WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr. announced his support for the Democratic Plan for Real Security.

The Democrat’s Real Security Agenda would:  
• Ensure unparalleled military strength and honor our troops;
• Stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction;
• Protect America from terrorism, and respond effectively to natural disasters; 
• Free America from our dangerous dependence on foreign oil.
 
“Today, I proudly join my fellow Democrats in unveiling our Real Security Agenda to protect America and restore our leadership in the world,” said Conyers. “It is our first responsibility as public servants to ensure the security of all Americans in this era of unpredictable threats and challenges.

The failed policies of the Bush Administration and congressional Republicans prove their security rhetoric just doesn’t match reality,” Conyers continued.  “Whether its under-funding homeland security or short-changing our troops, Republicans have not made Michigan nor the nation as safe as we should be.

More than four years after September 11th, our ports, railways, mass transit, chemical and nuclear plants and other critical infrastructure remain vulnerable to attack.  We were led into war in Iraq with manipulated intelligence and continue to pay the highest price for woefully inadequate planning.  Furthermore, little has been done to reduce our nation’s dangerous dependency on oil from the Middle East.

Real leadership demands preparing for the threats that exist today as well as tomorrow.  That is why the Democratic plan strengthens local communities’ preparedness by fully implementing the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations and ensuring Michigan’s firefighters, emergency medical workers, police, and other front-line responders are fully trained, staffed, and equipped.

To honor the sacrifice of our troops, especially the 34,405 Michigan men and women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003, I will insist that we bring our troops home as soon as practicably possible. We will invest in and rebuild a state-of the-art military and we will guarantee Michigan’s 836,950 veterans and their families receive the pay and benefits they earned and deserve.

We will invest in developing and producing alternative fuels from our country’s heartland, and promote hybrid and flex-fuel vehicle technology to achieve energy independence by 2020.

Real security for all Americans is our first priority and it is my promise to continue to fight for real security for the Fourteenth District, the State of Michigan, and the country as a whole.”

###3-29-2006###