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Dodd calls helping families government's patriotic duty

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By Ed Tibbetts | Tuesday, November 27, 2007 12:55 AM CST | () comments

Calling it a form of patriotism, Democratic presidential candidate Chris Dodd said Monday in Davenport the government needs to place a greater emphasis on helping American families by expanding their ability to take leave to care for sick relatives, boosting pay for women and expanding the federal child tax credit so it’s available to more people.

Dodd held a roundtable discussion at Family Resources, Inc., 805 W. 35th St., with family advocates, as well as supporters from his home state. They, along with Dodd, sought to make the case that throughout the Connecticut senator’s tenure, he’s stood up for basic family needs.

“I’ve made it a career for 25 years,” Dodd said.

Dodd is proposing federal legislation to require businesses give workers eight weeks of paid leave to care for a sick child or when a child is born. He also would stiffen penalties against employers who illegally pay women less than men for the same work and would broaden the $1,000-per-person child tax credit so that 7 million low-income Americans could claim it.

Dodd said the struggle to help families meet their everyday challenges is on par with how people traditionally define patriotism.

“This ought to be patriotism. We’re talking about patriotism in a way,” Dodd said.

The campaign did not provide a cost estimate for the proposals when asked, but Dodd said savings could be gained by getting U.S. troops out of Iraq, rolling back some of the Bush tax cuts and allowing Medicare to negotiate the price of the prescription drugs it subsidizes for seniors. Critics have said the last proposal would not save significant money.

Accompanying the senator on his trip here was Eva Bunnell, a Connecticut woman whose

25-year-old daughter was born with a disability that required round-the-clock care. The family’s difficulties gave Dodd an impetus to push for passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act, the 1990s law he sponsored that allows people to take 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for a sick family member.

Bunnell said the senator would be dogged in his pursuit of his goals and wouldn’t forget what he heard on the campaign trail, which Monday included discussion of the toll that domestic violence takes on women and communities.

“He keeps going, even if the battle is difficult,” Bunnell said. “He doesn’t forget.”

Dodd also was joined by his sister and the chairman of the Democratic Party in Connecticut.

Dodd trails in the polls, nationally and in Iowa. But he was undeterred, telling reporters afterward the state’s voters have awarded upset victories before.

Dodd has put a lot of stock in Iowa. He has moved his entire family to the state through the Jan. 3 caucuses, putting one daughter in the Des Moines school system.

He said Monday he even had to tell one daughter that, despite their temporary relocation, Santa Claus would find her.

Ed Tibbetts can be contacted at (563) 383-2327 or etibbetts@qctimes.com.