ANAHEIM, Calif. – Former Senator John Edwards, featured grandassembly speaker at the California and Nevada Credit Union LeagueCU Leadership Summit, commended credit unions for providingservices to underserved groups. Edwards, who currently directs theUniversity of North Carolina Center on Poverty, Work andOpportunity, said services credit unions provide as an alternativeto payday lenders are key in fighting the war on poverty. “Withoutyou providing the services you provide, families working in povertyhave no choice but to get caught up in cycle of payday lending,which you all know so well,” Edwards said, adding, “and we need todo more of that as a nation, we shouldn't be dependent upon you todo it all.” The former Vice Presidential candidate also drewapplause from the audience when he discussed his position on creditunion taxation. “I have a long history of support of credit unions,and that includes, by the way, your tax status, because the workyou do is so important to so many people across the country whoneed access to financial services,” Edwards said. The high-profileDemocrat also politicized, as if he were still on the campaigntrail, chastising the Bush Administration and Republican-controlledCongress for increasing America's dependence upon foreign oil,failing to draft a trade policy that protects American workers,cutting funding in education and technology research, and forlacking basic fiscal responsibility. Edwards gave equal critiquetime to his own Democratic party, saying it is important that theleft wing return to a message of core beliefs, rather than focusingon individual issues. “It's time for us to re-energize theDemocratic party by standing up with backbone and courage, andshowing it's not the Republican party that owns moral issues inAmerica,” he said. Edwards said he believes that Americans arehungry for a moral issue to rally around, and if the party of theworking class is to be successful, it must act now before thewindow of opportunity closes. -

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