Former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., made a stop in Des Moines on

Thursday to talk about his poverty tour, “Road to One America.” The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees hosted the event at the Des Moines Airport Holiday Inn.

Edwards immediately started his speech with his experiences on the One America Committee poverty tour. He started the tour in Louisiana and Mississippi where he met with poultry workers who were being abused, Edwards said.

“This is a perfect example of what happens when workers aren’t organized,” he said.

Edwards said he wants people to understand people living below the poverty line are not lazy.

“They can’t earn a decent wage, they’ve got no health care coverage, they have no pension,” Edwards said. “And the result is they have no chance in their lives.”

He said it made him angry that people live with fixable ailments in the richest country in the world.

“This has got to stop,” he said.

The nation needs a leader who will stand up for these people, Edwards said.

“I challenge George Bush to come with me and look in the eye the people I saw and explain to them why he has turned his back on them,” Edwards said.

America has forgotten the importance of the organized labor movement, Edwards said. He also said the organized labor movement led to the rise of the middle class and America is now losing its middle class.

“If we’re going to strengthen the middle class in this country, we’re going to have to strengthen and grow the organized labor movement,” Edwards said.

It is the way for working people to have dignity, respect, decent wages and health care, Edwards said.

The law now is very much on the side of the employers, he said.

Edwards said that he would work for unions and workers no matter what his political situation.

“I will work with everything I’ve got for what y’all are doing,” Edwards said. Universal health care was a big issue as well.

“We are in desperate need of universal health care,” Edwards said. Unions should not have to fight for health care, he said.

“I am the only person in this campaign, Democrat or Republican, to come out with a specific, truly universal health care plan,” Edwards said.

It requires all men and woman covered by law, and most things will be covered, Edwards said, and will bring down the cost of health care. He said he can pay for this by getting rid of Bush’s tax cuts.

“We can’t have universal health care for free,” Edwards said.

Danny Homan, president of AFSCME Iowa Council 61, said he was personally concerned with the war in Iraq because his son was involved in the conflict. He said he hasn’t decided on a candidate yet, but was happy with what Edwards talked about.

“He’s a great speaker for working men and women in this country,” he said.

At the end of his speech, Edwards said he was in the battle with the people, regardless of the presidential race.

Edwards called for support for his campaign in the caucuses, and he was very optimistic in his chances for not just the Democratic presidential nomination, but also the presidential election as a whole.

“I’m going to be president,” Edwards said.