Ending 21st Century Discrimination

http://www.joebiden.com/issues/?id=0025

“What made me run for the Senate 35 years ago?  Civil rights.  I wanted to end the discrimination I saw.  Thirty-five years later we have changed America and moved closer to our ideals, but new and more subtle sins are still there.  It’s still my call to end the injustices I see.”  –Senator Joe Biden

Joe Biden believes that no one in this country should be discriminated against because of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.  He believes that government has an obligation to ensure that individuals are free from discrimination and that fundamental principle – that freedom and justice should be equally applied to each American.  He would

• End Discrimination Based On Sexual Orientation:  Joe Biden believes legal recognition and benefits should not be denied same-sex couples. He supports civil unions.  He advocates for re-examining federal laws, including the tax code, to ensure our national laws are not unfair to same-sex couples.  He opposes discrimination based on sexual orientation against adults who wish to adopt. Joe Biden believes that permanent partners of US citizens or lawful residents should be treated fairly and by the same standards as married couples under the immigration code.  
• End Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell:  Joe Biden supports ending the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy.  Twenty-four of the nations serving alongside U.S. forces in Iraq permit open service, and it has no negative impact on their forces or the morale of the soldiers.  Joe Biden believes turning away patriotic Americans who volunteer to serve solely because of their sexual orientation is wrong.
• Stop Discrimination at Work:  While workplace discrimination is not as obvious as when the Senator’s ancestors faced “No Irish Need Apply,” signs, today minorities, women, and gays and lesbians hear excuses like, “she won’t fit in,” or “he’s too qualified,” as employers pass on them.  It may be subtle, but it’s hate in the heart, nevertheless.  So Joe Biden supports the Employment Non-Discrimination Act to prohibit job discrimination of any kind.
• Investigate and Punish Hate Crimes: Senator Biden is a strong supporter of the Mathew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act to expand federal and state coordination to fight hate crimes.  Every year more than 7,000 hate crimes are committed.  Senator Biden believes these acts not only hurt victims, they damage the values that are America.  Joe Biden has consistently supported expanding federal hate crimes to include offenses based on gender, sexual orientation or disability. 
• Judge the Judges:  The recent Supreme Court term proves that judges and justices can undo decades of progress on civil rights.  That’s why Joe Biden has a well-earned reputation of being tough on judging judicial appointments.  As chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee, he kept Robert Bork off the Supreme Court.  More recently, as a senior member of the Committee, he strongly opposed putting Bush nominees John Roberts and Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court, fearing what unfortunately has proven true – they want to erase decades of progress on civil rights.  He also opposes the nomination of Leslie Southwick to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in part because as a state judge Southwick found that a parent’s sexual orientation was a basis for denial of custody.  As the Bush Administration continues to try to pack federal courts with judges committed to a narrow view of the Constitution that denies minorities and women equal protection, Joe Biden will remain the voice of opposition. 
• Ensure Adequate Funding for Research and Treatment of HIV/AIDS:  Joe Biden was a co-sponsor of the original Ryan White Care Act and has supported all reauthorization efforts.  He has supported numerous efforts to increase federal funding of research and treatment for people with HIV/AIDS and has consistently backed initiatives to supply AIDS drugs to the poor, both here in the United States and internationally on the African continent and in other developing countries.  Joe Biden supports comprehensive and age appropriate sex-education that includes science-based prevention methods.

Iraq: A Way Forward

http://www.joebiden.com/issues/?id=0009

President Bush does not have a strategy for victory in Iraq. His strategy is to prevent defeat and to hand the problem off to his successor. As a result, more and more Americans understandably want a rapid withdrawal, even at the risk of trading a dictator for chaos and a civil war that could become a regional war. Both are bad alternatives.

• A REAL Plan For IraqVisit PlanForIraq.com and read Senator Biden's comprehensive plan to end sectarian violence in Iraq.

