Kamala Harris in The Atlantic
On Crime:
Punish violent criminals, but understand they also need help
To be a progressive prosecutor is to understand that when a person takes another's life, or a child is molested, or a woman raped, the perpetrators deserve severe consequences. The job of a progressive prosecutor is to look out for the overlooked,
to speak up for those whose voices aren't being heard, to see and address the causes of crime, not just their consequences. It is to recognize that not everyone needs punishment, that what many need, quite plainly, is help.
Source: The Atlantic commentary on memoir "The Truths We Hold"
Jan 11, 2019
On Energy & Oil:
Climate change important, but not only issue
On the issue of climate change: "Every parent wants to know that their child can drink clean water and breathe clean air. And that same parent wants to know that they're able to bring home enough money with one job to pay their bills and pay their rent,
and put food on the table instead of having to work two or three jobs," she said. "Every person wants to know that there will be a criminal-justice system that is fair to all people, regardless of their race."
Source: The Atlantic, "Pick a Lane," on 2020 Democratic primary
Jan 22, 2019
On Tax Reform:
Payments to needy, not tax breaks for the rich
The Lift the Middle Class Act would provide monthly cash payments of up to $500 to lower-income families, on top of the tax credits and public benefits they already receive. "Last year, Congress gave a trillion dollars in tax breaks to corporations,"
Harris told me. "That money should have gone to American taxpayers who need it instead of handing it over to corporations and the top 1 percent."Harris is offering as much as $3,000 a year for a single person or $6,000 a year for a married couple, on
top of existing tax and transfer programs, disbursed either as a lump-sum tax refund or as a monthly payment. Working families making less than $100,000 a year would qualify, including those making close to nothing. As many as 80 million
Americans would benefit, Harris's office has estimated, with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities calculating that the proposal would lift 9 million people out of poverty, including nearly 3 million kids.
Source: The Atlantic, "Tax Plan," on 2020 presidential hopefuls
Oct 18, 2018
Page last updated: Jul 21, 2024