Statement about Public Job Creation

"This country deserves better leadership. This country deserves somebody in the White House who has had some contact with the vast majority of Americans who are struggling today -- I don’t mean just the unemployed, and I don’t mean just the poor. You can take anybody in this country making from $20,000 on down, and they are having a tough time, a very tough time. This country needs a change, now."
Boston, MA • February 13, 1976

Ford’s leadership is bankrupt. This veto is just one more part of Ford’s long line of anti-people, big business policies. Ford only knows how to say “no” - President “No”.

  • No, to education.
  • No, to health care for all Americans.
  • No, to older Americans.
  • No, to school lunches.
  • No, to jobs for Americans who want to work.
  • No, to America’s future.

Ford and his advisors have a bleeding heart for Wall Street brokers. The Republicans will bail out big business with tax dollars - dollars that end up as bribes to corrupt foreign officials. But Ford won’t bail out people. My blood boils when Jerry Ford vetoes a bill to provide jobs, or fails to help the elderly.

It’s easy to take pencils from a blind man. It’s easy to put the screws on people who can’t fight back.

Ask Ford what humanity there is in that? Ask Ford what compassion there is in that? Even ask Ford what economy there is in that. And, I ask, is that a President to lead the world’s greatest democracy into its Third Century?

To every American who wants to work, Ford says: we can’t afford to put people to work. Ford says: stay on welfare, collect unemployment checks. To every American who wants to work, Ford says: wait for two years while I get the economy moving again.

I reject those policies. I say America works, and I want to put America back to work again.

Congress’ bill will provide 600,000 people with needed public jobs - jobs that help people. Even that is not enough. I have already proposed a comprehensive economic program to put America back to work. This program means:

  • 1.6 million public jobs, for health, police, firemen, railroads.
  • investment incentive in job-intensive activities.
  • tax credits to business for each new job created for unemployed workers
  • lower interest rates for small business.
  • expansionary monetary policy, 9% in 1976.
  • extension of the tax cut without cutbacks in needed medical programs.

This country deserves better leadership. This country deserves somebody in the White House who has had some contact with the vast majority of Americans who are struggling today - I don’t just mean the unemployed, and I don’t just mean the poor. You can take anybody in this country making from $20,000 on down, and they are having a tough time, a very tough time. This country needs a change, NOW.

Peace requires the simple but powerful recognition that what we have in common as human beings is more important and crucial than what divides us.
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Sargent Shriver
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