Kerry’s for Working Families Like Mine

From Gerald W. McEntee, AFSCME President

By Nov. 2, the Presidential campaigns of John F. Kerry and George W. Bush are expected to spend a total of $455 million — before the tens of millions of dollars the candidates will receive from their political parties and outside groups — on TV commercials, radio spots and print ads.

But at its core, this election is about much more than catchy slogans. This election is about our children and our grandchildren — whether they will live in a nation that supports their dreams, and helps them open the doors to opportunity, or whether they will live in a nation where they can’t get ahead, no matter how hard they try.

When I was growing up, my parents — and those of my friends — did not have college degrees. I was the first in my family to earn one. That was because my dad rose every morning, before the sun came up, and climbed behind the wheel of a trash truck.

Election is about family

My dad, like countless others of his generation, lived in an America that supported his hard work, helped him raise a family, and provided the sure footing my friends and I used to step up to the middle class.

In turn, the 40-plus years I have spent in the labor movement have allowed me to give my kids the support they needed to go to college, build businesses, hold stable jobs, raise strong families and reach their goals.

When it comes down to it, isn’t that what we all want for our children — a life better than our own?

But as I look at the course our nation is on today,I know that idea is in jeopardy. I know that no matter how hard my children work, my 16- and 17-year-old grandsons might not reach higher ground than their parents. The reality is that the America in which my parents raised me is just about gone.

Shrinking Opportunities

Today, the rich are getting richer. Good jobs are going overseas. Companies are working harder than ever to bust unions. Health insurance is out of the financial reach of millions. College tuition is rising 14 times faster than inflation. Pensions are at risk. Social Security is being threatened with privatization. And historic state deficits have put public sector jobs and services on the chopping block. If the nation continues along its same path, my grandchildren will face an America with shrinking — not growing — opportunity. As a grandparent, I am even more concerned about George W. Bush’s insistence on following a "go-it-alone" strategy when it comes to foreign policy. His re-election could lead to a reinstatement of the draft, bringing even greater harm to my grandchildren and other innocent young men and women.

This election matters because George W. Bush’s Presidency has been a disaster for our nation,and the stakes have never been higher. But I know John F. Kerry can turn our country around. He supports working families, and he has a plan to address health care. Kerry will create jobs, raise the minimum wage and get our nation’s budget back on track.

But more than that, this election matters to me as a father and a grandfather who knows his children and grandchildren deserve a fair shot at living in an America where the opportunities are limitless.

In the weeks to come, when you hear slogans about family values, think about your own family members and the issues that matter to them. Then cast your vote for Kerry on Nov. 2.

This portion of the website is posted in full compliance with FEC regulations (11C.F.R. Sect.11 4.5(i)). It is paid for by the AFSCME PEOPLE Committee, with voluntary contributions from union members and their families, and is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.