Transcript of KH appearance 09.17.24 video linked below
“We have a shortage of housing… let's just take
this and deal with it head on… engage homebuilders, with tax credits to give
them the incentive to create new housing, 3 million by the end of my first term.”
[Blogger’s note, this project started because I could not find H Clinton’s 2016 stump speech*** for something I was writing few months back, so… ]
TRANSCRIPT:
Q: We want to start on an issue that Americans
across the country say is their number one concern and that's the economy. A question
that has been asked of you and everybody that's on the Democratic side is
whether or not voters are better off now than they were four years ago are they
better off now than they were four years ago?
Kamala Harris: Well first of all let me just
say it is good to be with the National Association of Black Journalists and I
thank you for the work you do and that your members do every day. It is very
important that we ensure that this organization and your members always have
the resources and the platforms to deliver the voices that must be heard, so I
thank you for hosting me today.
Four years ago when we came in, we came in
during the worst unemployment since the Great Depression, we came in during the
worst Public Health epidemic in centuries, we came in after the worst attack on
our democracy since the Civil War, and a lot of it due in large part to the
mismanagement by the former president as it relates to covid and obviously
January Sixth.
And we had then a lot of work to do to clean up
a mess. As of today we have created over 16 million new jobs over 800,000 new
manufacturing jobs. We have the lowest black unemployment rate in Generations,
we have invested in small businesses and they're to the benefit of many people
but including black small businesses, some of the highest rate of creation of
new black small businesses in years.
We have done the work of capping the cost of
prescription medication for our seniors for issues like insulin- and again I'm
speaking to the black journalists who care about all people, but in particular i'll
talk about the impact on black people, where we know black folks are times more
likely 60% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes. And we have now finally
capped the cost of insulin for our seniors at $35 a month capped the cost of
prescription medication for our seniors at $2,000 a year.
Because we, unlike the former president who
promised to do it, we finally have allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices
against the big pharmaceutical companies. And these are just some of the
accomplishments.
Is the price of groceries still too high, yes,
do we have more work to do, yes and I will tell you-
I do believe that I offer a new generation of
leadership for our country that is about in particular turning the page on an
era that sadly has shown us attempts by some to incite fear, to create division
in our country, and to do the work that is about bringing some level of
optimism. And dare I say ambition about what I know is possible in our country.
!!!
An opportunity economy where all people have
access to the resources to compete to apply their incredible work ethic their
ambition their aspirations and their dreams.
!!!!!!
And so my plan for the economy includes what I
imagine and believe and call an opportunity economy, what we can do to grow an
opportunity economy where all people have access to the resources to compete,
to apply their incredible work ethic, their ambition, their aspirations, and
their dreams.
And actually not just get by but get ahead. And
I can talk in more detail about it but specifically. I'll mention a few things
yeah.
One of the big issues that affects people right
now in terms of the economy and their economic well-being is we have a shortage
of housing supply. It's too expensive people can't afford to buy a home.
Our parents had the ability to somehow believe
the American dream was attainable. Not so much for younger working people. And I
recognize that.
So my Approach is a new approach which is to
say let's just take this and deal with it head on. And part of my Approach is
I'm going to employ and engage the private sector, in particular homebuilders,
with tax credits to give them the incentive to create new housing, 3 million by
the end of my first term.
And understanding that not everybody is, you
know, handed a a silver spoon, works hard, and is trying to save up for a down
payment.
Part of my plan under my opportunity economy is
to give first-time home buyers a $25,000 down payment assistance, so they can
just get their foot in the door, to be able to then engage in what will prove
to be their opportunity to build intergenerational wealth.
And here's my personal experience. I grew up a
middle- class kid my mother was hard working. She raised me and my sister Maya.
She saved up and it was only by the time I was a teenager that she could afford
to actually buy her first home and I know and I identify with I know where I
come from. [OVERLAPPING] and I know but I'm just going to finish. I know that
so many people work so hard and should have the opportunity to just get their
foot in the door. Again so it's not just about getting by but getting ahead
Q: Please
I'd like to ask you more about the opportunity economy. Housing is part of it
as well as expanding the earned income tax credit financial support as you
mentioned for first-time buyers and $25,000 tax deduction for startups and
small businesses. But I want to talk to you about the squeeze that millions of
Americans are also dealing with that impacts their ability to work and make
money, and that is child care and elder care, and it's a squeeze for millions
of people. In some parts of the country it costs more for child care than for
rents, I think Bloomberg recently reported an average of $33,000 a year. So
I'm just wondering you mentioned that in your opportunity economy, a child tax
credit; but that's just one part of an ecosystem. Please tell us what plans
will you propose to guarantee that families can actually afford child care and
elder care?
20:20
KH; So to your point, it is it is sadly the
State of Affairs in our country that working people often have to decide to
either be able to work or be able to afford Child Care, like they can't afford
child care and actually do the work that they want to do because it's too
expensive. And it doesn't actually level out in terms of the expense versus the
income.
My plan is that no family, no Working Families,
should pay more than 7% of their income in child care. Because I know that when
you talk about the return on that investment, allowing people to work allowing
people to pursue their dreams, in terms of how they want to work, where they
want to work- benefits us all. It strengthens the entire economy.
We saw for example during the pandemic what
happened, and it sadly has dissipated as a conversation that we need to
resuscitate, which is the number of women that had to leave the workforce
because of a lack of child care and home health care. And so many of our
families- and particular women- end up carrying the responsibility, men do too
of course, what we call people who are in the sandwich generation who have
young children and are also taking care of their parents.
And it is just absolutely too expensive for
them to be able to work and do that.
So my plan is not only about 7% of income for working
people for child care, but also we need to do better for our child care
providers, and our home health care providers, in terms of ensuring that they
receive the wages that they deserve based on the Dignity of their work. I have
spent time with Home Health Care Providers and their work is some of the most
taxing work you can imagine, and I actually –
When my mother was sick with cancer, I did a
lot in terms of taking care care of her. And the the work that is about taking
care of a loved one in particular an elder is extraordinarily heavy, in terms
of the emotional toll, the time it takes. And we do it because that is what we do.
!!!!!
We need to make sure we have home healthcare
workers.
!!!!!!
But not everyone has the ability to take time
from work to do it, and they need help. And we need to make sure we have home
healthcare workers that can help them.
But I want to get back to the earlier point
that you made about extending the child tax credit.
So part of my new approach is we need to expand
the child tax credit.
And so part of my plan that is- under an
opportunity economy- is to extend and expand the child tax credit to $6,000 so
that young families- in particular for the first year of their child's life
which is an extraordinarily important time in their development- have the
resources to be able to buy a crib, buy a car seat, buy children's clothing,
and not have to worry about whether they're going to be able to meet their
other needs.
And I will. I don't need to remind anybody here
especially these esteemed journalists,
but when we expanded the child tax credit a couple years ago, we reduced child
poverty by half. And so again, if you talk about the benefit and if you think
about the benefit to the economy overall, it strengthens our economy to do
things like pay attention to affordable child care, affordable home health care,
and extending the child tax credit.
END OF TRANSCRIPT
Watch the entire 50 min speech at “Vice
President Kamala Harris attends NABJ event in Philadelphia” on youtube
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=r3gvtiascga&t=668s
Webkigged by Kay Ebeling, volunteering my blog to help Harris/Walz get elected
Previous stump speeches this month
Kamala Harris stump speech as of September 3
Another addition to the cofa Blog Transcript Project
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