Building a “Working Society”

Building a “Working Society”

September 20, 2005

In a speech presented at the Center for American Progress yesterday, Senator John Edwards offered progressives important new ideas on how to fight poverty and help make America a Working Society – a nation “where everyone who works hard finally has the rewards to show for it.” The Working Society is in contrast to the conservative idea of an ownership society which “means the more you own, the more you get…[and] the more you work, the more you pay and the less you make.” The principles of the Working Society are grounded in restoring basic progressive ideals of fairness and opportunity for all and reawakening a deeper sense of national community. Highlights of the Working Society include:

• Every American willing to work should have a chance to get ahead. The basic bargain that has existed in America for generations is that anyone who works hard should have the opportunity to move up in the world, pursue one’s dreams and build a more stable quality of life. In American today, a college education is essential for social mobility. Therefore, as Senator Edwards stated yesterday, in the Working Society, “Anyone who wants to go to college and work will be able to go the first year for free.”
  
  
• Every American who works full-time should have something to show for it. In a society of genuine opportunity, having a job isn’t enough any more. People need assets to get ahead whether it’s owning a home and saving for retirement or something as straightforward as having a basic account where money can grow. The principle is simple: if you play by the rules in our country you shouldn’t be stuck in poverty or sitting on the edge of financial distress.
  
  
• And every American should be asked to uphold their end of the bargain. With opportunity comes responsibility and as we move towards a Working Society progressives must stress what we all know intuitively. To get ahead, people must be willing to work and must be responsible for their behavior, including having children only when ready and raising children in a caring and supportive environment.

Click here to read the full text of Sen. Edwards’ speech.