It's About the Ladder

Last month, several of the MOMocrats had the opportunity to meet with Elizabeth Edwards and to participate via conference call in a discussion regarding many important issues facing this nation.  We discussed health care, education, Iraq, and many other issues.  But one comment Ms. Edwards made in particular has stuck with me.  She said:

John talks often about his biography.  About how it is that he came from nothing.   John's policies are about the ladder that people used to climb up to the American dream.  A lot of those rungs are broken.

Education was a part of it. Making certain we were healthy and hearty. Making sure we got a good wage. All those things were a part of what made it possible to step from economically disadvantaged to middle class, from middle class to upper middle class.  And the rungs are all broken now. There is not as much mobility between the various parts of our society as their used to be.  Disparities are becoming wider and more entrenched. The top 300,000 wage earners in this country earn as much as the bottom 150 million and the people in that 150 million feel less and less like they have a pathway to the top.

One of the things we are going to do is re-instill this idea that we can move, by our own efforts, move. The government can't make you climb the ladder, you have to climb it, but the government is responsible for making sure the ladder is there.

I'll admit it.  Before becoming a parent, I didn't feel much responsibility for the world.  I wasn't as concerned with ensuring that all children in this country have opportunities.  But since I've become a mother, I see our world in an entirely different way.  In every child, I see my own.  In every parent, I see myself.  And the thought of a child growing up without the opportunities that I had and my children will have makes me incredibly sad.

I do not want my children to grow up with a sense of entitlement.  I want them to understand that they have a greater responsibility to the world because of the advantages they've had.  I want them to help other people up the ladder to success.  I don't want my children to be one of those people who stand at the top of that rickety ladder and push people down.  People who don't "belong." 

The United States should be a country of opportunity.  Unfortunately, not everyone shares my view.  Thankfully, there is a candidate for president who does - John Edwards.

Yesterday, in a speech in Des Moines, Iowa, as part of his seven-day "Stand Strong" campaign, John Edwards called for strengthening the middle class and restoring corporate responsibility:

In America, we have a grand social compact anyone who is willing to work hard and do the right thing should have the opportunity to share in our nation's prosperity, but our social compact is falling apart. The statistics say our economy is growing, but the truth is, it's only growing at the top. While corporate profits climb and the wealth of the very wealthiest grows, instead of protecting the compact of equal opportunity and shared prosperity, Washington protects corporate profits and hoards prosperity.

We don't need any more empty promises. We need to restore one promise the promise of America, the social compact that built the greatest economy in the world. It takes strength to say "no" to the lobbyists and special interests but I will never compromise my principles for the sake of politics. I believe if we stand together we can change this country and restore the social compact, moving us ever closer to the America of our ideals.

John Edwards' proposal for restoring this social compact with Americans calls for establishing universal health care, making retirement benefits portable, and keeping pension promises.  Edwards also calls for making the middle class stronger by restoring corporate responsibility to its workers and customers through the establishment of stronger corporate responsibility laws and consumer protection.  He talks about modernizing labor laws, making corporations more transparent and accountable, and making food, drugs, and toys safer. You can read more about the Edwards plan here.

All of these things will go a long way towards restoring our faith in government standards, corporate standards, and social obligations.  But to me, the idealism behind John Edwards' plan is even more important than the nuts and bolts of any law he'll push through Congress.

John Edwards ideas tell me that he hasn't become jaded to the political process.  John Edwards still believes that you can do anything in this country.  Most importantly, John Edwards understands that it is our responsibility as Americans to ensure that this country remains a land of opportunity and that the ladder to American success doesn't become a myth.

Thank you to Lane Keleman for his email to MOMocrats asking us to comments on this topic.  We love to hear from readers and Edwards supporters, particularly if you have something you'd like us to discuss.

Stephanie can also be found musing about more mundane frivolous topics at her personal blog, Lawyer Mama.

Comments

[slouching mom]

The government can't make you climb the ladder, you have to climb it, but the government is responsible for making sure the ladder is there.

I love that conceptualization of government. It mirrors my own exactly.

[PunditMom]

His concepts are amazingly refreshing, aren't they?

[christine]

you're right--he doesn't seem jaded at all which is wonderful. i like mr. edwards a lot.

[SabrinaT]

I like Mr. Edwards. In particular his views on education, in this country. Let's hope he is afforded the opportunity to truly change the dirction we are headed.

as for the statement: I don't want my children to be one of those people who stand at the top of that rickety ladder and push people down. People who don't "belong."

WOW!! What a thought to have???