Barbara Lee Highlights Progressive Vision During State of the District Address
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: February 11, 2008
Contact: Cleve Mesidor, (202) 225-2661
(Oakland, CA) – In front of hundreds of Bay Area residents, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, delivered her annual State of the District address on Monday night. Sharing her progressive vision, she discussed her agenda for the 9th District and the nation, touted constituent success stories and outlined major legislative victories.
The following is an excerpt from the speech (as prepared for delivery):
“We must forge beyond our progress in delivering economic security for all by providing a living wage for all Americans; by making housing a fundamental right; by finally delivering on universal health care for all; by ensuring every child has access to a quality public education at all levels, and; by ensuring our trade polices are just and fair.
“We must forge beyond our progress in promoting global peace and security by ending the occupation in Iraq and bringing our troops home this year; by preventing this President from marching to war with Iran; by ending the genocide in Darfur; by enacting a sane and balanced defense budget, and; by addressing the true root causes of global insecurity - global poverty, and disease, including HIV/AIDS.
“We must forge beyond our progress in protecting and preserving our civil rights and liberties by restoring the Geneva convention and ending policies allowing torture; by closing down Guantanamo; by ensuring reform and fairness in voting, and; by restoring the full protections of the 4th amendment.
“We must forge beyond our progress in protecting the environment and toward achieving energy independence by tackling global warming, and; by making sure that in California, our waiver to more aggressively curb car emissions is given the green light.”
Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) is co-chair of the Progressive Caucus and a co-founder of the Out of Iraq Caucus. She sits on the House Appropriations Committee, where she serves on the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Subcommittee, the State Foreign Operations Subcommittee and is Vice-Chair of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee.
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