Edwards unveils plan to eliminate poverty in 30 years

John Edwards is looking more and more like a candidate for president.  His wife is free of cancer, enabling him to focus completely on his personal and political ambitions.  He leads all possible 2008 candidates in the state of Iowa, the first stop in the 2008 primary season, according to the latest Des Moines Register Poll.

On top of all that, the former North Carolina Senator gave a major speech this week on the issue of poverty.  He unveiled a plan that would effectively reduce poverty by a third over the next ten years, and end poverty within 30 years:

But mostly he talked about setting a national goal to eradicatepoverty over the next 30 years. He proposes to end it not with a rehashof the "Great Society," President Lyndon Johnson's string of federalprograms in the 1960s, but by ushering in what Edwards called his"Working Society."

"This is all about creating tools that would allow people to be able to help themselves," Edwards said.

Among the tools he called for:

_A minimum wage bump to at least $7.50 an hour.

_One million new housing vouchers to allow poor families to "votewith their feet" by moving to better neighborhoods with good schools.

_One million "stepping stone" jobs in parks and community centers for people who can't find work.

_"Second chance" schools, possibly at community colleges, that would help high school dropouts who want to get back on track.

_"A real chance" for all workers - especially low-paid service workers in hotels and elsewhere - to organize labor unions.

He said helping the poor wouldn't be a one-way street; they'd be expected to work and to be responsible parents.

All this would cost taxpayers nearly $20 billion a year, Edwardssaid. He'd pay for it by repealing some of President Bush's tax cuts,keeping the estate tax - which hits rich families - and cutting 1,500jobs as part of "radical reform" of the U.S. Department of Housing andUrban Development.

The public's response to Hurricane Katrina proved, Edwards said,that the American people care about poverty, even if Washington doesn't.

John Edwards is quickly solidifying himself as the labor candidate in 2008, a role that he split in 2004 with Dick Gephardt.

Also, Edwards advocated during the speech for an immediate pullout of 40,000 troops from Iraq.

A few questions need to be asked though.  How specifically does Edwards' plan to fight poverty ensure that only those who work hard will get these benefits?  Most Americans don't want that money going to people who aren't motivated and could care less about their own future.  The $20 billion per year that he proposed needs to be spent wisely.  How do we know that his plan will work?  Edwards needs to be sure to outline better why this plan is pro-labor, and not pro-socialism.  Overall, it is about time someone like Edwards focused on dealing with the increased cost of living issue.  The Republicans are ignoring that issue each day, especially with their vote this week to block Democrats from raising minimum wage.

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Other blogs are writing about this issue: The Ward Report, The Bully Pulpit, Cosmogenium, Andrew Golis, The Truth about Political Stuff.