1. What is the underlying issue? Why have we never been able, as a Nation, to figure out

how to assure decent and affordable housing to tens of millions of Americans and why

Our nation is facing an affordable housing crisis. More than 14 million families spent over half of their income on housing in 2001. According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a person trying to find housing in Manchester would have to make more than $35,000 annually just to afford a two-bedroom apartment.

2. As President, what programs or initiatives will you promote at the national level to complement efforts such as these that we are doing locally?

 

I will lead our nation on a new path -- one that ensures that all Americans, especially our children, have the opportunity to live in decent, affordable and safe housing.

 

During my tenure in the Senate, I have been a leader in the effort to ensure that communities have sufficient supply and quality of affordable housing. I have introduced legislation in the Senate, entitled the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, to create a new housing production program that will provide 1.5 million rental units over

the next 10 years for low-income families.  The goal of this initiative is to create long-term affordable, mixed-income developments in areas with the greatest opportunities for low-income families. I also introduced the Community Development Homeownership Tax Credit Act to encourage the construction and rehabilitation of approximately 500,000 homes for low- and moderate-income families in economically distressed areas over 10 years.  Homeownership gives families a greater stake in their communities, improves child

development and helps create economic security. I am proud to have written the legislation that authorizes federal funding for the YouthBuild program and to have led a coalition of Senators in support of federal funding for this important program.  YouthBuild is the only national program that gives young adults the chance to contribute to their community through housing construction and the opportunity to learn basic education toward a diploma, learn skills training toward a decent paying job, develop leadership, find adult mentors and participate in a supportive community.

 

3. What existing or new programs or initiatives do you feel are particularly vital to altering this situation and what would you do to promote them?

 

As President, I will restore the federal commitment to provide affordable housing for needy families.  In addition to the new programs discussed above I support funding for the Section 8 housing voucher program, the Community Development Block Grant and the HOME investment Partnership programs.  These programs help meet the basic needs of low- and moderate-income communities in New Hampshire and across the nation. They provide

assistance to expand the supply and lower the cost of housing.  However, the current need for affordable housing units is much greater than the current funding level can support.  As President, I will fight to increase funding for these important programs. The Bush Administration has proposed to block grant the Section 8 Voucher program, which I believe will reduce the number of families with children eligible for Federal housing assistance and increase housing costs for those families who remain.  I have fought for increased funding for the Section 8 voucher program and as

President I will work to provide appropriate increases in this important program.

 

I have a strong record fighting for affordable and high-quality housing for Americans. Expanding the supply of affordable, quality housing is an important priority of mine and as President, I will support the expansion of these programs.

 

 

1. Why are we, as a nation, unable to establish a system of health care that assures decent affordable health care to all?

 

Too many special interests involved.It is such a shame that the United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that doesnt provide all of its citizens with health care.  Part of the reason for that is the presence of powerful special interests fighting against health care reform. These interest groups have been able to create major fears about health care takeovers that are designed to make believe their health care would be worse.

 

I want to be the last President who talks about extending health care to all Americans I want to be the one who gets it done. We have a great opportunity for comprehensive health care reform in the next few years because so many Americans are feeling the pressures from the failures of our current health care system. As we just

learned, the number of uninsured Americans went up by 2.4 million last year largely due to employers dropping coverage. And even families who do have health care coverage are finding it is harder to afford, with health care premiums rising more than three times faster then their wages. At the same time, small businesses are having an increasingly difficult time providing coverage and even larger usinesses are finding that increases in costs are making it harder for their companies to compete abroad. States are finding it harder to balance their budgets without making cuts in health care. With so many different parties concerned about the failures of our health care system, there is a real potential for reform. My plan covers 96 percent of Americans and at the same time lowers the cost of coverage for the millions who have coverage today. It builds on and

strengthens - the current system. I believe that it is a realistic plan that can get the support of businesses and families alike it will get the support of those who are uninsured and those who insured - and that represents a real opportunity to ensure every American has access to affordable health care.

 

2. What do you propose? If you feel that we must move in increments, what are the critical increments that you see? 

 

If you feel that, at long last, we can move more comprehensively on this issue, how do you see that happening politically and with what type of plan?

 

I have put forward a health care plan that not only helps the nearly 40 million Americans without health insurance but contains rising costs that are making it harder for Americans to pay their health care premiums. Too often, salary increases are offset by increased health care premiums and costs.

 

My plan expands health care to 96 percent coverage. It makes a new deal with the states: the Federal government will pay the entire cost for children on Medicaid and assure that all eligible children are automatically signed up, if states will pay their share to expand their childrens health programs to higher income families and expand coverage to parents and single adults. This would not only provide coverage to millions of Americans but would help states get some much needed financial relief so they dont need to cut back on those with coverage today.

 

I would also allow Americans to access the same plan Members of Congress get today. Most Americans have too few choices for health care or unaffordable premiums. This plan will allow people to choose their own doctor and the plan that works best for them, and it provides tax credits to small businesses and those who are 55 to 65

who have trouble buying coverage. I would also provide a 75 percent subsidy for those who are unemployed so that can keep their current health care coverage through COBRA if eligible or buy into the Members of Congress plan if they are not.

