Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick
Delivers the Democratic Radio Address to the Nation
February 7, 2004
Audio Version of Mayor Kilpatrick's Address
http://a9.g.akamai.net/7/9/8082/v001/www.democrats.org/audio/radio/kilpatrick20040207.mp3
Detroit, MI – Good morning. My name is Kwame Kilpatrick. I am Mayor of Detroit, Michigan – a city that has long been one of America’s economic engines, and a city whose transformation and rebirth risk being run off the road by the President’s proposed $2.4 trillion budget.
The view from my desk may be the best in the nation to see America at work, and to understand how misguided the economic vision is from the Oval Office.
To the west I see one of the world’s busiest border crossings where $92 billion in goods flow each year between the United States and Canada. Just down the street I see our City reflected in the gleaming headquarters of General Motors, the world’s largest company and a cornerstone of our nation’s most important industry. And lately, I’m proud to say the view has been obscured by cranes and crews working on Detroit’s biggest construction boom in 50 years.
At the same time, I look out on a City that – like most urban centers in the country – has been woefully neglected by the federal government. Funding cuts have hobbled our schools, eaten away at our infrastructure, and dismantled programs to help the poor and those who need help to rise up in the workforce.
Combine this with the steady march of manufacturing jobs leaving Michigan – which account for approximately 140,000 of the 3 million jobs lost since the President took office – and you understand why our unemployment rate is rising and our neighborhoods are struggling.
This snapshot of the Detroit metropolitan area is not unique. It is a similar story in every major U.S. city. Yet the picture of America reflected in the President’s budget is so disconnected from reality, it could very well have been beamed back from Mars.
While the President’s plan to gut vital programs, punish the middle class, and saddle our children with a staggering debt is reckless, perhaps more alarming is the flawed economic premise upon which it is based.
The President would have us believe that his mix of ever-increasing tax cuts – which he now wants Congress to make permanent – is the magic potion to create jobs and get our country moving again. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The reality is that if America’s cities do not prosper, our nation will not prosper.
This country’s economy is driven by its 320 metropolitan areas, which generate 85% of our nation’s economic output. And the nation’s long-term success hinges on strengthening and creating high-paying jobs in these economic centers.
This can happen quickly and dramatically with investment in urban infrastructure.
The President has stood up and shown his commitment to rebuild Iraq by asking for another $20 billion for the country’s reconstruction. Now he must make the same commitment to our nation’s cities – a commitment to Build America.
For years, cities like Detroit, with support from the state, have been shouldering the brunt of infrastructure costs. The time has come for the federal government to again pay its fair share. Dollars must be directed to rebuilding our cities’ public works and transportation systems – and developing new systems like high-speed rail. We must invest in roads, bridges, ports, and buildings vital to commerce – and we must wire our cities to be competitive in the global, high-tech economy.
Investing in urban infrastructure creates high-paying jobs in everything from construction to architecture to technology. And the projects strengthen a city’s foundation and its ability to grow new companies, new jobs, and new economic opportunities.
At the same time, we must also invest in job training and provide people with the skills they need to compete in the global economy. The President claimed this was a priority in his State of the Union Address. But then he revealed his true commitment by cutting $300 million from vocational education programs in his proposed budget.
The President’s budget has landed with a resounding thud on Capitol Hill and its potential impact is echoing through Detroit, and cities across the country.
It’s being heard by our citizens who are demanding change as they vote today in Michigan’s Democratic Presidential Caucus. And now Congress must get the message and do the right thing.
We must not allow the President to Buy America in this election year with this bloated budget. Rather, we must Build America with responsible spending and urban investment.
This is Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Thank you for listening and God Bless.