There is a third way that can achieve the two objectives most Americans share: to bring our troops home without leaving chaos behind. The idea is to maintain a unified Iraq by federalizing it and giving Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis breathing room in their own regions. The central government would be responsible for common interests, like border security and the distribution of oil revenues. The plan would bind the Sunnis - who have no oil -- by guaranteeing them a proportionate share of oil revenues. It would convene an international conference to secure support for the power sharing arrangement and produce a regional nonaggression pact, overseen by a Contact Group of major powers. It would call on the U.S. military to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq by the summer of 2008, with a residual force to keep Iraqis and their neighbors honest. It would increase economic aid but tie it to the protection of minority rights and the creation of a jobs program and seek funding from the oil-rich Gulf Arab states. The new, central reality in Iraq is deep and growing sectarian violence between the Shiites and Sunnis. In last December's elections, 90 percent of the votes went to sectarian lists. Ethnic militias increasingly are the law in Iraq. They have infiltrated the official security forces. Massive unemployment is feeding the sectarian militia. Sectarian cleansing has forced at least 250,000 Iraqis to flee their homes in recent months. At the same time, Al Qaeda is now so firmly entrenched in Western Iraq that it has morphed into an indigenous jihadist threat. As a result, Iraq risks becoming what it was not before the war: a haven for radical fundamentalists.

There is no purely military solution to the sectarian civil war. The only way to break the vicious cycle of violence - and to create the conditions for our armed forces to responsibly withdraw -- is to give Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds incentives to pursue their interests peacefully. That requires an equitable and viable power sharing arrangement. That's where Joe Biden's plan comes in. This plan is not partition - in fact, it may be the only way to prevent violent partition and preserve a unified Iraq. This plan is consistent with Iraq's constitution, which provides for Iraq's 18 provinces to join together in regions, with their own security forces, and control over most day-to-day issues. This plan is the only idea on the table for dealing with the militia, which are likely to retreat to their respective regions. This plan is consistent with a strong central government, with clearly defined responsibilities. Indeed, it provides an agenda for that government, whose mere existence will not end sectarian violence.

The example of Bosnia is illustrative. Ten years ago, Bosnia was being torn apart by ethnic cleansing. The United States stepped in decisively with the Dayton Accords to keep the country whole by, paradoxically, dividing it into ethnic federations. We even allowed Muslims, Croats and Serbs to retain separate armies. With the help of U.S. troops and others, Bosnians have lived a decade in peace. Now, they are strengthening their central government, and disbanding their separate armies.

The course we're on leads to a terrible civil war and possibly a regional war. Joe Biden's plan is designed to head that off. He believe it is the best way to bring our troops home, protect our fundamental security interests, and preserve Iraq as a unified country.

The question for those who reject this plan is simple: what is your alternative?

A Five Point Plan for Iraq

1. Establish One Iraq, with Three Regions

• Federalize Iraq in accordance with its constitution by establishing three largely autonomous regions - Shiite, Sunni and Kurd -- with a strong but limited central government in Baghdad
• Put the central government in charge of truly common interests: border defense, foreign policy, oil production and revenues
• Form regional governments -- Kurd, Sunni and Shiite -- responsible for administering their own regions

2. Share Oil Revenues

• Gain agreement for the federal solution from the Sunni Arabs by guaranteeing them 20 percent of all present and future oil revenues -- an amount roughly proportional to their size -- which would make their region economically viable
• Empower the central government to set national oil policy and distribute the revenues, which would attract needed foreign investment and reinforce each community's interest in keeping Iraq intact and protecting the oil infrastructure

3. Convene International Conference, Enforce Regional Non-Aggression Pact

• Convene with the U.N. a regional security conference where Iraq's neighbors, including Iran, pledge to support Iraq's power sharing agreement and respect Iraq's borders
• Engage Iraq's neighbors directly to overcome their suspicions and focus their efforts on stabilizing Iraq, not undermining it
• Create a standing Contact Group, to include the major powers, that would engage Iraq's neighbors and enforce their commitments

4. Responsibly Drawdown US Troops

• Direct U.S. military commanders to develop a plan to withdraw and re-deploy almost all U.S. forces from Iraq by the summer of 2008
• Maintain in or near Iraq a small residual force -- perhaps 20,000 troops -- to strike any concentration of terrorists, help keep Iraq's neighbors honest and train its security forces

5. Increase Reconstruction Assistance and Create a Jobs Program

• Provide more reconstruction assistance, conditioned on the protection of minority and women's rights and the establishment of a jobs program to give Iraqi youth an alternative to the militia and criminal gangs
• Insist that other countries take the lead in funding reconstruction by making good on old commitments and providing new ones -- especially the oil-rich Arab Gulf countries

Plan for Iraq: What It Is - and What It Is Not

Some commentators have either misunderstood the Plan, or mischaracterized it. Here is what the plan is - and what it is not:

1. The Plan is not partition.

In fact, it may be the only way to prevent a violent partition - which has already started -- and preserve a unified Iraq. We call for a strong central government, with clearly defined responsibilities for truly common interests like foreign policy and the distribution of oil revenues. Indeed, the Plan provides an agenda for that government, whose mere existence will not end sectarian violence.

