Cord Byrd: “4 years ago, candidates George Bush and Dick Cheney promised those of us from rural America that they understood the…”

“4 years ago, candidates George Bush and Dick Cheney promised those of us from rural America that they understood the challenges we face and that they would work to make our lives better. Now, the President and Vice President are going back out to the rural parts of the country, to Appalachia, to my home State of West Virginia, to tell us that we have turned the corner. They are saying that, thanks to their work during these past 4 years, our prospects are improving. They tell us that, due to their policies, job growth is increasing. And they argue that if we want more of the same in the future, we need to re-elect them to another term. The reality is a far cry from the picture the President paints. Those of us in rural America, and for me that means the rugged Appalachian mountains of West Virginia, have known that, in order to improve our ability to attract and maintain good-paying jobs, we have to build an infrastructure to match those in the urban parts of America. That includes more four-lane divided highways and an improved national passenger rail network. But, the President has proposed policies to slow highway construction and shut down Amtrak. If enacted, these proposals would add to the staggering job losses already experienced in rural America under the Bush administration. This Congress is now a year late in passing reauthorization legislation for the Federal Government's surface transportation programs.”