Highlights from Doug Racine’s address to Vermont Labor Council

I’m on a mission.
We are going to have a new governor, and I clearly want to be that Governor. I’m on a mission – not just to get myself elected – but to work with you and other Vermonters to restore the middle class in this state, and to restore the middle class in this country.

Restoring the Middle Class.
The unions have really helped to build the middle class. I want to work with you – I want you to be part of that vision – to change our priorities – so that we can restore the middle class. I believe it really can be done.

I talk to Vermonters every day – and Vermonters are hurting. Life should be getting better for the next generation, and there’s a real fear out there that it’s not getting better for that next generation.

And in Vermont, what’s been the response? It’s been to go after working people – to go after a lot of unionized people –you’ve seen the governor going after state employees, saying you’re part of the problem, going after teachers, going after unemployment, so you have to cut benefits there, and you have to cut benefits under workers’ compensation. But folks at the top are still doing ok. We’re asking only the people who are working hard and struggling to pay the price, and I think that’s clearly, clearly wrong.

Standing for Values.
I grew up in a blue collar family. My dad was an auto mechanic and then had a gas station and over time through hard work built a business. We had opportunities. My parents understood the value of hard work and education, fairness, caring about others in the community, and that’s what was instilled in me.

It’s really about fairness. It’s about justice. I know that kids should have opportunities – the opportunity to get a good education, the opportunity to get ahead and look towards a brighter future. Parents should have decent jobs. Jobs that pay a decent living and have decent benefits to go with them, so they aren’t always looking over their shoulder waiting for that pink slip to arrive.

Providing Healthcare for All.
I think it’s time we recognize in a country as wealthy as we are, I think we should be recognizing healthcare as a basic human right. We can afford to do this. I chair the Health and Welfare Committee. We’re going to take S.88 up. It’s going to be our starting point, to say how can we do this? How can we work with the federal government to make universal access, single-payer, a reality in the state of Vermont?

Fighting for Workers.
I’ve been working on the unemployment issue and the Workers’ Compensation, and again, tough times, and what’s the response from a lot of folks? Cut the benefits. The idea of cutting benefits in the time when people really need them, and it will protect their ability to hold onto their homes and hold onto their futures – that’s just wrong, and we’re going to find a better solution to that.

Believing in Vermont.
I want to be governor because this state is very special to me. I’m proud of it. I’m proud of all Vermonters. I know we can make Vermont what it should be, what it has been, which is a great place to live and a great place to raise a family. I believe in Vermont. I believe in Vermonters. I believe we can do it.

Read the full remarks here