Candidate addresses voters' concerns

Edwards discusses plans for health care, Iraq war and more

SHELLY DONAHUE/VIEWPresidential candidate John Edwards shares a light moment with Las Vegas resident Nikki Ozzimo, left, after signing her hat during the Road to One America campaign tour at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall, July 11. Advertisement

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, a 2008 Democratic presidential hopeful, rallied a packed house of eager would-be Las Vegas voters at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall, 2560 Marco St., as he addressed a number of hot-button issues, including health care, poverty, unionization, raising the minimum wage, education and global warming.

"It's important to be political," said 17-year-old Jessica Martin of west Las Vegas. "I will be old enough to vote next year, and I just feel like it's so important to be politically active, educated and informed. That's why I'm here today. I wanted to hear what Edwards has to say on the issues that matter to me, in my life."

More than 300 Las Vegans from across the valley turned out to hear Edwards speak on July 11, including Ed Devore of Summerlin.

"I got an e-mail stating that John Edwards would be in Las Vegas today, speaking to constituents, and I wanted to come hear what he had to say," Devore said. "Of course, there are a number of issues that concern me, but first and foremost, I want to hear about his position on Iraq. I know I'm not alone in stating that we should pull out of Iraq. It's time; it's a war that should have never been started."

When asked about his stance on the war, Edwards didn't hesitate to emphasize the impact it is having on the worldwide community.

"America needs to be leaving Iraq," Edwards said. " This war is undermining our stature, not just among our own people, but in the world."

The problems with health care were among the issues voters touted as deal breakers.

"I'm concerned about health care," said southeast Las Vegas resident Jeff Anderson. "The insurance and pharmaceutical companies make choices about who lives and dies every day. It's not in the hands of the individual or the government, or even the doctors. If you need a procedure done, even if you have insurance, and they refuse to cover it because of a pre-existing condition, or for whatever reason, you could die. There's something wrong with this picture. We live in a country where people shouldn't have to worry about health care. The medical technology is available to save people's lives, and they are dying anyway because of greed. I want to know what the senator will do if he's elected to rectify the situation ... the crisis."

Edwards responded to questions about the health-care crisis with talks of a universal health-care plan that would theoretically cover every American.

"Health-care premiums have increased more than 100 percent over the last six years," Edwards said. "When I'm president, I will take on the insurance and drug companies to reduce costs. This country needs a unified health-care system, and I have a plan for that. People will be covered by a government or private policies where mental health conditions will be treated with the same seriousness of physical health conditions. We will work to ban pre-existing conditions and subsidize premiums for treatment up to $100,000."

Henderson resident Bethany Lawrence already is an active Edwards supporter, but came to the meeting in hopes of asking specific questions related to global warming.

"Global warming is a paramount issue," Lawrence said. "I realize that it may not be the top priority for everyone, but it should be. Little else will matter if we end up with a planet that is uninhabitable. I like Edwards. I plan to vote for him because he's very human and intelligent. He cares about the environment. He cares about people. I just wanted to come out and show my support and maybe have concrete answers to environmental questions that have been plaguing me."

Residents such as Sue Guilliams, a Clark County teacher, are focused on education and are displeased with the No Child Left Behind Act, which calls for the standardized testing of children to evaluate overall achievement. Schools nationwide are graded and punished or rewarded based on these test scores.

"I'm an educator, and I believe that our system is broken," Guilliams said. "I had to take this opportunity to see Edwards in person because I believe that he is the perfect man for the job. He's the best choice, hands down. And I thought that his ideas about how to fix the system are brilliant."

Edwards believes that the current system of standardized testing not only is faulty, but also harmful.

"These testing methods are blunt and invasive," Edwards said. "These tests aren't measuring what they're supposed to be measuring. They don't tell us what we want to know about academic achievement."

The room frequently erupted in applause.

"I'm glad I came," said retiree Gordon Brown of Henderson. "He made me feel like there's hope for my country again, when I had almost given up."