2. The Plan is not a foreign imposition.

To the contrary, it is consistent with Iraq's constitution, which already provides for Iraq's 18 provinces to join together in regions, with their own security forces, and control over most day-to-day issues. On October 11, Iraq's parliament approved legislation to implement the constitution's articles on federalism. Prior to the British colonial period and Saddam's military dictatorship, what is now Iraq functioned as three largely autonomous regions.

But federalism alone is not enough. To ensure Sunni support, it is imperative that Iraqis also agree to an oil revenue sharing formula that guarantees the Sunni region economic viability. The United States should strongly promote such an agreement. The final decisions will be up to Iraqis, but if we do not help them arrange the necessary compromises, nothing will get done. At key junctures in the past, we have used our influence to shape political outcomes in Iraq, notably by convincing the Shiites and Kurds to accept a provision allowing for the constitution to be amended following its adoption, which was necessary to secure Sunni participation in the referendum. Using our influence is not the same as imposing our will. With 140,000 Americans at risk, we have a right and an obligation to make known our views.

3. The Plan is not an invitation to sectarian cleansing.

Tragically, that invitation has been sent, received and acted upon. Since the Samarra mosque bombing in February, one quarter of a million Iraqis have fled their homes for fear of sectarian violence, at a rate now approaching 10,000 people a week. That does not include hundreds of thousands of Iraqis - many from the professional class - who have left Iraq since the war. Only a political settlement, as proposed in the Plan, has a chance to stop this downward spiral.

4. The Plan is the only idea on the table for dealing with the sectarian militia.

It offers a realistic albeit interim solution. Realistic, because none of the major groups will give up their militia voluntarily in the absence of trust and confidence and neither we or the Iraqi government has the means to force them to do so. Once federalism is implemented, the militias are likely to retreat to their respective regions to protect their own and vie for power, instead of killing the members of other groups. But it is only an interim solution, because no nation can sustain itself peacefully with private armies. Over time, if a political settlement endures, the militia would be incorporated into regional and national forces, as is happening in Bosnia.

5. The Plan is an answer to the problem of mixed cities.

Large cities with mixed populations present a challenge under any plan now being considered. The essence of the Plan is that mixed populations can only live together peacefully if their leadership is truly satisfied with the overall arrangement. If so, that leadership will help keep the peace in the cities. At the same time, we would make Baghdad a federal city, and buttress the protection of minorities there and in the other mixed cities with an international peacekeeping force. Right now, the prospect for raising such a force is small. But following a political settlement, an international conference and the establishment of a Contact Group, others are more likely to participate, including countries like Saudi Arabia which have offered peacekeepers in the past.

6. The Plan is in the self-interest of Iran.

Iran likes it exactly as it is in Iraq - with the United States bogged down and bleeding. But the prospect of a civil war in Iraq is not in Tehran's interest: it could easily spill over Iraq's borders and turn into a regional war with neighbors intervening on opposing sides and exacerbating the Sunni-Shiite divide at a time Shiite Iran is trying to exert leadership in the Islamic world. Iran also would receive large refugee flows as Iraqis flee the fighting. Iran, like all of Iraq's neighbors, has an interest in Iraq remaining unified and not splitting into independent states. Iran does not want to see an independent Kurdistan emerge and serve as an example for its own restive 5 million Kurds. That's why Iran - and all of Iraq's neighbors -- can and should be engaged to support a political settlement in Iraq.

7. The Plan is in the self-interest of Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.

The Sunnis increasingly understand they will not regain power in Iraq. Faced with the choice of being a permanent minority player in a central government dominated by Shiites or having the freedom to control their day-to-day lives in a Sunni region, they are likely to choose the latter provided they are guaranteed a fair share of oil revenues to make their region viable. The Shiites know they can dominate Iraq politically, but not defeat a Sunni insurgency, which can bleed Iraq for years. The Kurds may dream of independence, but fear the reaction of Turkey and Iran - their interest is to achieve as much autonomy as possible while keeping Iraq together. Why would Shiites and Kurds give up some oil revenues to the Sunnis? Because that is the price of peace and the only way to attract the massive foreign investment needed to maximize Iraqi oil production. The result will be to give Shiites and Kurds a smaller piece of a much larger oil pie and give all three groups an incentive to protect the oil infrastructure.

