Mark Docherty
Democratic National Convention
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Hello, I'm Mark Docherty from Sterling Heights, Michigan. I'm a professional firefighter and a proud member of the International Association of Firefighters Local 1557.

In the economy that's going up in flames, I'm fortunate to have the protection of a union that fights to protect my pay, benefits and rights. That's not the case for most of working America.

An estimated 60 million Americans would join a union if only given the opportunity, but George Bush and John McCain have made it harder for workers to organize. At the same time, George Bush and John McCain have made it easier for companies to ship jobs overseas.

We can't afford four more years of the same. We need change, and Barack Obama will deliver that change.

Everyday my fellow firefighters and I see the impact of nearly eight years of the Bush Administration's scorch-and-burn policies, policies that have reduced the quality of life for middle-class Americans. With John McCain, Americans can count on more of the same. John McCain has voted against the minimum wage not once, not twice, but 19 times.

Because of the failed economic policies of George Bush and John McCain, with nearly every response call firefighters see Americans struggling to get by and forced to make choices that endanger themselves and their neighbors.

With an ever-increasing number of empty, foreclosed properties, neighborhoods deteriorate, communities dwindle and what's left is a situation ripe for fires and arson. All around the country, fire departments are working with fewer personnel and resources, which endangers the lives of firefighters and the residents they are sworn to protect. Since the horrors of September 11, fire departments and other first responders have been asked to carry a heavier load, preparing us to respond to another attack or a natural disaster.

Nearly eight years later the system is in place, but what's missing is the funding needed to keep up training, staffing and equipment. And John McCain has voted time and again against all the vital increases in funding these dangerous times demand. We can't afford four more years of the same.

We need change, and Barack Obama will deliver that change. He'll fully fund our fire departments and first responders. He'll jump-start our economy and give hardworking families a much needed tax cut. Barack Obama will stand up for collective bargaining, stand up for workers and always fight for the middle class.

The American people have called in an emergency, and Barack Obama will answer that call with the change we so desperately need.