Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) talks about how an accurate consumer product index needs to be implemented to reflect the spending habits of senior citizens in order to fairly adjust social security policy. (0:18)
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) discusses seniors’ spending habits at a conference on Capitol Hill held in order to garner support for a bill that would give seniors a one-time payment of $250 in 2010. (0:29)
Coffee Brown, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News
“The annual budget process is really the truest test of priorities that the President and Congress engage in,” said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), as she, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.), and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) met to define what those priorities are for the Senate Democrats. “We want to put the middle class first by cutting taxes and making key investments to bring this country out of this recession,” she said. The three then defined what those key investments are.
Murray spoke for education, “To revive the American economy and compete in this global economy, we have to expand educational opportunities for all Americans. Investing in education is one of the most certain ways to prepare a skilled and ready workforce.”
She introduced Jaim Foster, a second grade teacher from Alexandria, Va., who described teachers facing cutbacks and uncertain employment, as well as increased responsibilities as school nurses also were cut.
Sanders said, “For decades, politicians have been giving speeches about the need for energy independence.” We send hundreds of billions of dollars a year” out of the U.S., often to more or less unfriendly countries. “Finally the American people have said ‘enough is enough, we have got to do something real,’” he said. “The time is now to break our dependence on fossil fuel, and that is what we are going to do.”
He said the expert consensus is that we must address climate change, and that we are already seeing its effects. The budget will create “millions of good paying American jobs as we move to new kinds of energy,” he said, citing geothermal, wind, solar, and biomass.
He introduced James Walker, President, American Wind Energy Association, who said the industry went from $700 million in 2004 to $17 Billion in 2008, creating over 85,000 jobs. When it reaches its projected potential of 20 percent of our total energy needs, it will be the equivalent of removing 140 million cars, and will have created over 500,000 jobs, he said.
Merkley took healthcare. “I think everyone understands how broken healthcare is,” he said, citing 50 million uninsured, many more who are under-insured, and families whose top concern is “whether or not
they can maintain health insurance”. “The stress is continuous,” he said.
Merkley said that “every single year, double digit increases” in premiums cause more small businesses to stop offering health insurance. He said even larger businesses are now advocating for change.
Sanders finished with, “Ask Sen. (Judd Gregg (R-N.H.)) if he still supports the repeal of the estate tax, which would give one trillion dollars to the wealthiest three tenths of one percent. That’s OK, but when you fund energy, when you fund healthcare, when you fund education, when you put Americans to work to improve the quality of life for our families, somehow that’s a terrible idea.”
By Suzia van Swol and Candyce Torres, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks after the President’s Address to Congress and says that cutting the deficit in half is possible but will take a lot of hard work. Sanders discusses the stimulus package and says that, “I think the President has been very clear. We are going to use the internet, he has an inspector general, Joe Biden is going to play a roll. We want that money to do what it is supposed to do; rebuild America, create jobs, not be wasteful, or spent inefficiently.” (1:36)
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks to Talk Radio News Services’ Bureau Chief Ellen Ratner after President Obama’s State of the Union Address. Sanders says he thinks this country has been crying out for real leadership, and finally after eight years a president has the courage to face the problems in our country. The solutions, he says, will not be easy, but will move our country in a different direction, and he says he thinks the President is trying to reach out to as many people as possible. “Let’s take a deep breath,” Sanders says, this is a stimulus package that is a “huge step forward.” As for Vermont itself, Sanders says he feels that the immediate goal is to not fall into a depression, since we are in a “very deep recession.” (3:55)
Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) doesn’t think battery-powered cars aren’t a commodity to U.S. citizens. Sen Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) disagrees with Bunning using some personal testimony. (0:58)
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) says that there is not one simple solution for solving the high prices for oil and gas and gives a “real world” example of struggles due to the high prices. (1:08)
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) says that President Bush missed the reality of the middle class, and says that we have unequal distribution of wealth. (:21)
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) calls the Bush administration’s environmental policy an “embarrassment” in an interview following the State of the Union Address Monday. He says that the United States should break its dependency on fossil fuels and lead the way towards sustainable energy.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) condemns the recent civilian killings in Gaza in an interview following President Bush’s State of the Union Address Monday. He says that President Bush failed to bring Israelis and Palestinians together to move forward towards peace.