Empowering Women to Take Charge

http://www.joebiden.com/issues?id=0021

“What I'm most proud of in my entire career is the Violence Against Women Act. It showed we can change people's lives, but the change is always one person at a time. There are many more laws and attitudes that need changing so women are treated with equal opportunities at work, in the classroom, and in our health care system.” – Senator Joe Biden

Joe Biden: Empowering Women to Take Charge

Stopping Violence Against Women: Joe Biden led the fight to criminalize violence against women and to hold batterers truly accountable by writing the ground-breaking Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) in the 1990s. It encouraged states to set up coordinated community responses to domestic violence and rape; spurred states to pass hundreds of laws prohibiting family violence; and provided resources to create shelters so battered women abused by husbands and boyfriends had a safe place to go. The law also established a national hotline for abused women that over 1.5 million have used for help. By training law enforcement and prosecutors to treat abuse like the crime it is by arresting and convicting abusive husbands instead of telling them to take a walk around the block, and by empowering women to make changes in their lives, domestic violence is down 50 percent and rape is down 60 percent nationwide. However, there remains work to be done, so in 2007, the Senator introduced the National Domestic Violence Volunteer Attorney Network Act, an innovative initiative that would recruit volunteer lawyers and match them with domestic violence victims.

Working for Equality in the Workplace: Joe Biden has fought to level the playing field for women at work through legislation punishing sexual harassment and working to end pay inequity. Today, women still face pay inequality, earning on average 77 cents for every dollar a man makes doing the same work. In an effort to address this discrimination, Joe Biden is a strong supporter of the Paycheck Fairness Act and the Fair Pay Restoration Act which works to prevent pay discrimination by strengthening penalties should it occur and fixing a Supreme Court decision that makes it more difficult for women to bring pay discrimination cases. Joe Biden also supported increasing the federal minimum wage from $5.15 where it had been stuck for 10 years to $7.25 an hour, giving more than 7 million women a pay raise in 2007.

Helping In The Workplace And At Home: As a father who parented small children on his own, Joe Biden knows first-hand the challenges of balancing work and family. He recognizes that it can be especially difficult for women, who often make the health-care decisions, take the kids or elderly parents to see the doctor, or stay at home when someone is sick. Joe Biden believes we need to provide all workers, including women, with the flexibility they need to both take care of their families and remain working For this reason, he fought for the Family and Medical Leave Act that has given 50 million workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to look out for a sick family member. As there are many more workers who cannot afford unpaid leave, he is co-sponsoring the Healthy Families Act, which would require employers with 15 or more workers to provide seven paid sick days to care for their own or their families’ medical needs.

Attracting More Teachers and Nurses: Approximately seven million women serve in two professions – teaching and nursing – and both are facing shortages. We lose 250,000 teachers every year, half are leaving within five years of entering the profession. Joe Biden wants to reverse this trend by establishing programs to provide mentoring to all beginning teachers, and by giving scholarships to defray college costs to those who commit to teaching in high-needs schools. Joe Biden believes that we need to reduce class size and pay our teachers more, as they do in many nations around the world. Joe Biden was an early supporter of the Nurse Reinvestment Act, which would fund scholarships for nursing students, and promote public information programs to encourage people to enter the nursing profession.

Protecting Opportunities for Girls In Sports: Thanks to Title IX, which guarantees equal opportunities in college athletics, over 150,000 women today participate in intercollegiate sports teams. Committed to fairness on the fields and courts, Joe Biden has opposed recent efforts to chip away at Title IX protections.

Ending the War In Iraq: 10,000 women are serving in Iraq today and Joe Biden has a plan to honorably bring home the troops, without leaving chaos behind.

Judging the Judges: As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Joe Biden has been a voice of opposition to the Reagan and two Bush Administrations’ attempts to pack the federal courts with judges committed to a narrow view of the Constitution that denies women equal protection under the law.

Joe Biden: Standing With Mothers and Children

Supporting New Moms: Joe Biden knows raising healthy and happy children takes help. As President, he will make two years of pre-k available to all parents and expand early childhood development programs. Joe Biden wants to make two years of pre-school available to all parents. Currently, 900,000 students are served by Head Start, and he would double that to 2 million; currently, 60,000 toddlers are served by Early Head Start, and he would quadruple that to nearly a quarter of a million. He has advocated for more resources for the Women, Infants, and Children program that provides food, nutrition counseling, and access to health services to pregnant women, new mothers, and their infants.

Cracking Down on Deadbeat Dads: While the federal government cannot ensure that children have a father at home, it can help ensure those children have their father’s financial support. As Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Joe Biden worked to steer two major child support initiatives into law – one made it a federal crime to cross state lines to avoid paying child support; the other ensured that state courts honor the child support order of other states.

