Edwards Campaign Press Release - On Day Two Of "Fighting For One America" Tour, Edwards Announces More Than 1,000 Rural Supporters

Also Outlines Initiative to Bring Back Economic Opportunities for Young People in Small Towns and Revitalize Rural America

Sioux City, Ida Grove, Rockwell City, Pocahontas, Clarion and Clear Lake, Iowa – As Senator John Edwards' "Fighting for One America" tour continues across Iowa, Edwards showed the strength of his campaign by announcing the support of more than 1,000 Iowans from rural communities in all 99 counties who have agreed to caucus for him. Edwards also outlined a comprehensive strategy to help young people in rural America find opportunity close to home so they aren't forced to leave their communities.

"Too many small towns in America are turning into ghost towns as young people move away to find opportunity elsewhere," Edwards said. "As president, I will lead an aggressive effort to reverse the loss of jobs and opportunity in rural towns like the one I grew up in. I believe we can revitalize and reenergize rural economies with new industries so that young people can find good jobs in their own community. At the same time, we need to stand up to big agribusiness conglomerates and their Washington lobbyists and make sure that family farmers can earn a decent living."

The announcement of the 1,000 rural supporters shows Edwards' growing support in rural Iowa. It also reflects his broad appeal to rural voters like those in Iowa and other swing states that will decide the general election – support based on Edwards' detailed and bold agenda to invest in rural communities and his long track record of standing up for rural towns like the one he grew up in. In April, the Edwards campaign became the first campaign in either party to announce a Rural Chair for all 99 counties in Iowa. These Rural Chairs are helping to organize support for Edwards among their friends and neighbors, and played a key role in recruiting the 1,000 rural supporters.

Bringing Opportunity and Hope Back to Rural Communities for Our Young People

In April, Edwards proposed a Rural Recovery Act to revitalize rural America. Today, Edwards expanded on this proposal, outlining an aggressive strategy to ensure that young people can find opportunities in rural America. Details of the new strategy include:

• Investing Seed Money for Rural Recovery: Edwards will create the Rural Economic Advancement Challenge (REACH) Fund to bring management expertise and desperately needed investment capital to small town America, so that entrepreneurs can have a chance to succeed.
• Preventing Brain Drain: Edwards will target part of his REACH fund for local entrepreneurs to young adults under 30, strengthen federal support for beginning farmer programs and rural youth development programs, and provide new training and education opportunities for young people to get jobs in the new energy economy – jobs that will be based primarily in rural areas.
• Creating the New Energy Economy in Rural America: Edwards will establish the New Energy Economy Fund to jumpstart renewable energies – including ethanol, biodiesel, wind, and solar – which can create new industries and hundreds of thousands of jobs in Iowa and throughout rural America.
• Standing up for Family Farmers: Edwards will protect the family farm so that young people have a chance to continue this important tradition while earning a decent living. To counter agribusiness' devastating effect on local farms, he will enact a national ban on packer ownership and a moratorium on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). He will also limit farm subsidies to $250,000 per person, close loopholes in payment limits, and expand conservation programs.
• Investing in Rural Broadband: Edwards will identify service gaps to encourage investment, require telephone and cable companies not to discriminate against rural communities and set aside a portion of the broadcast spectrum for community providers to improve service in rural areas.
• Prohibiting Banks from Discriminating Against Rural America: Rural communities have fewer bank branches and per-capita small business loans, and more high-cost mortgages. Edwards will prevent banks from discriminating against rural areas and increase investment in rural small businesses. He will also enact a strong national law against predatory mortgages common in rural areas.
• Fighting for Economic Fairness: With one out of every 10 Iowans living in poverty, Edwards will raise the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2012 with automatic increases after that. He would cut taxes for low-wage workers, help workers save and invest, and expand affordable housing near good jobs and schools.

A detailed summary of the new proposal is below. The Edwards campaign has launched a blog on its Iowa webpage featuring updates, photos, and video about the seven-day "Fighting for One America" bus tour. To follow along with the trip, Iowans are invited visit JohnEdwards.com/Iowa.

Keeping Faith with the Next Generation

Edwards Outlines Plan to Restore Hope, Create Opportunity in Rural Iowa

Too often, politicians in Washington have looked out for big business and ignored the challenges facing rural America. Many small towns in Iowa are struggling: rural workers in the state earn 23 percent less than urban workers. Rural manufacturing has been hit particularly hard by unfair trade practices that privilege multinational corporations' interests over those of workers. As young people move away, small towns are turning into ghost towns. Born in a small town, John Edwards knows the struggles of rural families and believes that America cannot turn its back on the rural communities that are the keepers of American values like family, work, community, and freedom. Today, Edwards outlined initiatives to restore economic fairness and create new jobs and businesses in rural Iowa and rural areas across America, help struggling counties and towns, and protect the rural way of life. [USDA, 2007]

Keeping The Faith With The Next Generation Of Rural Iowans:

