I want to thank Lorin for introducing me. I really appreciate Jody and her husband Jeffrey for being here, and I’d also like to thank our youngest daughter, Taryn for traveling so far to be with us. I’d also like to introduce my chief advisor, my best friend and the love of my life, my wife Donna. You have now met the source of all my strength, my family. I appreciate all of you being here today. It feels so good to be surrounded by family and friends at this very special moment. I’m here at Kennesaw State University because it means so much to me personally. It’s an educational institution that stands for the Georgia idea that everyone should have a chance to go as far as their talent and hard work can take them. I’ve fought to make that idea come true on this campus. And I’m committed to fight to make that idea come true for all Georgians and all Americans. I have come here today to officially announce my candidacy for the United States Senate. For me, just standing here is a victory in itself when you consider where I came from and what it has taken for me to get here. I come from a family that didn’t have much. I went to work when I was 11 years old, and worked two jobs through junior high school and high school to help support my family. It wasn’t a hardship…it was a responsibility. I was not able to go to college, but in the Senate I will work my heart out to make sure that others have that opportunity. My life has taught me to believe in old-fashioned American values… the Georgia values that still work. I began the Great American Cookie Company in 1977…with no experience in the food business. For most of you out there, you probably always thought that our company had been a success from the beginning. In fact, if you had been around that first day, you probably would have thought there wouldn’t have been a second. We burnt the very first batch of 300 cookies so badly…the fire department was actually called out…smoke was pouring out of the oven…and we wound up spending that first day cleaning up a great cookie mess. But we didn’t give up and opened the next day with great success. Six weeks later, I woke up in Northside Hospital. I had two doctors standing over my bed telling me I had been in a near fatal motorcycle accident. They said that I would be O.K. but would never walk again without the aid of either canes or crutches. And considering the alternative of not waking up at all, I thought that was O.K. Nine months after my accident, I was walking up the driveway with my daughter Taryn, who was three years old at the time, and she asked me if I wanted to race to the mailbox. I figured, even on two canes, I could still beat this little kid to the mailbox. When I took off to run, I realized I couldn’t do it... the pain was excruciating. It was the first time since the accident that I realized I was disabled. Not just in my legs but in my mind. It was the first time I let anyone tell me what my limits were. So at the same time I built the Great American Cookie Company to where it is today, from an eight thousand dollar investment to a company that employs thousands of people across this country... with the loving support of my family, my friends and my business associates, I also managed to rehabilitate and set three world records riding across this great country on a bicycle -- from sea to shining sea. You probably are wondering why I’m telling you this story. It is important for people to know that the individuals they elect, especially those that go to Washington, will have the integrity, strength and tenacity to do the hard work it will take to move this country forward. The values that have guided my life will guide me in the Senate -- a commitment to family… a rock-solid belief in the value of hard work… and a belief that in America… and especially in Georgia… anything -- absolutely anything -- is possible. I will be a hardworking Senator for Georgia’s hardworking families. That’s what separates me from my opponent. Because I believe deeply in the value of work, I will vote to raise the minimum wage by a dollar an hour. Paul Coverdell has not and he will not -- but I will. Because I believe deeply that education has always been the key to success for most Americans, I will work tirelessly to improve our public schools. Paul Coverdell has not, and he will not -- but you know I will. Because I believe deeply in the obligation one generation has to another, I will vote as your Senator to use the federal budget surplus to protect the Social Security Trust Fund. Paul Coverdell has not and he will not -- but you know I will. Because I believe deeply that we have a basic responsibility to our families’ health, I will fight for a health care bill of rights that includes the right to choose your own doctor, and the right to sue your insurance company or HMO if it won’t let you get the treatment you need. Paul Coverdell has not taken that stand and he will not -- but you know I will. You know how insurance companies operate. They tell you that before you get your car fixed, you have to get three appraisals. Well, there’s a difference between a car and a human being whether the insurance industry likes it or not. You shouldn’t have to get three appraisals -- and settle for the cheapest bid -- before the insurance you paid for saves your health or your life. I am running for the United States Senate because I believe that Georgia’s working families need a voice in Washington… someone who has come from a little and built a life… and now wants to fight for Georgia’s values and Georgia dreams in the United States Senate. Paul Coverdell hasn’t been that kind of Senator. Paul Coverdell will never be that kind of Senator. But you know I will. For example, in this era of global markets, there is nothing more important than giving our children a world-class education. If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. I will work to improve our public schools, by raising standards for both students and teachers, by making kindergarten more available and college and technical school education more affordable. I will work to make our public schools safer and better places to learn, by restoring discipline and respect. Violent troublemakers should be sent to alternative schools so the rest of our kids can learn in peace. Our juvenile court system has to send clear messages that age is no excuse for crime. We all know that strong families teach the best values… but we must help families protect their children from guns and gangs and schoolyard drug pushers. We also need new protections and punishments against sexual predators. And whether it’s state law or federal law, those who commit a crime should do their full time. And let me add this: We’ve eliminated parole in the federal system; we need to eliminate it in Georgia, too. Georgia families want a Senator who will fix our public schools. But, over six long years, Paul Coverdell has become one of biggest enemies of public education in entire United States Senate. He’s voted time and time again to gut Head Start, student loans, and safe and drug-free school programs. He never stops. Just this month, he was one of the four deciding votes to defeat a bill that would have used federal funds to leverage more than $590 million for Georgia school construction. That’s right, Paul Coverdell just voted against federal school construction money for Georgia, even though more than a third of our schools currently need rebuilding or major repair. Georgia families want a Senator who cares about the air we breathe and the water we drink. That’s not the Senator we’ve got. Paul Coverdell has voted against every major piece of environmental legislation that has come before the Senate in the past three years -- 23 anti-environmental votes in all. While the newspapers are filled with stories about the water problems right here in the Atlanta area, Coverdell voted to gut the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Environmental Protection Agency. Georgia families want a Senator who cares about our parents’ retirement. I will fight to protect Medicare, our people’s pensions, veterans’ benefits, and our Social Security. But that’s not the Senator we’ve got today. During the last six years, Paul Coverdell voted to cut Medicare by $270 billion. And Paul Coverdell actually supported legislation that would have enabled companies to raid their workers’ pension plans. On these and so many other issues, the differences are clear… and the choice is clear. Georgia’s values…versus Coverdell’s votes. I have lived here my entire adult life… raised a family here…built a business here…I’ve worked with this University to expand educational opportunity…with the American Heart Association, I’ve been in the front ranks of the fight for health care. I’ve been proud to be a Riverkeeper, fighting to save precious drinking water. I’ve been in private business, but I also like to think I’ve been in public service. In the Senate, I will work hard for what the hardworking families of this state want and need. Together, we can win the critical battle for a secure retirement and higher wages. Together, we can win the decisive battle for quality public education and safe and drug-free streets and schools. Together, we can honor our fundamental obligation to protect Georgia’s environmental legacy. Together, we can take Georgia to the Senate. Paul Coverdell has not done this. He will not do this. But with your help, I will. I will take Georgia values with me to the Senate every day. Thank you. God bless you. And God bless Georgia. ### |