Giving Parents the Tools to Protect Their Kids: Joe Biden has worked over the last two decades to help parents protect their kids from sexual predators. In 1994, he required every state to establish a registry for convicted sexual offenders; in 1996, he helped create the national registry of sexual predators, so these criminals could not move from state to state to avoid being tracked. In 2003, he increased funding for Child Advocacy Centers with the Victims of Child Abuse Act. And in 2006, he authored the Adam Walsh Act to ensure convicted sex offenders can’t slip through the cracks by establishing registration requirements.

Joe Biden: Caring For Women’s Health

Waging War Against Breast Cancer: Joe Biden, through his efforts to promote early detection and quality treatment, has been a leader in fight against this deadly disease that that afflicts more than 200,000 women every year. His efforts include:

1. Working to create and provide continued support for breast and cervical cancer prevention programs which ensure mammograms are available to low-income women and those without health insurance and then expanding the program beyond screening to one that also offers reliable treatment.
2. Originating legislation to recognizing National Mammography Day every October since 1993 to encourage women to have mammograms each year.
3. Supporting authorization of a special postage stamp to raise additional money for breast cancer research.
4. Sponsoring legislation to expand Medicare to include coverage of mammograms.
5. Working to ensure that insurance companies cover reconstructive surgery for breast cancer survivors.

Defending Roe v Wade: Senator Biden supports the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade that protects a woman’s right to choose to terminate a pregnancy. Believing family planning could help prevent many unwanted pregnancies, Senator Biden has consistently supported Title X – the nations’ family planning program -- that provides information, services, support, and research for family planning.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20070917&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=709170353&Template=printart  Biden aiming for 'buzz' with Iowa strategySenator hopes politicos' endorsements translate into support at caucusesBy NICOLE GAUDIANO, Gannett News ServicePosted Monday, September 17, 2007

DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Sen. Joe Biden grabbed Iowa state Sen. Frank Wood's hand, slapped his shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"Look me over," Biden said, standing inches away from Wood at an August picnic for the Scott County Democrats. "If you can't, you can't, but I'd like to have a shot."

Hoping to boost his chances in the first state to choose a Democratic presidential nominee, Biden has been making an aggressive pitch for Iowa lawmakers' support that's producing some surprising results.

While polls place Biden at the back of the eight-candidate Democratic pack, he's in the top tier in Iowa when it comes to legislative endorsements. He received his eighth last week from the state's Democratic House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy of Des Moines.

As of Friday, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York had 16 legislative endorsements in Iowa, while former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina had eight and Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois had 10, according to their campaigns.

Biden's "experience, especially foreign-policy experience, is just unmatched," said McCarthy, a Polk County prosecutor who helped engineer the Democratic takeover of the Iowa Statehouse last year. "I think he's the most competent to handle the situation in Iraq."

Legislative endorsements are a key part of Biden's strategy for a surprise Iowa caucus showing in January, which he hopes will give him momentum to succeed in other states.

In late 2006 -- before he announced his presidential candidacy -- he attended about 60 events in Iowa, mainly to help Democratic state lawmakers win back the Statehouse. According to McCarthy's count, Biden has appeared at more events for legislative Democrats than any other candidate.

Some of those lawmakers are now helping Biden.

"We're trying to create a buzz out here," said Biden, after speaking at a fundraiser barbecue in Ottumwa for state Rep. Mary Gaskill, who said she would settle on her candidate this month. "This is wide open, and these folks don't endorse if they think you're going to lose."

The importance of endorsements in Iowa is debatable. At a summer panel discussion of elected politicians and party activists at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, the consensus was that they have little value, said Fred Waldstein, a political science professor at the college.

"At least in Iowa, the people will make up their own mind about candidates based upon personal observations and other more direct forms of learning," he said.

But Biden's political director, Danny O'Brien, said the state lawmakers who endorsed Biden "become our surrogates and help us connect with their constituents."

"But just as importantly, they help us send a message nationally as to what's going on in the early states in the face of tough national polls right now that don't have us in the top tier," O'Brien said.

State Rep. Elesha Gayman of Davenport said Biden's pitch for her blessing focused on foreign policy, his experience and "being a fighter, not one to back down from a situation."

"He was probably the more aggressive of [the candidates]," said Gayman, who met twice with Biden. "I had voicemails once a week for a month from him."

The message impressed but didn't sway Gayman -- or Wood -- who instead endorsed Obama. She liked Obama's "vision," while Wood liked "the idea that he's not Washington-ized."

