PORTLAND, Ore. (CNN) -
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry blasted the Bush administration's economic policies Tuesday while promising to address the issues that are squeezing America's middle-class families -- skyrocketing gas prices and the spiraling cost of health care.
The senator from Massachusetts spoke at the Portland Community College Metropolitan Workforce Training Center, a facility that offers employment and professional development courses, including the Welfare-to-Work program and the Dislocated Workers Project.
Kerry pointed to the government's report Monday showing the average price of retail gasoline spiked almost 8 cents over the past week to a record high of $2.01, almost 60 cents over the average price a year ago.
"Where is the call for OPEC to start producing," Kerry asked. "Where's the president who, when he was campaigning for president, said in New Hampshire what we need is a president who jawbones OPEC to lower those gas prices? Well, I haven't seen any jawboning, have you? All I read about are sweetheart deals with Saudi Arabia."
As president, Kerry said, he would bring the country closer to energy independence and provide immediate relief by temporarily suspending the filling of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve up to its 700 million-barrel capacity.
Kerry also said he would work more effectively with OPEC and bring about simpler national fuel strategies.
Kerry promised to end tax breaks that encourage companies to send jobs overseas and to enforce trade agreements he said would allow America's workers and businesses to compete on a level playing field.
"We shouldn't have a tax system encouraging one behavior over another. We should encourage creating, keeping jobs in the U.S.," Kerry said.
He also promised that if elected president he would immediately give health care coverage to virtually all of America's children by moving the costs for Medicaid-eligible children from the states to the federal government.
"You go to school, you're enrolled. You go to a day care center, you're enrolled. You go to a doctor's office, you're enrolled," Kerry said.
He said he would also help self-employed workers and small business owners with a 50 percent tax credit to help them afford health care and reduce health-care costs for all companies by taking catastrophic cases out of the private sector.
In addition, Kerry said under his plan for health care, people 55 and older would be allowed to buy into Medicare early. "We're also going to allow Medicare to reimburse at veterans hospitals."
Kerry quoted former Vermont governor and rival Howard Dean, who accompanied him to the event: "You have the power. We're going to make this country strong together. ... We're going to make this country fair again."
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