A rock star roar greets Obama
The St. Petersburg Times | May 22, 2008
By Janet Zink
The line outside the St. Pete Times Forum started forming early Wednesday morning. By 10 a.m. it wound around the building. People young and old, black and white, parents and children.
...As Obama made his way to the podium just before 1 p.m., the cheers reached rock-concert decibel levels.
"It's good to be back in Florida," Obama told the enthusiastic crowd, who occasionally chanted "O-bam-a! O-bam-a!" before and during the 35-minute speech. "I know you guys have been holding down the fort."
...Obama outlined key components of his own platform, including:
- A $1,000 per family tax cut paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.
- A $4,000 yearly college-tuition credit to every student in exchange for community service.
- Eliminating income taxes on Social Security payments.
- Changing corporate bankruptcy laws to protect worker pensions.
- A $150-billion investment over 10 years in alternative energy sources such as solar and wind power, and biodiesel fuel.
- Investing in alternative energy will create new jobs, protect the environment and lessen the country's dependence on foreign oil, he said.
