Iraq
“You know, it must be really tough for candidates for president to come before the American people and to claim that they were tricked, deceived, misled by George Bush….Well, here's one person who wasn't.”
***
“The administration must be told, ‘No more money.’ There's money there to bring the troops home, for sure. But when you cut off the funds, you go to the world community, you say: ‘Look, we know the occupation's been fueling the insurgency. We're going to close the bases and the occupation, bring our troops home.’ And once you do that, the international community will be prepared to have a peacekeeping and security force move in.”
***
“Congress has the power to end this war, that's what I'm proposing. If we give President Bush the money to keep the war going to the end of his term, the Democrats will have bought the war. Now, who would buy a used war from this administration? The war's based on lies, everything they're saying is based on lies. They're trying to lie their way into a war against Iran. Congress has to stand up there and say, 'Stop it.' Not only did I vote against the authorization, there were 13 separate funding bills. I voted against every one of them."
Other Foreign Policy Issues
“My first week in office, I will move to cancel NAFTA and our relationship with the WTO and go back to bilateral trade that will be conditioned on workers' rights, human rights, environmental quality principles.”
***
“But I don't think it serves the purpose of this country to conduct its affairs unilaterally. And I don't think serves the interests of this country to have a unipolar worldview.”
***
“You know, I started my career in politics in 1967. I'm not new to this. I did not just fall off the Christmas tree. I understand the world is complex. I know that there are people out there who want to hurt other people.
But the only path to the future is for the United States to cooperate internationally with as many nations as it can. If we go at it alone, we will be stuck alone.”
Climate Change/Energy
“We need to do whatever we can do to create disincentives for the use of carbon-based energy. But that's not enough. Carbon-based taxes alone won't cut it, because some people may be willing to pay an extra tax to use something that's bad for the environment. Inevitably we need a requirement to move away from all carbon-based technologies, and to fund fully all alternative-energy research that is in harmony with the environment.”
***
“As a peace advocate, I hope to launch a major renewables effort so that Middle East oil fields do not loom so large as strategic or military targets. There has to be a renewable energy portfolio of 20% by 2010. And that means introducing wind, solar, hydrogen, geothermal, biomass, and all of the options that must be available and need incentivizing. That also means withdrawing incentives for the production of nonrenewable energy. I'm not talking about building new hydro dams; I'm not talking about damming up more rivers and streams.”
***
“Nuclear [energy] has to be phased out. The hidden costs of nuclear are enormous -- of building these plants and storing the waste forever. It's not financially or environmentally sustainable.”
***
“No, coal has to be phased out. In the same way that the Department of Agriculture for years was paying some farmers not to grow, I think we can get to the point of paying coal miners not to mine.”
Healthcare
“Well, first of all, I'm for a national health-care plan. I'm the co-author of the bill HR 676, Medicare for All. Charlie, the whole debate about universal health care has been a fraud. All these other candidates are talking about keeping the for-profit insurance companies in charge of health care in America. That's not what I'm talking about, because I realize, as the viewers do, that these private insurers make money not providing health care. And so, I'm saying no more role for them. Let the United States be like every other industrialized democracy in having a health-care plan, a national plan where we take care of our people. And we're already paying for it. We spend $2.2 trillion on health spending, but $600 billion of it goes for the activities of the for-profit system each year. I'm talking about taking that money, putting it to care for people. And suddenly, we have enough money to cover everything for all Americans, including vision care, dental care, mental health, long-term care, prescription drugs. . . . My plan: no more premiums, no more co-pays, no more deductibles, no more control of our health system by private insurance companies.”
Education
“My election will mean the end of No Child Left Behind as a way of achieving the education of our children, because the fact of the matter is, No Child Left Behind has made testing the end-all and be-all of education. Of course, you have to have tests, but you to realize that some school districts, the students have already started out behind. I want a universal pre-kindergarten program so that every child age 3, 4, and 5 will have access to full-quality day care so that they'll learn reading skills and social skills and learn the arts and languages to help them grow so they're ready for the primary schools. And I'm also planning on a universal college education plan where every young American would be able to go to college or a public college or university tuition-free.”
Homeland Security
“The current administration's national security doctrine, with its reliance on preventive war as a standard instrument of policy, is making the world more dangerous. We must reject this approach, and develop and communicate to the American people our own vision of national security. National security policy must contribute to broader foreign policy objectives, and complement our domestic priorities.”
***
“I believe the only way to stop these unconstitutional infringements on basic American freedoms is to revoke the exorbitant powers the PATRIOT Act has granted the government. I voted against the PATRIOT Act. I am working to repeal it.”
Family
“I believe that equality of opportunity should be afforded to all Americans regardless of race, color, creed, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. For that reason I support the right of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered persons to have the full protections and rights afforded under civil law including the right to marry the person of their choice.”
***
“I have a plan to reduce abortions by encouraging family planning, including abstinance training, combined with a full economic and health care plan that would clearly alleviate the number of abortions.”
Taxes/Fiscal Policy
“When the President faced the American public and insisted that Social Security was facing a financial crisis, it was interesting to note that he didn't also reveal that his tax cuts, according to the bi-partisan Congressional Budget office were five times the anticipated shortfall. In fact, merely returning the tax rates for those averaging $1.25 million a year in income, the top 1%, would nearly eliminate the guessed at shortfall for the next 75 years. Any shortfall of Social Security is easily handled if the government merely has the courage to face the special interests and say ‘No.’”
Illegal Immigration
“We need to honor this welcoming legacy by legalizing the status of hard-working, tax-paying undocumented workers in the U.S. It would clear out the backlog in the naturalization process so that those who are eligible to become citizens can do so without endless delays. It would offer immigrants a clear road map to citizenship, so that they can become fully participating members of our communities. And it would work with our partners in Mexico to normalize the flow of immigrants by forging an agreement on migration.”
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