Rob Mellon announces candidacies for Illinois’ 18th Congressional District
Transcript of April 16th announcement speech

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[April 20, 2015]  QUINCY - Rob Mellon, high school teacher and U.S. Army Reserve Officer — Friday, in front of supporters at Clat Adams Bicentennial Park in Quincy, announced his candidacy to represent Illinois’ 18th Congressional district. In a spirited speech, Mellon called for rebuilding America’s middle class and restoring American democracy.

To follow is a transcript of the Mellon speech.

Mellon, Rob. “Shared Prosperity: Rebuilding America’s Middle Class and Reclaiming American Democracy”. Clat Adams Bicentennial Park, Quincy Illinois. 17 April 2015. Speech

Good morning – I want to thank you all for your support. My name is Rob Mellon and I am currently a high school teacher at Quincy High School and I also serve as the commander of the Army Reserve Drill Sergeant unit here in Quincy.

I’ve come to you today with a simple message. We are at a tipping point economically, and politically, our Democracy is in peril. When I say we are at a tipping point, it is not common political hyperbole. The last time we had income inequality at the current levels was 1928. What followed that were the stock market crash and the Great Depression. During that time the people did not know what to do and the government did not know how to help.
 


We all know that we emerged from that dark time and starting right after World War II in 1947 to 1977 we had the largest sustained economic growth in our nation’s history. The American economy saw massive production and a shared prosperity. During that 30 year period, 90% of the wealth produced in the country was shared by 70% of the population. So we know if we are willing to learn from our history that when the American economy is working for the most people – American families do well.

Unfortunately, since 1980 the system started to be changed to work for the very few at the expense of the whole. Since that time wealth has been concentrated in the hands of those who have already made it and do not even need it.

Now, we have heard all of the scare tactics from the extreme right. Far right wing politicians like Darin LaHood have extolled the evils of big government. Extremists like Mr. LaHood have used this sentiment to deregulate and create an environment where massive banks and multi-national corporations with little loyalty to the United States do as they please. These far right policies have worked great for the few at the very top, but have been a disaster for America’s middle class.

So what is the middle class facing today? The challenges and problems are debilitating. Housing costs are up, college costs are up, health care costs are up, food prices are up, but wages have been stagnating for 30 years.

I want to make it very clear that I am not calling for equal outcomes. I consider myself a strong proponent of American capitalism. It is the incentives that capitalism offers that fosters innovations and inventions and creates jobs. But for too many Americans, many right here in Illinois, opportunity for growth seems far away. America has always been the nation of plenty and about providing opportunity. We need to return to that place.

So not equal outcomes, but your hard work should mean something. The American people through hard work should be able to afford a home, buy a car, take a vacation with your family, have decent access to health care, and have a reliable pension.

The problem with our economic condition today is that massive income inequality has meant that aggregate demand has declined significantly. What does that mean? – People are making less, so they have less money in their pockets so they are spending less. With limited purchasing power in America’s middle class there has been a decline in upward mobility. I consider this a heartbreaking fact – a child born in America today is less likely to improve their station in life than a child born in Canada, Germany or France. Why?

That brings me to my second point – why do we have our priorities so misplaced?

As a nation we have our priorities all screwed up. It’s a question of how we use our resources. All too often our politicians have chosen to create tax loopholes for billionaires as opposed to supporting our students, veterans, and seniors. My question to Washington politicians is – whose side are you on anyway?

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Congress is currently carrying out the wishes of less than 1% of the population. The best example of that was our former congressman Aaron Schock. He is one of the major reasons why the very, very few at the top have oversized influence, and Darin LaHood is off to the same start. The first week of his candidacy he raised a quarter of a million dollars – in less than a week. So with the question I asked before – whose side are you on? Mr. LaHood has given the entire district his answer. This flood of money in politics is seriously strangling our democracy. I am not overstating that either – the democracy we all cherish is in peril.

But, I have not only come here to shed light on the problems - I have come with solutions. I want to make it clear that there are no magic potions. It will take months, even years, of hard work and dedication. This is where you come in. We have in our own power to make historic change – not only in this election, but for our nation. The money in politics is significant, but there is no substitute for getting people energized in a common cause. Make no mistake this is not a Democrat or Republican cause, it is an American cause.

So here are some of measures the U.S. Congress can take to reverse our poor economic condition and the decline of our democracy.

#1 – Reform the Tax System – make it fair and close the loopholes that give corporations subsidies to send jobs overseas.

#2 – Set Rules and Effective Regulation – continue the reforms of Dodd-Frank with the ultimate goal of reestablishing Glass-Steagall.

#3 – Investments in Education – lower the costs of college, fix the student loan debacle, provide funds for public education, promote training programs to produce more skilled labor.
 


#4 – Increased Funding for Research and Development – restore funding for medical and engineering research. We need a new pipeline of ideas and innovation.

#5 – Raise the Minimum Wage – this will not fix all the problems in the economy but will pull working families from the lowest quintile of the economy out of poverty. This must be our pledge as Americans – if you work hard for 40 hours a week you should not live in poverty in America.

#6 – Rebuild our Infrastructure – this is not only a safety issue but a means to attract new business. Businesses need infrastructure to succeed – water, power, roads, bridges, police and fire. With the proposed cuts in Quincy we know this all too well.

#7 – Equal Pay for Equal Work – this is 2015, women should not be paid 88-cents for every dollar a man makes for the same work. More than that, we need to protect women in the workplace – a woman should not fear getting fired for simply asking what the guy down the hall doing the same job is being paid.

#8 – Continue Health Care Reform – keep the parts of the Affordable Care Act that works to reduce costs and reform or remove the parts of the plan that are not working.

#9 – Alternative Energy – continue investments in research and development to lower carbon emissions, find alternative sources of energy and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

#10 – Protect the American Worker – protect a workers right to unionize and bargain collectively. This is about fundamental fairness, decent wages, stable pensions, and a healthy work environment.

The challenges are great and it may appear to be an uphill climb, but it can be done – this is America – it has been done before. Thank you all and may God bless the United States.

[Text provided by Logan County Democrats Chair Rebecca Drake]

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