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April 03-04
Presidential candidate Kerry leads student rally at Valley
By Chiara Velotta, Valley HS
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Who was that guy who came to Valley High School with all those sheet metal workers? That was John Kerry, Massachusetts’ senator and the (presumed) Democratic nominee in the 2004 presidential race.
On the evening of Feb. 13, the gym at Valley was packed full of John Kerry supporters and fans anxious to hear him speak, anxious to catch a glimpse of the popular politician. A mariachi band played while the crowd’s anticipation grew and people, young and old, waved their signs, hungry for Kerry.
The rally began at 8 p.m. when the Valley High School Madrigal Choir sang the national anthem. Kerry emerged with Valley’s High School student body president, Gabriela Baca, and three other politicians, including Nevada Congresswoman Shelley Berkley.
Berkley gave a short speech, which fueled the already fiery crowd. Berkley expressed that she wanted “ABB: Anybody But Bush” in office. Indicating that the way to achieve that is “KBB: Kerry Beats Bush.”
Kerry gave such an enthusiastic speech that it spurred a group of Valley students to shout, “Send him [Bush] back to Texas!” In response to the hyped crowd and their “No more Bush” chants, Kerry said “Bring it on … stand with me, and we will stand up to leave this Earth in better shape for our children.”
After the rally, in a private interview, Kerry shared some of his opinions and promises regarding student issues.
“[A young person should vote for me] because, on a whole set of issues that matter to young people, I am in sync with their thinking and their hopes and ideas … I think there are a host of issues where a lot of young people feel disappointed with the system. I think I’ve shown over 35 years that I’m willing to fight those fights in a way that gives them a sense of confidence.”
Kerry expressed that he feels that he can put up a good fight on important issues such as global warming, AIDS and the United States’ relationship with the world.
Kerry expressed that he would be able to outplay Bush with education funding.
“He [Bush] doesn’t have any money,” Kerry said about the president’s No Child Left Behind Act. “Mine [National Education Trust Fund} will be guaranteed money. He hasn’t funded special needs education and he hasn’t funded No Child Left Behind. We need to fund both of them.”
Kerry plans to fund these special needs through the National Education Trust Fund, which guarantees every school to be fully funded. The money to ensure this will come from an increase in the current investment from $23.8 billion to $35 billion by 2008. Students with disabilities will get the best education possible, while not cutting back on other important learning activities.
Kerry is making these promises to ensure a better education for all students. He says he believes that we are the future and having the best education for all students is important.
-Return to April 03/04-
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