Posted on 07/31/2004 8:11:26 AM PDT by 7.62 x 51mm
Thousands Crowd Capitol To Listen To Kerry Lucy Barnett, Staff Writer
POSTED: 11:09 am EDT July 30, 2004 UPDATED: 10:20 pm EDT July 30, 2004 HARRISBURG, Pa. -- A crowd of 25,000-30,000 people came out to the state Capitol Friday night to hear what the Democratic presidential ticket had to say.
Sen. John Kerry thanked his supporters for coming out. He spoke about his wife, running mate and family.
Kerry talked about funding schools.
"We're going to fund 'No Child Left Behind,'" Kerry said.
He spoke of his time as a prosecutor, saying that he never met a child who was in the system because adults were not in their lives.
"What does it mean to a country when we're content to spend $50,000 a year to send one of those young people to prison for the rest of their life when we ought to be investing $10,000 in Head Start, Early Start, Smart Start, the best possible start for those children?" Kerry said.
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Harrisburg Rally Scranton Rally
He talked about water quality and air quality.
"We need to preserve the habitat. We need to pass it on to our children in better shape than we were given it by our parents," Kerry said.
Kerry criticized the war the Iraqi war, but said he supports our troops. He said he knows how to deal with the situation with Iraq as it is now, to live up to the Unites States' responsibility, but he said it is necessary to work with other countries to do so.
"Working with other countries and sharing responsibility is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength," Kerry said.
On a lighter note, Kerry wished his running mate and his wife a happy anniversary.
Before introducing Kerry, Sen. John Edwards talked about Kerry's track record, from his military service, to his work as a prosecutor and a U.S. senator.
Actor Ben Affleck and Gov. Ed Rendell had a chance to speak at the beginning of the program, and then both Teresa Heinz Kerry and Elizabeth Edwards spoke about their husbands.
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Scranton Hosts Kerry/Edwards Campaign Earlier Friday in Scranton, Kerry hit many of the same points as he spoke to crowds of supporters.
Kerry said he is currently working on a health care bill that he promised to submit to Congress on his first day in office if elected president.
"Health care is not a privilege for the wealthy, but a right for all Americans," Kerry said.
Kerry also promised to stop tax cuts for the wealthy.
"The middle class deserves a champion and a fair shot," Kerry said.
Kerry also called for America to become less dependent on foreign oil.
"We're going to do what we need to do to make sure no hostages are killed because of America's dependence on oil in the Middle East," he said.
Previous Stories:
* July 30, 2004: Kerry Comes To Harrisburg * July 29, 2004: Preparations Under Way For Kerry's Visit
* July 29, 2004: Tickets Available For Kerry's Harrisburg Visit
Hey, I'd go to see a colossal train wreck-in-progress, too.
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