Candidate visits Bluffs, Iowa, comments on outages
Originally published in the Daily Nonpareil
Candidate visits Bluffs, comments on outages
TIM ROHWER , Staff Writer 08/20/2003
Last week's East Coast blackout could have been the result of the failed policy of utility deregulation, said Dennis Kucinich, a Democratic presidential candidate.
The U.S. Congressman from Ohio is a former mayor of Cleveland, which was hit hard by the blackout.
"I've been active on utility issues for 30 years, and utility deregulation set off a wave of mergers," Kucinich said during a visit to Council Bluffs Tuesday. "The money goes into mergers and acquisitions."
Money should have gone into better maintenance of power plants and upgrading of equipment, he said.
First Energy Co. of Ohio did not maintain its nuclear plant and is now being investigated as the possible source of the blackout that impacted 50 million people, Kucinich said.
"Deregulation deprives the public to get services and a fair price," he said.
If elected president, Kucinich said he would regulate the industry to keep rates affordable.
On labor issues, Kucinich said all workers, including undocumented people, should be treated fairly.
"Anyone working in this country should be entitled to fair labor standards," he said to a gathering of supporters at the Travelodge Motel. "If I'm elected, undocumented workers will receive full protection of the law."
Part-time and temporary workers would also receive that protection, he said. There have been too many cases of temporary workers laboring 80 hours or more and never getting paid, Kucinich said.
He would cancel the North America Free Trade Agreement because it not only eliminated jobs here but also drove wages down in Mexico, forcing many there to cross the border seeking better opportunities.
Though there are eight other Democrats seeking the White House, Kucinich said he has a long record of defeating Republican incumbents, and he can win his important state.
No Republican has ever won the White House without carrying Ohio, he said.
"It's a swing state, and I can win Ohio," Kucinich said.
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