But state Sen. Joe Seng of Davenport said he turned to Biden because of his leadership and 34 years of experience as a senator.

"Those three candidates don't even equal half his tenure in office," Seng said of Clinton, Edwards and Obama's combined years in the Senate. "If you're effective, you need to know the system."

State Rep. Jim Lykam, who was Biden's first legislative endorser, said he likes Biden's plan to "get us out of Iraq."

"Hillary and Obama are raising tons of money, but I think Joe's going to be peaking at the right time," said Lykam

Biden's legislative endorsements include Seng and seven representatives, a number that's "pretty surprising" to Edwards supporter state Rep. Andrew Wenthe, given Biden's standings in the polls and Obama and Clinton's superior investment of money and resources.

Even after running television ads in Iowa, Biden remained low on the list of Iowa registered Democrats, Democratic voters and Democratic caucus-goers, according to a Los Angeles Times-Bloomberg Poll released on Sept. 11.

Asked if the January Democratic caucus were being held today, 2 percent said they would vote for Biden, while 28 percent said they would vote for Clinton. Biden's number climbed to just 7 percent when respondents were asked who would be the best at ending the war in Iraq, his signature issue.

McCarthy doesn't give the polls a second thought, calling them "virtually meaningless" at this stage. As part of Biden's Iowa team, McCarthy said he will try to line up more endorsements for Biden and get supporters signed up for caucus night. He'll also help with national fundraising by showing that, despite low rankings in the national polls, Biden has support in Iowa.

"We know Iowa better than anybody else," he said. "The reason why we're putting our names on the line is we sense movement and we sense [campaign] infrastructure being built."

Protecting the Environment   http://www.joebiden.com/issues/?id=0015

”We should not have to worry that a grandfather taking his grandchild to a favorite fishing hole is exposing her to dioxin contamination; or that when students turn on a faucet at school, they swallow arsenic; or that acid rain is showering us – especially when corporate responsibility could prevent it.” – Senator Joe Biden

Joe Biden’s Plan For Passing On A Cleaner, Greener World To Our ChildrenFocus on Climate Change: Joe Biden is continuing his strong environmental record by leading the effort to pass the most aggressive bill in the Senate to reverse global warming -- the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act. The Act would limit greenhouse gas emissions and help avert the major problems warming of our planet could cause – such as altering growing seasons; redistributing natural resources; and lifting sea levels.

Lead the World Forward: Global warming requires a global solution. Joe Biden believes the US must take a leadership role in international climate treaty negotiations, and make it a top priority. As chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, he wrote a bipartisan resolution directing the President to return to international negotiations and reclaim a leadership role in the fight against global warming. If we don’t engage countries like China – which is building one new coal-fired power plant a week – we will not solve the global warming crisis.

Reduce Power Plant Emissions: Joe Biden wants tougher standards for power plant emissions. He supports the Clean Power Act which would require power plants to achieve specific reductions in emissions of sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and mercury.

Make Cars and Trucks More Fuel Efficient: Joe Biden wants to improve fuel efficiency by upgrading to a better system that combines protection for U.S. automobile manufacturing jobs with predictable increases in fuel efficiency standards for cars, SUVs, and light trucks. The new system would set fuel economy standards based on vehicle elements such as size and weight, with individualized fuel economy targets that increase by about one mile per gallon each year – reaching a 40 mpg average by 2017.

Build Vehicles with Environmentally-Friendly Energy: Joe Biden wants to increase the number of vehicles that can use ethanol and alternative fuel. He wrote legislation directing automakers to gradually increase the number of flexfuel vehicles -- those able to use both regular gasoline and blends of up to 85 percent ethanol (E85). His legislation also requires major oil companies to install E85 pumps at gas stations, and would boost the use of homegrown fuels in our national fuel supply by raising the renewable fuel standard benchmarks. Joe Biden also recognizes that renewable energy – like wind, solar and geothermal –use energy more efficiently, and he supports using and developing these types of energy.

Protect Alaska’s Wildlife: For many years, Joe Biden has fought to permanently protect from oil and gas drilling one of the world’s last great wilderness areas -- the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Joe Biden does not believe the uncertain oil recovery justifies the risk of potentially great harm to this rich environment.

Make Polluters Pay for Cleanup: Joe Biden believes that we need to reinstate polluter-pays Superfund fees, so that polluters pay for the cleanup of toxic sites, not taxpayers. Reinstating the polluters-pay program will expand cleanup operations.

