Stewart A. Alexander
Nominee for Vice President Socialist Party USA
Candidate for Vice President Peace and Freedom Party

June 22, 2008

Socialists nationwide are strongly opposed to the Democrats and Republicans moving ahead to give President George Bush $163 billion to continue the war in Iraq and Afghanistan; the additional war funding has the support of Democrats and Republicans while flooding in the Midwest has claimed the lives of 24 victims and has injured more than 140. Stewart A. Alexander, Vice Presidential Candidate with Socialist Party USA, says, “The lingering disaster of Katrina, and the floods that are now occurring in the Midwest, is showing the nation that the Democrats, Republicans and their candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, have lost their priorities and are failing to represent the people that elected them into office.”

The U.S. Congress has received strong warning signals that the nation is not prepared to cope with any major natural disasters. The strongest warning was in August 2005 when Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast; deaths from Hurricane Katrina numbered over 1,800 and tens of thousands were left homeless. Almost three years since that disaster, Louisiana, Mississippi and much of the Gulf Coast has not fully recovered; and many of the poor are still homeless and have been left without hope.

While saving human lives is the number one concern, damage to the nation’s food supply is of great importance. In the Midwest, thousands of acres of fields are submerged; major flooding has occurred in Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri and Indiana, as much as 20 percent of crop production from these states may already be lost. Much of the nation and world depends on the corn and soy beans that are produced in this region.

Much of the cost of flood damages, over the past few years, is a direct result of Congress failing to invest in the U.S. infrastructure; this was the situation that caused the extreme flooding in Louisiana due to the failure of the levees. The extreme lost of life was due to the poor management of President Bush, Congress and federal agencies.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has warned for years that California may face future flood disasters if there is a failure to invest in flood control systems. As in the Midwest, future floods in California could further endanger the food supplies for the nation and the world.

Stewart Alexander says, “The Midwest floods are demanding immediate action by the federal, state and local authorities. Food, clothing and shelter must be provided to all the victims that have suffered lost.”

Alexander is also demanding that Congress freeze all ethanol production to levels prior to December 2007; this measure is to prevent further shortages of the nation’s food supply and to stem rising food cost.

Over the next decade, Alexander says the federal government and states must invest an estimated $500 billion on levees, flood prevention projects and water works projects; “Such projects would protect regions of the nation against floods; also, these projects would provide needed employment for tens of thousands of working people, and would help protect life and property for the next 100 years.”

Socialist Party USA and Peace and Freedom Party deeply regret the unfortunate events that have created a great lost for so many in the Midwest. Both socialist parties are demanding that Congress end the funding for the illegal Iraq War and invest in socially useful jobs that will create employment opportunities and good paying jobs for millions of working people rebuilding the U.S. infrastructure and providing immediate relief for all flood victims.

For more information search the Web for: Stewart A. Alexander; Socialists emerging as Democrats, Republicans lose voter confidence.
www.banderasnews.com/0801/edop-stewartalexander.htm
labs.daylife.com/journalist/stewart_a._alexander

StewartAlexanderCares.com
www.vote-socialist.org/
peaceandfreedom-sjv.org/home/
www.sp-usa.org/
www.dcpoliticalreport.com/pres08.htm
www.politics1.com/p2008.htm