Topics in the News: Bailout & Stimulus
Joe Biden on Budget & Economy
: Mar 1, 2021
ARPA tackles urgent public health and economic crises
ARPA provides the tools and support critical to tackle the urgent public health and economic crises the Nation faces as a result of COVID-19. This includes funding to set up community vaccination sites nationwide, scale up testing and tracing, eliminate
supply shortage problems, invest in high quality treatments, address health disparities, and ensure workplace health and safety protections.The bill also delivers immediate relief to workers and families bearing the brunt of the public health and
economic crises, by providing eligible Americans with a $1,400 payment in addition to the $600 payment provided in December of 2020.
The bill also expands the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit on an emergency basis, extends key emergency
unemployment benefits, raises the minimum wage to $15 per hour, and stabilizes pensions for Americans who participate in multi-employer pension plans. [See details of ARPA]
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Source: Statement of 2021 Biden Administration Policy on H.R. 1280
Joe Biden on Health Care
: Feb 5, 2020
Invest $50B in new agency to fight cancer
When I was asked to put together this cancer initiative, they asked why I brought in NASA. Guess who knows more about radiation than anybody in the world? We have a thing called DARPA, the defense agency. They came up with geo-positioning, and a
whole range of other things. It's a separate agency, works on specific programs that will impact defense capabilities. I want to do the same thing for the Department of Health and provide ARPA [for health] and invest $50 billion in that agency.
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Source: CNN N. H. Town Hall on eve of 2020 N. H. primary
Bernie Sanders on Jobs
: Apr 26, 2017
Fight for $15: worker wages so low they need food stamps!
[The movement labeled "Fight for $15" involved] raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour; [that] may have been a fringe idea a few years ago, but now it is a mainstream idea whose time has come. This legislation would also end an outrageous aspect of
corporate welfare. Today, many workers in large and profitable corporations, some of which are owned by multibillionaires, earn wages that are so low that they are forced to rely on publicly funded programs like
Medicaid, food stamps, and public housing in order to survive. In my view, it is totally absurd for the taxpayers of this country to have to subsidize people like Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the wealthiest person in the world, worth over
$150 billion. He should be paying his employees a living wage, and a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage would be a step in the right direction toward making that happen.
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Source: Where We Go From Here, by Bernie Sanders, p.80-1
Jill Stein on Government Reform
: Apr 18, 2016
Reject campaign donations from military-industrial complex
"President Eisenhower's dire warnings about the military industrial complex acquiring undue power over our government and stifling democracy have come true," said Stein. "Far too much of the military budget has
become wasteful corporate welfare, and war profiteers drive our foreign policy. Profit-driven military adventurism is not making us more secure, it's making the world more dangerous for Americans and everyone else.
We need to refocus our military on defending our country, not dominating the globe," Stein asserted.Stein called for all candidates to reject campaign contributions from military contractors.
In 2014, military contractors gave $8.9 million to Democrats and $13.5 million to Republicans in Congress. Virtually all members of Congress focus on securing defense contracts for companies in their districts.
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Source: 2016 presidential campaign website, Jill2016.com
Asa Hutchinson on Tax Reform
: Jul 11, 2014
Don't raise any taxes, while reducing individual tax rate
A debate question for the men: "What taxes would you raise or eliminate?"Hutchinson: Won't raise any tax. Reduce individual income tax. Start with middle income folks who have been squeezed. My plan is prudent. Ross plan costs 6x's my plan.
Gilbert: Don't raise any tax. Eliminate individual income tax as soon as possible. Do away with corporate welfare. Eliminate any boards that can't justify existence. No income tax is fair to everybody.
Eliminates need for minimum wage because everybody gets a raise.
Ross: Support lower tax rates. Nothing fair about tax rates. Will make changes just like Beebe did with grocery tax.
Drake: Those who make more should pay more in taxes to eliminate sales tax across state. Minimum wage needs to be raised.
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Source: Arkansas Matters blog on 2014 AR gubernatorial race
Jill Stein on Education
: Sep 29, 2010
Stop blaming teachers for "underperforming schools"
Jill Stein's position is clear:- Fully fund K through 12 education in every year, in every budget, for every student.
- It's a matter of getting our priorities straight. Do we hand out more corporate welfare and more tax breaks to well-connected
CEO's? Or do we educate our kids? Jill says that kids come first.
- Put public schools first, and don't undermine them with private charter schools.
- Every child should have access to a quality public school in their neighborhood or community.
Undermining public schools in search of privatization will inevitably lead to more expensive education, inequality, and loss of the democratic right to a free education.
- Let educators and parents decide how best to educate our children.
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Blaming teachers for deceptively labeled "underperforming schools" is an attempt to divert attention from the failure of Beacon Hill to properly fund schools and to address other factors affecting the ability of students to learn.
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Source: 2010 Gubernatorial Campaign website jillstein.org, "Issues"
Howie Hawkins on Tax Reform
: Nov 1, 2006
Simple, steeply progressive wealth & income taxes
Simple, steeply progressive wealth and income taxes. Make the super-rich and the giant corporations pay their fair share. Cut military spending deeply.
Eliminate corporate welfare through various deductions and exemptions. Put economic development aid on the budget, not hidden in the tax code.
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Source: 2006 Congressional National Political Awareness
Jill Stein on Tax Reform
: Oct 9, 2002
Close tax loopholes & stop corporate welfare
We need to close existing tax loopholes and end the corporate welfare going to the wealthy friends of politicians. These favors give unfair and arbitrary advantage to industries with influence on Beacon Hill,
impeding competition and discouraging innovation. Closing these loopholes can easily generate a billion dollars in revenue - more revenue than is lost in giving low and moderate income taxpayers the tax break they deserve.
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Source: Campaign web site, www.JillWill.org, "Issues"
Bernie Sanders on Tax Reform
: Jun 17, 1997
Cap the home mortgage interest deduction at $300,000
Could WE, the progressives in Congress, balance the budget in seven years in a way that was fair and would not hurt the kids, the elderly, the sick, or the poor? Damn right we could! I showed how we could save more than $800 billion over 7 years by
dealing with SOME of the giveaways in corporate welfare and tax breaks for the rich. This illustrative list gives some details.- Repeal housing and wage exemptions for US citizens working abroad: increased income--$7.2 billion.
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Tax capital gains at regular rate: increased income--$49 billion.
- Repeal exemption on income earned by US firms in Puerto Rico and other US possessions: increased income--$19.7 billion.
- Cap the home mortgage interest deduction at $300,000:
increased income--$34.8 billion.
- End US firms' delay of tax on income of foreign subsidiaries: increased income--$5.7 billion.
- Subject major foreign stockholders in US companies to capital gains tax: increased income--$7 billion.
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Source: Outsider in the House, by Bernie Sanders, p. 207-8
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