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The Strength and
Experience to Lead
These are times
of both challenge
and opportunity for
Latinos in America.
We entered the 21st
century filled with
hope, ready to seize
the promise of a
more prosperous
nation and a more
peaceful world. But,
during the last six
and a half years, we
have done exactly
the opposite. We
have failed to
invest in our future,
in our schools, in
our families. We
have gotten mired in
another country’s
civil war, a war
without a military
solution. And today,
too many Latino
families are falling
behind.
If there was ever
a need for change in
America, it is now.
I believe we should
start by creating an
education system
worthy of our
children. Latino
families know that
education is the key
to prosperity, and
that is why we need
to support our
children from a very
young age. As
President, I will
provide access to
pre-kindergarten for
every four year old
in America, so they
have the
opportunities they
need to fulfill
their God-given
potential. I will
recruit and retain
outstanding teachers
and address the drop-out
crisis that is
affecting so many
Latino students. I
will continue to
strongly support the
DREAM ACT, which
allows undocumented
students to pursue
higher education and
legal residence.
Access to higher
education is key
part of the American
dream, and we have
to make it easier
for young people
from all backgrounds
to attend college —
and to graduate. |
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|
Hillary
Clinton
is a
Senator
from New
York and
a
Democratic
Presidential
Candidate |
|
We must
also confront America’s
healthcare crisis. I have been
working on this issue for many
years, and as I travel the
country today, I hear stories of
parents worried about being able
to take their children to a
doctor, families worried that
one illness or accident will
result in financial ruin. Today,
47 million Americans have no
health insurance, and Latinos
are more likely to be uninsured
than any other racial or ethnic
group in the country.
I’ve
proposed an American Health
Choices Plan to address this
crisis. My plan will provide
quality, affordable healthcare
for every American. It will
allow the 17.9 million Latinos
with employer-sponsored coverage
to pay lower premiums for higher
quality coverage. It will
strengthen Medicaid for the 9.6
million Latinos who receive care
through this program. And it
will help eliminate racial and
ethnic disparities in health
care, and increase diversity and
cultural and linguistic
competency in the health care
system.
We also
need to finally pass a
comprehensive immigration reform
that honors our history as both
a nation of immigrants and a
nation of laws. Our immigration
system is broken, and every day,
hundreds of families – many of
whom have been separated from
each other for years – are
paying the price. That is why,
when I’m President, I will work
to pass an immigration plan with
a path to earned legalization.
I’ll also fight to strengthen
our borders, crack down on
employers who exploit
undocumented workers, and find
ways to help create jobs in
people’s home countries so they
don’t have to risk their lives
in search of a better future.
Finally,
it is long past time that we
ended the war in Iraq and
brought our troops home. We all
know the costs of this war: our
sons and daughters, friends and
neighbors fighting in Iraq and
losing their lives in Iraq. I’m
working as hard as I can to end
this war in the Senate. And if
President Bush does not end it
before he leaves office, when
I’m President, I will.
Will
making these changes be easy? Of
course not. After all, change is
just a word without the strength
and experience to make it happen.
I know
some people think you have to
choose between change and
experience. But with me, you
don’t have to choose. I’ve spent
my whole life fighting for
change, as a citizen activist,
in state government, for eight
years in the White House, and
six and a half years in the
Senate. I’ll bring that
experience to begin changing
Washington from day one.
Together,
we will restore American
leadership around the world;
rebuild the middle class and the
American economy; reform the
government in Washington; and
reclaim the future for all our
children.
By Hillary
Clinton |