Over the 1990s, Iowa lost one-third of its college graduates and ranked number two in out-migration of single, college-educated youth nationwide. Senior citizens own half of Iowa's farmland, and young farmers are getting priced out of farming by land prices that have risen 77 percent in real terms over the past decade. John Edwards will target 20 percent of his REACH fund for rural entrepreneurs to young adults under 30 and devote new resources to rural youth development programs and beginning farmer initiatives that connect young people with retiring farmers as well as offering grants, loans, and business advice. He will prepare the next generation of Iowa's workers in the new energy economy with his Green Collar Jobs Training Program and high school Green Academies. Finally, he will cut college debt with his College for Everyone program and student loan reforms, offer scholarships to youth who commit to teaching in rural areas and devote resources to smart strategies to fight drug abuse, which has been on the rise among rural youth. [Census Bureau, 2003; New York Times, 8/8/07; USDA, 2007]

Restoring Economic Fairness To Rural America:

• Investing Seed Money for Rural Recovery: Cultivating local small businesses is a promising economic development strategy for rural areas, but only 1 percent of state economic development funds now support local entrepreneurs. Edwards will create the Rural Economic Advancement Challenge (REACH) Fund to bring capital and management expertise to small town America. The REACH Fund will connect investors with rural entrepreneurs, organize businesses into networks to help them succeed together, and ensure that rural areas have access to investment capital. [RUPRI, 2007]
• Creating the New Energy Economy in Rural America: Renewable sources of energy -- including ethanol, biodiesel, wind, and solar -- can make the U.S. independent of foreign oil, cut global warming pollution, and create new industries and hundreds of thousands of jobs in rural America. Edwards will establish the New Energy Economy Fund to jumpstart renewable energies with start-up capital.
• Standing Up for Family Farmers: Edwards will enforce country-of-origin labeling laws and laws against anticompetitive mergers and unfair pricing. To counter agribusiness' devastating effect on local farms, he will enact a national ban on packer ownership and a moratorium on concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). He will also limit farm subsidies to $250,000 per person, close loopholes in payment limits, and expand conservation programs.
• Investing in Rural Broadband: Rural households are about half as likely to have a broadband connection even though digital inclusion is one of the surest ways to attract businesses. Edwards will identify service gaps to encourage investment, require telephone and cable companies not to discriminate against rural communities and set aside a portion of the broadcast spectrum for community providers to improve service in rural areas. [ITU, 2006; CWA, 2006; Pew, 2006]
• Prohibiting Banks from Discriminating against Rural America: Rural communities have fewer bank branches and per-capita small business loans, and more high-cost mortgages. Edwards will prevent banks from discriminating against rural areas and increase investment in rural small businesses. He will also enact a strong national law against predatory mortgages common in rural areas. [NCRC, 2007; Carsey Institute, 2006; FRB of St. Louis, 2004; SBA, 2004; ICBA, 2006.]
• Fighting for Economic Fairness: One out of every 10 Iowans are in poverty. To eliminate poverty nationwide within 30 years, Edwards will raise the minimum wage to $9.50 by 2012 and index it, cut taxes for low-wage workers, help workers save and invest, and expand affordable housing near good jobs and schools. [USDA, 2007; Census Bureau, 2000]

Helping Rural Towns And Counties:

• Guaranteeing Rural America the Funding It Needs and Is Entitled to: More than half of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's $70 billion in rural development funds has gone to metropolitan regions, suburbs, and resort towns like Martha's Vineyard. Edwards will rewrite funding rules to bring resources to needy rural areas. Because many small towns lack grant-writing expertise, Edwards will direct federal agencies to simplify the grant application. [Washington Post, 4/6/2007]
• Strengthening Rural Schools: Small rural schools often struggle to attract and retain excellent teachers and provide a complete curriculum. Edwards will improve pay for teachers in rural schools and offer college scholarships for students who commit to teach in rural schools. Distance learning can bring the content of the world's best universities, libraries, and museums to rural areas. Software incorporating virtual reality, digital modeling, and intelligent tutoring systems can dramatically accelerate learning. Edwards will invest in bringing these new teaching tools to rural America. [RSCT, 2006 and 2007; Digital Promise, 2003]
• Improving Rural Health Care: Over the past 25 years, 470 rural American hospitals have closed. Iowa ranks 44th in the nation for physician-to-population. Edwards' universal health care plan will cover the more than 7 million uninsured rural Americans and establish a national network of safety net clinics and public hospitals. He will rewrite unfair funding formulas, and invest in telemedicine to connect distant specialists and advanced equipment with local doctors and patients. Improving health care in rural America will also drive economic development -- each doctor creates eight new jobs. [Winbush & Crichlow, 2005; Iowa Public Health, 2007; Wakefield, 2000; KFF, 2003]

Protecting The Rural Way Of Life:

• Ridding Rural America of Methamphetamines: Many areas of rural America are facing the devastating effects of meth abuse. Edwards will invest in enforcing drug laws in rural areas, help states make meth ingredients more difficult to get, and expand treatment programs.
• Protecting Lawful Gun Ownership: In small towns, hunting and gun ownership is a way of life. We can protect Second Amendment rights while also doing more to keep guns out of the hands of people who may pose a danger to themselves or others. Edwards will protect the right of law-abiding citizens to participate in gun shows, while ensuring that firearms sold there are subject to an instant check.
• Expanding Access to Clean Water: Across America, rural households are four times more likely to go without proper plumbing. Edwards will help local areas improve their infrastructure and tackle local pollution problems. He will also establish tough clean air and water requirements for concentrated animal feeding operations.