Exchange Debt-for-Nature: Recognizing the global nature of the climate change crisis, Joe Biden wrote a plan that provides debt relief to developing nations in exchange for protecting tropical rainforests that are critical to the global climate.

Defend Clean Air and Water: Joe Biden has opposed and will continue to fight attempts to roll back environmental safeguards and threaten the quality of our air and water. He fought the Administration’s plan to gut the New Source Review standards by allowing power plants to avoid their obligations to install modern pollution controls. Joe Biden also supports limiting exports of mercury to stop the harmful pollution of our oceans with mercury.

Biden said in a letter that his top priorities were families and teaching children about the Bible.

We can do better than voting for him.

Biden probably won't support separation of church and state, and I am sick and tired of religious influence on the government and its policies.

He also seems to be a sef-described family values person- he can give lip service to LGBT rights, but will he allow me to get married to womever I want?

Progressives can do better than to vote for Biden, and they should do better.

BIDEN CAMPAIGN ANNOUNCES 10th IOWA LEGISLATIVE ENDORSEMENT

Published: 09/27/2007    http://www.joebiden.com/newscenter/pressreleases?id=0180

Rep. Roger Thomas Praises Biden’s Leadership on Iraq

Des Moines, IA (September 27th, 2007) – Crediting Sen. Biden’s successful passage of his Iraq federalism plan yesterday in the U.S. Senate as the “deciding factor”, the Biden Campaign today unveiled its 10th state legislative endorsement with Rep. Roger Thomas of Elkader. Rep. Thomas joins a chorus of nine other state legislators who look to Sen. Biden’s plan for Iraq as the only credible option to begin to bring our troops home without leaving chaos behind.

“Sen. Biden showed true Presidential leadership yesterday with the passage of his Iraq amendment” said Rep. Thomas. “He worked with members of both parties in building a consensus, ultimately giving them the confidence to do the right thing and begin to shift the direction of U.S. policy in Iraq. I know the people of Iowa respect that kind of Presidential leadership.”

“In the time I’ve spent with Sen. Biden, I’ve been fortunate to get to know him on a personal level – and continue to be moved by his determination, caring personality and boundless knowledge of the key issues of the day. As chair of the Economic Growth Committee here in the state, I believe we need a president who has a deep understanding of the real economic circumstances most Americans are confronting.” Thomas continued.

Thomas, first elected to the state legislature in 1996, serves on the Local Government, Veterans Affairs, and Ways and Means Committees, and also as Chair of the Economic Growth Committee.

“With the war in Iraq being the number one issue on the minds of Iowa caucus-goers, the legislative endorsements Sen. Biden is accumulating here is sending a strong message of who they believe is best equipped to solve the problems we face – both at home and abroad” said Political Director Danny O’Brien. “Their support also underscores their confidence in Sen. Biden ultimate success in the Iowa caucuses and beyond.”

This latest endorsement comes just three days after the Biden Campaign unveiled Representative Polly Butka of Clinton, the highest ranking female elected official in the state behind the Lieutenant Governor.

Thomas joins nine Democratic legislators in a growing list of elected officials supporting Joe Biden in the Hawkeye state: State Sen. Joe Seng (Davenport), House Majority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Des Moines), Speaker Pro Tem Rep. Polly Butka (Clinton), Rep. John Whitaker (Hillsboro), Rep. Doris Kelley (Waterloo) Rep. Lisa Heddens (Ames), Rep. Jim Lykam (Davenport), Rep. Mike Reasoner (Creston), and Rep. Dick Taylor (Cedar Rapids).

I am new to this site, but I am researching all I can about the candidates.  So far I am strongly leaning towards Joe Biden.  I watched the debate and he is the only one with a real plan and had the guts to go after Guiliani.  Biden was right about Rudy, he doesn't know anything about foreign policy, but he is an expert on divorce.

Also, my folks say that Hillary cannot win if nominated and I don't think i can take another republican controlled congress and Bushlike White House.

