Forty years ago, with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, our nation took a great step toward realizing its founding ideal: that all of us should have the opportunity to realize all of our God-given potential.
But as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. told us, the Civil Rights Act was "only the beginning of a new day...not the end of a journey." Our journey is not over when our schools are under-funded and school reforms are incomplete, when 44 million Americans don't have health insurance, when people of color are significantly more likely to suffer and die from diseases like cancer and AIDS and diabetes, when extremist judges are turning back the clock on our 40-year march toward equality. And our journey is not over when our national leadership in Washington is sowing new seeds of division, not unity.

We've removed the barriers of hate that kept us from drinking at the same water fountain or attending the same school. Now, John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to help all Americans continue on our journey to remove the barriers that keep us from drinking at the same fountain of opportunity.

John Kerry and John Edwards will fight to:

Expand Opportunity In Jobs, Education, And Health Care
As president, John Kerry will pass tax cuts that benefit all Americans, not just the very wealthy. He will support resources and reforms for schools to meet high expectations and extend the ladder of opportunity to all American children. And he will fight to erase disparities in health and health care with a plan to make high-quality, affordable health care available to all Americans.

Rigorously Enforce Our Civil Rights Laws
As president, John Kerry will strongly enforce our nation's civil rights laws, support affirmative action to reduce discrimination and expand opportunity, and strongly enforce equal justice for all victims of hate violence. He will also back the Fairness Act to reverse damage done to civil rights laws by right-wing judges and only appoint judges with a record of enforcing the nation's civil rights and anti-discrimination laws.

Make Immigration More Fair And More Secure
John Kerry strongly supports responsible reform of our immigration laws that honors our tradition as a nation of immigrants and makes America stronger. He will offer a reform bill in his first 100 days that allows immigrants to earn legalization, encourages family reunification, and strengthens our border protections. By reforming our immigration laws, John Kerry will honor America's promise and strengthen America's economy and security.

Ensure Equality For Americans With Disabilities
As president, John Kerry will enforce laws that ensure fairness for Americans with disabilities and fight recent judicial and legislative actions that weaken them. He will also fight for strong enforcement of the ADA and oppose the ADA Notification Act.

A Commitment To Hope, Fairness And Opportunity

John Kerry and John Edwards believe that today's most pressing civil rights battles are about ensuring that all Americans have equal access to good jobs, high-quality education, and affordable health care. In each of these areas, John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to expand opportunities and reduce racial disparities so that all Americans have real hope for the future. As a former prosecutor, John Kerry also knows the importance of strong law enforcement and a judicial system that upholds the hard-won rights of all Americans. With John Kerry in the White House, all Americans can be assured that protection of their most fundamental rights is at the very top of the national agenda.

Expanding Opportunity In Jobs, Education, And Health Care. John Kerry and John Edwards have a plan to create 10 million new jobs, reduce outsourcing and create manufacturing jobs. He also understands that true equality is impossible without improving our public school system. As president, John Kerry will fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act and get our schools on the path to fully funding special needs education, enact a new initiative to increase excellence in teaching, and enact reforms to help one million more students graduate from high school. Finally, John Kerry and John Edwards know that current racial disparities in health and health care are unacceptable, and they have a plan to reduce these disparities by making high-quality, affordable health care available to all Americans.

Rigorous Enforcement Of The Nation's Civil Rights Laws. John Kerry and John Edwards understand that discrimination remains a problem in America and that strong enforcement of our nation's civil rights laws is critical to ensuring equal rights and opportunities for all Americans. They strongly support affirmative action. As a former prosecutor, John Kerry has the strength and skills to enforce civil rights laws, reduce discrimination and expand opportunity.

Strengthen Civil Rights Laws Damaged By Right-Wing Judges And Strengthen Hate Crime Laws. John Kerry and John Edwards support the Fairness Act, which will reverse damage done to civil rights laws by right-wing judges. As president, John Kerry will only appoint judges who will enforce the laws and the Constitution of the United States, including civil rights and anti-discrimination laws. He wants to ensure that every American can get their day in court and have access to fair and meaningful remedies for injustice. John Kerry and John Edwards also support strong enforcement and equal justice for all victims of hate crime.

Improve Voting Rights And Election Reform. Even before they are elected, John Kerry and John Edwards will protect voting rights by providing teams of election observers and lawyers to monitor elections and enforce the law. They support efforts to reform our national election system and to correct the problems revealed by the 2000 Presidential election. They will also seek new ways to improve election fairness, and they agree with the bipartisan recommendations that once people have served their sentence they should be allowed to participate fully in our democracy.

