Introduction Letter in Real Solutions for America

Dear Fellow American,

I've spent the last year putting together a detailed plan to get our country moving again.

The heart of my plan is based on the simple promise of America that I learned growing up in a small town in North Carolina: if you work hard and do the right thing, America will give you the chance to build a better life for your family.

George Bush comes from a very different place and has a very different approach. He thinks if you just help people at the top, somehow the whole country will do better.

I think he's wrong. The hard work, determination, and ingenuity of middle and working class Americans built the great American economy. When they do well, we all do well.

But right now, they're struggling with real problems that this president doesn't even recognize, let alone understand - a growing tax burden that is the direct result of the president's tax cuts for the wealthiest; constantly rising health insurance bills and prescription drug costs; failing schools that don't prepare kids for college, and college tuition that's unaffordable.

America deserves better. America deserves a president who will offer real solutions to the problems people face in their everyday lives. I have a responsibility to tell you not just what I'm against, but what I'm for. That's what this campaign is all about.

I hope you'll read my plan - and when you're done, I want to hear from you, because this plan isn't a closed book. I want to keep improving it, and to do that I need your ideas, I need your suggestions, I need your thoughts - and I hope to earn your support.

Please send your thoughts to realsolutions@johnedwards2004.com or call 888-292-2004.

Together, we can reclaim our government and restore our values to the White House. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

John Edwards