My VOTE IS WITH JOE.....GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! JOE!

i also have concluded hillary cannot get the independents or moderate republicans votes < but joe biden was able to get 26 republicans to vote for his iraq resolution and that shows leadership   he also has integrity and credibility and will do well with middle america  i worry that hillary will drive all the people who might not vote because they are unhappy with the republican party to the polls just to vote against her  we need everyvote  because we already know the reps will do anything to win even if it means disinfranchizing voters or cheating  this election will be close and we need the independents 

problem is if hillary wins  we risk the whitehouse  i think any of our candidates would make a good president  but who is the most electible , tested, and ready day one  we cant underestimate the reps  we have to be smart  hillarys negatives are just too high  she would make a good pres  and shes certainly qualified and a  great debater  but make no mistake about it  if any one is trying to appeal to the moderates and independents its her more than any of the others because shes smart politically and knows she has to get some of those votes to win     ,  if obama could get the nom he could win  mayebe even edwards but he may be too liberal for the mainstream and now that hes opted for public  finance a, he may be right on priciple but he cant go the distance  richardson is qualified and has picked up some momentum but is he really electible?  so if you analyze the entire group  who in a time of war with a mess in the middle east has a plan for iraq with bi partisan mainstream support?  who is strong and qualified on defense ?  who has shown leadership on all the key issues? its biden  i was always an obama person and i do think he would bering change and would be great but he cant get past hillary  maybe he will and that would give me peace of mind  but if he doesnt we have to change the dynamic and get someone in there that can beat hillary and win in the general  if biden had money and everyone read his book they would know he has character integrity and is a leader  its not a popularity contest or a college fraternity or sorority  we have to be smart  we have to win the white house  so we have to think this through like a chess game amd have a strategy to win the general election  can hillary do that? why take the risk  can obama?  better chance than hillary for sure - can edwards?  maybe too far to the left and now has a financing issue  even though i love him and his wife - can the others? the only one in the others group that i think could for sure win the general is biden   and i really dont have a dog in the fight  i just want the dems to win  if we dont - imagine who the next supreme court justices will be-  our home phones will for sure be tapped  how big will guantanamo prison be and how much more can we turn the world against us  and will we start a bully fight with iran ?  the only way to be sure these things dont happen is to win the whitehouse to me the number one issue is electibility  everything else is behind that  - just follow the money  andthe no bid contracts and for sre the reps will keep the war going    to me ending the war responsibly is the number one issue after winning  and i truly believe the best and most qualified person to do that is joe biden   he just needs some momentum and i am hoping some of you will agree with me   

olivia   if u read joe bidens new book  promises to keep  you will see he is a firm believer in the separation of church  and state    and i agree with you  we cannot have another religous nut in the whitehouse     but remember if gwb hadnt found religion - he wouldnt have found the ten steps and he would still be best buddies with jim beam ( that is if he isnt still best buddies now )  frightening isnt it - yikes

Question:

What will Joe Biden do as President, with regards to the two largest issues of our time, our Nation's Economic Power and our Nation's Military Power, that a Republican President will NOT do?

In case it has not been noticed, the electorate has already moved to the point of desiring to elect either a Democrat or Republican who will:

1) End the War in Iraq

AND

2) Repair the hole in our Nation's Tax code/Treasure.

So with regard to these two mega issues, is Biden going to do more than a Republican?

If you can walk, talk and chew gum one can be far more affective than any Republican we have in office or any Republican running for president. But to answer your post:

Under Ronald Reagan and all of profligate spending and massive borrowing (he was a borrower and spender) the middle class shrunk to the lowest post depression levels, the poor class expanded at the fastest rate since the depression and the rich got richer, millionaires became billionaires and they did not invest in this economy or infrustructure, they prepared to send our companies overseas so they could pay slave labor in third world countries.

The national debt grew at the fastest rate in history until George H. Bush became president and he broke all of Reagans records as far as national debt and budgets were concerned.  

Bill Clinton passed a tax increase in 1993 and the American economy for the next nine years was the strongest and fastest growing economy in US history.

He had four balanced or surplus budgets.  Bill Clinton's policies put 22 million people to work, NEW JOBS.!  And he eventually had two significant surplus budgets, that is the first time that had happened since LBJ's last budget of 1968.

Republicans claim that Bill Clinton's success was as a result of the .com boom and under George W. Bush they screech and claim that this economic growth period we are in now is a result of his tax cuts.  They discount the fact that we have been in the middle of an insurance company boom, an oil company boom, and drug company bom and home building boom.

Which makes the so called .com boom look like little league baseball.

How do they, the republicans justify their claim that these tax cuts are the cause of economic growth, of the current economic growth in the face of Bill Clintons 1993 tax increases and the subsequent economic boom?  How do they jive that claim with Ronald Reagan's 1986 tax and fee increases which were the biggest in history relative to the total economy and the subsequent economic growth that occurred? The reality is that the tax policy and spending policy (fiscal policy) have much less to do with economic growth than the feds monetary policy, (the fed is NOT under the White House Control), the cost of energy, world events, war, and international trade policy which have everthing to do with the national econ