End Racial Profiling. As a former prosecutor, John Kerry knows that racial profiling is nothing more than ineffective law enforcement and must be prohibited. He also supports strong and effective remedies for victims of racial profiling.

Ensure Fairness for Americans With Disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act are the most important civil rights laws in our country's history for persons with disabilities. John Kerry and John Edwards believe that it is vital that we enforce these laws and fight recent judicial and legislative actions that weaken these laws. They will:

• Fight for strong enforcement of the ADA. As president, John Kerry will increase funding to the Department of Justice for the enforcement of the ADA. He will reject judicial nominations of judges like William Pryor or Jeffrey Sutton to the federal bench and he will clarify the insurance safe harbor provision in the ADA concerning insurance pricing and underwriting decisions that affect persons with disabilities.

• Oppose the ADA Notification Act. John Kerry and John Edwards strenuously oppose the Republican-proposed ADA Notification Act because it would aid those who seek to evade the ADA by allowing them to ignore its requirements until they receive notice of their violations.

Extending The American Dream

Reforming America’s Immigration Laws

John Kerry and John Edwards strongly support responsible reform of our immigration laws that honors our tradition as a nation of immigrants and makes America stronger. Today, our immigration system is broken. Each year, hundreds seeking a better life in our country die in the desert, often at the hands of cruel smugglers. Millions within our borders live and work in hiding, in fear and often abused. President Bush came to office promising a new approach to immigration, but his failure to take real action illustrates his indifference to this issue. His immigration outline, which he still has not formally introduced, would lock immigrant workers into a second-class status, driving down wages and safety standards for all working people in America.

John Kerry and John Edwards have a different approach, and they think we can do better. As president, John Kerry will offer a reform bill in his first 100 days that allows immigrants to earn legalization, encourages family reunification, and strengthens our border protections. By reforming our immigration laws, John Kerry and John Edwards will honor America's promise and strengthen America's economy and security as we strive together for a nation that is safer and more free.

Immediately Sign Two Bipartisan Reform Bills

Reward Students Who Study Hard and Play by the Rules. John Kerry strongly supports the DREAM Act, sponsored by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), which will give young people who consider the United States their home, who have worked hard in school, and have stayed out of trouble the chance to go to college and pursue their dreams. The DREAM Act has broad bipartisan support and would be law today if George Bush supported it. As president, John Kerry will make it a priority to make the DREAM Act the law of the land.

Offer a Fair Deal for Farmworkers. John Kerry supports the AgJobs bill, which is sponsored by Senator Larry Craig (R-ID) and has 62 Senate cosponsors. This bill will secure the rights and futures for hard-working, honorable agricultural workers and will secure a legal labor force for America's farmers. Once again, this bill would be law today but for George Bush's failure to support it. As president, John Kerry will make this law a reality.

Offer an Immigration Reform Bill Within First 100 Days

In their first hundred days, John Kerry and John Edwards will offer a comprehensive immigration reform bill with four basic components. And they will work tirelessly until their reform becomes law.

Earned Legalization. Under the Kerry-Edwards approach, undocumented workers who have lived and worked here for 5 years, who pay taxes, and who are successfully screened for security purposes will have a path to citizenship. As president, John Kerry will also expand opportunities to learn English and obtain civic education classes to help immigrants assume all of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Reuniting Families. As president, John Kerry will eliminate the massive administrative backlog and delay that has left many families unnecessarily divided for a decade or more. Our nation's immigration system must be able to more quickly reunite husbands with wives, parents with children. Legal permanent residents seeking to reunify with spouses and children must be provided a fair and efficient process to do so.

Visa Program with Worker Protections. As president, John Kerry will establish a secure channel for a limited number of temporary workers to come into the United States. To protect all working people in the United States, John Kerry will ensure that these temporary workers have the protections of U.S. employment and labor laws, including fair wage protections. These protections must be rigorously enforced.

Stronger Border Security
As an integral part of his reform, John Kerry will reach an accord with neighboring countries to improve security along our borders and stop illegal smuggling. He will improve our nation's security databases and watchlists and better control the borders to ensure that people who intend to harm us cannot cross our borders.

Source: John Kerry for President 2004 Web Site

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