September 29

"When special interests put their thumb on the scale, and distort the free market, the people who compete by the rules come in last."

Barack Obama, 44th President, 2009- , remarks of Senator Barack Obama at a town-hall meeting on the economy in St. Petersburg, Florida, August 1, 2008."...People are starting to lose faith in the American dream, which is the idea that if you work hard, you can build a better life not just for yourselves but for your children and grandchildren. A lot of people feel like that dream is slipping further out of reach. That’s why I’m running for President of the United States – because America is supposed to be the place where you can make it if you try. And a lot of people are trying, but they’re having a tough time making it. Part of it has to do with changes in the way our economy works. Over the last few decades, revolutions in technology and communication have made it so that corporations can send good jobs wherever there’s an internet connection. Children in St. Petersburg aren’t just growing up competing for good jobs with children in Boston or Chicago, but with children in Beijing and Bangalore. But what we also have to remember is that our economic problems aren’t simply due to changes in how our economy works, and they aren’t just a normal part of the business cycle. They’re also due to irresponsible decisions that were made on Wall Street and in Washington. In recent years, we have relearned the essential truth that in the long run, we cannot have a thriving Wall Street and a struggling Main Street. When wages are flat, prices are rising, and more Americans are mired in debt, the economy as a whole suffers. When a reckless few game the system, as we’ve seen in this housing crisis, millions suffer and we’re all affected. When special interests put their thumb on the scale, and distort the free market, the people who compete by the rules come in last. And when our government fails to meet its obligation – to provide sensible oversight and stand on the side of working people and invest in their future – America pays a heavy price.". Obama went on to lay out his platform of providing more financial oversight, more accessible health care, development of "green energy", and a reformed education system.