"RPCVs for Kerry" support their candidate "RPCVs for Kerry" held a Press Conference last week and made their statement of support for John Kerry. Read why Dr. Robert Pastor, Ambassador Parker Borg, and Paul Oostburg Sanz say RPCVs should support Kerry for President.. Take our poll and tell us who you are going to support for President .

By Admin1 (admin) (pool-141-157-9-111.balt.east.verizon.net - 141.157.9.111) on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 - 11:28 am: Edit

Statement by Paul Oostburg Sanz supporting John Kerry for President



Statement by Paul Oostburg Sanz supporting John Kerry for President

Statement by Paul Oostburg Sanz

National Press Club

October 6, 2004

It is very gratifying to see so many RPCVs and former staff here in the audience today who share our concerns about the Bush Administration and President Bush himself and how he has taken our country in what we believe is the wrong direction.

I believe the Kerry Edwards team will take our country in a much better direction and provides us with a much better choice.

A couple of years ago President Bush proposed doubling the amount of assistance going to key high-performing developing countries through a program called the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). At the time President Bush promised that this new program would be funded from new monies instead of taking monies away from existing programs. The fact is, that President Bush's budget for this year and for last year, paid for the new program at the expense of existing programs for development - programs that otherwise go to poor countries that are striving themselves to pull themselves out of poverty.

The MCA also suffered from other problems. The White House originally proposed that the new program did not have a role for women. In fact, the legislative language that they proposed to the Congress didn't even mention the word women or gender not even once through the entire proposal. It was only through the diligent efforts of Democratic Members and other NGOs, we would insert into development for this program. And now women sit at the table of the board of the MCA and also in discussions in the field.

The MCA also initially and still today overwhelming focuses its programming on nurturing businesses and opening markets as a sole recipe for lowering poverty rates in Africa, Asia, and la. They don't seem to realize that although business development is necessary, it alone will not assure the poor will get jobs, education or other opportunities. Exporting trickle-down economics, a policy which failed in this country 20 years ago, to developing countries across the globe is a blatant disregard for countries such as Bolivia.

I believe the Kerry Edwards team understands what matters. Senator Kerry has repeated talked about acting with others to accomplish shared goals. He has also proposed policies that help provide women the same economic and education opportunities as men. Finally, I believe that Kerry Edwards know the difference between creating new markets for wealthy corporations and new jobs for the poor.

I believe that Kerry Edwards is what America needs. In fact I think it is what the world needs in a new administration..

When this story was posted in October 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview PCOL sits down for an extended interview with Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez. Read the entire interview from start to finish and we promise you will learn something about the Peace Corps you didn't know before. Plus the debate continues over Safety and Security.

Schwarzenegger praises PC at Convention Governor Schwarzenegger praised the Peace Corps at the Republican National Convention: "We're the America that sends out Peace Corps volunteers to teach village children." Schwarzenegger has previously acknowledged his debt to his father-in-law, Peace Corps Founding Director Sargent Shriver, for teaching him "the joy of public service" and Arnold is encouraging volunteerism by creating California Service Corps and tapping his wife, Maria Shriver, to lead it. Leave your comments and who can come up with the best Current Events Funny?

Peace Corps: One of the Best Faces of America Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the Peace Corps Volunteer as one of the best faces America has ever projected in a speech to the Democratic Convention. The National Review disagreed and said that Heinz's celebration of the PCV was "truly offensive." What's your opinion and can you come up with a Political Funny?

Read the stories and leave your comments.

By daniel (user-105n8kl.dialup.mindspring.com - 64.91.162.149) on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 10:40 am: Edit

Paul, Thanks for the help in getting the Legislation moved forward on Ombudsman's office at Peace Corps. Good Luck in your campaigning efforts for Democrats.