quick reaction forces outside Iraq.
Economy: Skeptical of trade deals such as NAFTA. Promote organized labor. Permanent tax credits for research. Goal to have access to high-speed Internet for all by 2010. Raise minimum wage to $9.50 per hour by 2012.
Health Care: Require universal coverage. Businesses must cover employees or help pay their premiums. People could stay in private plans or enroll in a government-sponsored one. Tax credits to cut costs.
Immigration: Double border patrol agents. Crack down on employers that hire illegals. Allow illegals to earn citizenship if they avoid a criminal record, pay a fine and learn English
Taxes: Repeal Bush tax cuts for households above $200,000 a year. Close loopholes for hedge fund managers. Create tax credits to encourage savings by low-income workers. Double child tax credits.
Global Warming: Cap emissions of greenhouse gases. Reduce them by 20 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. Seek a new world climate treaty. End tax “giveaways” for big oil companies.
Energy: Raise fuel economy standards to 40 miles per gallon by 2016. Invest $1 billion a year to advance fuel efficiency. Require oil companies to install biofuel pumps at 25 percent of gas stations.