 

My health care proposal includes a reinsurance plan that will help workers in big companies save up to $1000 a year in health care costs. In 2001, only 4/10 of one percent of private insurance claims were for individuals with health expenses in excess of $50,000.  However, these claims accounted for nearly 20 percent of medical

expenses for private insurers. My proposal for a new 'premium rebate' pool will help keep heath care more affordable for all employers and employees by helping out with certain high cost health cases.  Under this plan companies and insurers that guarantee a pass-through of the savings to their workers through reduced premiums and offer all their employees health care, would be reimbursed for 75 percent of catastrophic costs above

$50,000. To be eligible for this 'premium rebate' pool, employers and their insurers would have to: (1) provide affordable health coverage to all of their workers; (2) demonstrate they will pass-through savings of up to $1,000 to workers; and (3) encourage disease management to improve and hold down the cost of care.

In addition to my plan to cut spiraling health care premiums by up to $1,000 a year described above, I have a number of other strategies to cut health care costs. For example, my plan would: require transparency rules for pharmaceutical benefit managers to clearly show what savings they are receiving from the industry and from bulk

purchasing; close loopholes that delay getting quality generic alternatives to the market; focus on reducing medical errors that harm patients and cost money and provide incentives for insurers, providers and employers who implement quality measures to reduce errors; support employers and plans that offer disease management

programs that improve health care and save dollars. These are just a few aspects of my plan. I think we need to focus intensely on controlling health care costs because they are making our companies less competitive and leaving workers with more costs.

I believe that we can cut costs to make health care more affordable and extend coverage to the millions who don't have it today.

 

 

1. How do you explain the reduction in good (living wage-decent benefits) jobs over the past 25 years?

 

Several circumstances have contributed to the decline in good paying jobs over the past 25 years. First, a decline in union membership has made it harder for workers to negotiate pay and benefits with employers. Also, the value of the minimum value has decreased forcing workers to work just as hard for less. Technological advancements have led to decreased demand for workers in several industries. And in our current global economy,

companies are forced to compete with other countries for labor that do not have standards similar to ours. That is why I strongly support the right of workers to organize, increasing the minimum wage and indexing it for inflation, and ensure that our trade policies include labor protections that encourage higher wages for workers at home and abroad.

 

2. What national domestic policies and international trade and development policies do you support that will expand decent jobs here and abroad and that will protect workers or allow them to organize safely to protect themselves?

 

I have proposed an economic plan that will help us get our economy back on track and will create high-paying jobs. My economic plan includes a State Tax Relief and Education Fund to help states struggling to bridge deficits resulting from Bushs economic policies.

 

The fund provides an additional $50 billion in relief over the next two years to stop the education cuts, tuition increases and tax and fee raising that are inhibiting our economic growth and causing layoffs.

We also need to redirect our resources in a way that creates jobs and prepares our economy for long-term competitiveness.  I have proposed an energy policy that will create 500,000 jobs by investing in renewable energy and clean energy technologies while it moves us towards independence from foreign oil. My plan helps industries convert, so that products made with the new technologies in automobiles and home appliances are built in the USA. To make sure that the jobs we create are good jobs that pay good wages, I'd roll back the anti-labor policies of the Bush Administration and support a workers right to organize for better pay, working conditions and benefits, just as I have done during my career in the United States Senate. I believe that we should keep the middle class tax cuts including increasing the child tax credit, reducing the marriage penalty and lowering tax rates. 

 

At the same time we need to reintroduce the second part of the economic formula that democrats championed in the 1990s: Sound economics and investing in people.  We need to make sure that workers displaced by this recession are retrained.  We need to raise the minimum wage and index it to inflation.  We need to expand the EITC for families with three or more children, to make sure that more

families with full-time workers can escape poverty and accelerate marriage penalty relief for those workers receiving EITC.

 

To be successful in the 21st Century economy, Americas workforce must be more innovative and productive than our competitors. That means better science and math in our schools and job training opportunities. But it also means giving every American the opportunity of four years of college.   To that end my economic plan creates a College Opportunity Tax Credit that will make four years of college affordable for all Americans.  It will provide a credit for each and every year of college on the first $4,000 paid in tuition the typical tuition and fees for public college tuition.

 

The Bush Administration has neglected to enforce trade laws or respond to the unfair practices of some of our nation's largest trading partners. As President, I will: order an immediate 120-day review of all trade agreements to ensure that our existing commitments are being complied with; vigorously enforce trade laws to ensure fairness in the global trading system and promote basic worker rights and environmental protections; fight for retraining programs to help displaced workers find new skills and new jobs; and demand that other nations, such as China, fairly value their currency.

 

The Bush Administrations arrogance on matters of international diplomacy has squandered the tools we have to convince potential trading partners to work in cooperation to raise environmental and labor standards. I had firsthand experience in negotiating trade agreements in Vietnam and in that case the prospect of opening

markets convinced them to cooperate with return of POWs.  The same principles should apply when negotiating trade with other countries.

 

I will also end tax policies that put American manufacturing workers at a competitive disadvantage in the global economy. For example, companies move offshore simply to avoid paying American taxes, yet they still get all of the same benefits, including government contracts. We should penalize these companies and deny them

government contracts.

 

3. In what specific ways would you as President support efforts by groups such as GSOP to secure and retain local jobs that pay decent wages and help us to retain key, local enterprises in order to stabilize our communities?

 

The most important thing that we can do to support community based organizations in their efforts to secure and retain local jobs is get the economy back on track, help states address their fiscal crises, and create new jobs. In addition to my plan to revive the economy, as President I will continue to support increased funding

for important job training programs and funding for the Workforce Investment Act. I will also reverse some of the cuts proposed by President Bush Administration, who for example, has zeroed out funding for the Youth Opportunity program, which worked through community based organizations to help young people succeed in their communities.