February 2, 2005
Tierney’s Constituents Say President’s State of the Union Speech Must Address Economic and Homeland Security Concerns
Washington, DC- As President Bush prepares to lay out his fiscal year 2006 budget priorities in Wednesday’s State of the Union speech, constituents of the 6th District shared with U.S. Congressman John F. Tierney (D-Salem) their views as to the critical economic, educational and local security concerns the President must address.
Dr. Wayne Burton, President, North Shore Community College: “My hope is that in tonight’s address, the President strongly supports embracing higher education as a priority. And he must not endorse a zero-sum game for educational funding, as we are hearing, which could preclude, otherwise qualified students from achieving the potential they deserve and the Commonwealth needs.”
Bill Conte, former Director, Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Bedford Veterans Hospital: “We need the Veterans’ Affairs Department to support long-term care facilities. There are not going to be enough people in the private sector to adequately care for all of them, and so they will need additional construction money to improve and expand the nursing homes of veterans. We need the administration to put money into the system and do an assessment of high tech equipment. Without the money or the technology, you can’t recruit or hold onto the specialists that would provide the quality care these veterans need and deserve.”
Alex Brown, Vice President of IUE/CWA Local #201: “Americans need to hear that the President is changing his policy on the government funding of outsourcing of defense work, and that he is going to change his plans to hurt social security with privatization and benefit cuts. We need to hear a plan to fix the healthcare system so that everyone can be covered at an affordable rate. And finally, that he has a plan to expand good jobs with benefits in this country.”
Robert Champagne, Police Chief, City of Peabody: “I’d like to see a swifter process of funding for mechanisms of homeland security that our cities and towns need to protect themselves. Community policing has also seen a steady decline in funding from the COPS program. This is what provides for local policing to keep neighborhoods safe, and is a very important resource.”
Christina Economou, Student, Marblehead High School: “I would like President Bush to bring up education. I would like him to spend more money towards education and schools, because although I have a great new school, we still have old textbooks that are not up to date. Also, I have a sister who went through college and I am worried about my family being able to pay for me to go to college. So, I would like more money to go towards college loans. Last, I would like to hear a plan for when the troops are going to come home from Iraq. For one thing, I am against the war. I am worried that many of my friends will go to the war in the next four years, and I don’t want to lose them.“
“These constituents, who are on the front lines of jobs, health care, veterans care, education, and first response in communities throughout the 6th District, exemplify what Americans are waiting to hear from the President during tonight’s State of the Union,” Tierney said. “Economic, educational and homeland security concerns are at the forefront for many Americans and I know that many residents of our communities, like me, will be listening closely to the President’s speech and looking closely at the President’s budget to see that these needs are met.”
Sincerely,
John F. Tierney
Member
of Congress
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