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"What we do about the millions of Americans who wake up every day literally worried about feeding and clothing their children says something about the content and character of our souls." – John Edwards

In the United States today, nearly 37 million Americans live in poverty—including 12.9 million children. This is a national disgrace—and we have a responsibility to do something about it. [Census Bureau, 2007]

Check out these facts:

• One in eight Americans live in poverty—including one in five children
• Half the world—roughly three billion people—live on less than two dollars a day.
• Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
• Close to half of all people in developing countries suffering at any given time from a health problem caused by water and sanitation deficits.
• For the 1.9 billion children from the developing world, there are:
  • 640 million without adequate shelter (one in three)
  • 400 million with no access to safe water (one in five)
  • 270 million with no access to health services (one in seven)
  • The poorer the country, the more likely it is that debt repayments are being extracted directly from people who neither contracted the loans nor received any of the money. [Global Issues, 2006]

John Edwards believes that fighting poverty—at home and around the world—is the great moral issue of our time. He has challenged America to set an ambitious goal that could fundamentally change our country. His plan will lift 12 million Americans out of poverty in a decade, and eliminate poverty over the next 30 years. In Edwards' vision of a "Working Society," everyone who is able to work will be expected to work and lifted out of poverty.

Edwards has also outlined plans to expand affordable housing, help families save, strengthen education, and promote responsible families.

To read more, click here.

John Edwards also believes that the United States must lead in the fight against global poverty. This is not just a moral issue. It is also a security issue, because global poverty provides a safe harbor for instability, extremism, and terrorism.

As president, John Edwards will fundamentally transform America's approach to the world. He has proposed a $5 billion initiative to:

• Enroll every child in school
• Lead the world toward a primary education for every child
• Invest in preventive medicine
• Create economic and political opportunity
• Create a Cabinet-level post on global poverty

To read more, click here.

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