BURLINGTON--Governor Dean announced today a comprehensive Initiative to Strengthen America?s Cities. Speaking in Detroit, one of cities hardest hit by the Bush economy, Dean outlined a package that includes plans to create jobs, provide credit for urban businesses, boost wages, and strengthen affordable housing.
?Under President Clinton, our cities were making great strides, and there was no reason to reverse course. Unfortunately, the Bush Administration simply is not listening to our mayors, to entrepreneurs, or to the people of America?s cities,? Dean said. ?We cannot afford to waste four more years under an Administration that ignores the potential as well as the problems of our cities.?
Dean?s urban initiative is part of his New Social Contract with America?s Families. "Families in America's metro areas face a high cost of living," Dean said. "If they're working hard and playing by the rules, they shouldn't have to struggle so hard to make ends meet. That?s why my initiative is aimed at creating jobs, promoting investment in small business, boosting wages and helping families afford housing.?
America?s cities and metropolitan areas are enormously important to America?s economy and future. They are home to almost 85 percent of all jobs and 80 percent of all our people. In an economy increasingly based on ideas and innovation, America?s cities and metro areas, with their major research universities, cultural attractions, broad diversity, new immigrants and educated workers, can be engines of growth. They boost jobs and prosperity not just for city residents but for all of us. Unfortunately, with the wrong policies, our metro areas can also see unemployment and crime, abandoned buildings and traffic gridlock, fear and hopelessness.
Facebook
Twitter