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Posts Tagged ‘Economy’

HFA Statement on Third-Quarter GDP Growth

In response to new data showing that the economy grew at an annual rate of 2.9 percent in the third quarter of 2016, Hillary for America Senior Policy Advisor Jacob Leibenluft released the following statement:

“Today’s GDP release shows economic growth at its fastest pace in two years. With more than 15 million jobs created since early 2010 and real median incomes growing more than 5 percent last year, it’s clear we’ve made real progress coming back from the crisis. But Hillary Clinton believes there is still more we need to do to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. Independent experts agree her plan would create good-paying jobs through investments in infrastructure, innovation and education. Donald Trump, on the other hand, would take us backwards, with experts across the political spectrum warning his plans would risk another recession and cost jobs.”

 

statement

ON THIS DAY

On Oct. 29, 1929, stock prices collapsed on the New York Stock Exchange amid panic selling. Thousands of investors were wiped out.

Play that number!  So many 29s! A more solid investment than a lottery ticket, of course, is a vote for Hillary.  Maybe you have already voted.  Donations are always welcome.  We have states to win!

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At a campaign event in Toledo, Ohio today, Hillary delivered a speech addressing broad economic plans contrasting her proposed policies to those of Donald Trump.  Look for Hillary around the 35 minute mark.

In Toledo, Clinton Lays Out Tools for Fighting Corporate Fraud and Abuse, Vows to Create An Economy That Works For Everyone

At a speech in Toledo on Monday, Hillary Clinton outlined her vision for corporate America as a partner in an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. She proposed policy solutions that would promote an economy where our businesses, workers and consumers grow and prosper together. That would be a stark contrast to the approach of Donald Trump, Clinton said, who has taken corporate abuse and excess and made a business model out of it – and who may have avoided paying taxes for nearly two decades, while tens of millions of working families paid theirs. Clinton added, “While millions of American families, including mine and yours, were working hard paying our fair share, it seems he was contributing nothing to our nation. Imagine that. Not fair. Nothing for Pell Grants to help kids go to college. Nothing for veterans. Nothing for our military. And you know, he has been dissing America in this whole campaign. Right? He talks us down. He makes disparaging comments about our country. He calls our military a disaster. Well, it’s not, but it might have been if everybody else had failed to pay taxes to support our brave men and women in uniform.”

As part of her longstanding commitment to promote free and fair competition, Clinton laid out two new policy proposals: curbing the prevalence of fine-print “forced arbitration” clauses in contracts that prevent workers and consumers like Wells Fargo customers from bringing legal action against companies who have harmed them, and a new commitment to promote competition, address excessive market concentration and reinvigorate antitrust laws and enforcement.

Clinton’s remarks, as transcribed, are below:

“Hello, Toledo. I am – I am very happy to be here today and – I am so grateful to have this chance to talk to you about what we can do together to have the kind of economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.

I want to acknowledge – we have an overflow crowd in another room, and I know they can hear us, but we’re glad they’re here. I want to thank your Congresswoman, Marcy Kaptur, for her leadership and her grit. I want to thank Mayor Paula Hicks-Hudson. And the mayor told me there’s a young man here who just won a boxing championship, Robert Easter. Where’s Robert Easter? There you are, Robert Easter. Congratulations. I know Toledo is proud of you; we all are. I want to thank Kenyetta for that introduction. Do we have any other UAW members here?

It’s a great day to be here in Ohio for a lot of different reasons. One is I am so thrilled that LeBron James has endorsed me and joined our campaign. I know – I’ve gotten a lot of wonderful endorsements over the past year and a half. I’m grateful for each and every one of them. But I got to say, there’s something special about this one. And it’s a real honor in part because of why he chose to endorse me. Now, not everyone knows this. I mean, you all know what an amazing athlete he his – MVP, winner of championships – but he’s also – LeBron is also a dedicated advocate for children. And this afternoon I’ll be in Akron, where he’s done so much for the kids in that community.

It’s a deep, personal commitment that he has that I share with him. We both believe every single child should have the chance to live up to his or her God-given potential. I could not be prouder to have LeBron joining our team as we head into the homestretch.

Now, one thing I know – I’ll just say it because I know it’s for sure – I hope to be elected president, but I know here in Ohio LeBron will always be the King.

I was listening to Kenyetta introduce me, and I really appreciated what she said, because Toledo is the kind of place where people work hard, look after one another, and yes, pay their taxes, right?

You recognize that we all have to do our part because we are all in this together, and it matters.

We believe honest work deserves honest pay. We believe everyone should have the right to join a strong union that will always have your back.

It’s personal for me. I’m the granddaughter of a factory worker from Scranton, Pennsylvania. He went to work in the same lace mill every day for 50 years. He believed he passed it down to my dad, who passed it down to me that if he did what he was supposed to do, he’d have a good life and his kids would have an even better life. That is the American dream. That is what we believe in. That’s what we’ve got to keep going generation after generation.

And because of my grandfather’s hard work, my dad made it to college. And then after serving in the Navy during World War II, he started his own small business, printing fabric for draperies.

As a young girl, I’d sometimes go to his print plant. It was a long building, no natural light, no windows, but he had these long tables where he’d roll out the fabric and then I’d watch him work with silkscreens, if you’ve ever seen that. He would take the silkscreen, he’d put it down, he’d pour the paint in, he’d take the squeegee, go across all the way down to the end of one table, then over to the next table, all the way back. And then if there was a second color to be added, he would do that. He sometimes let me help with the squeegee. That was my favorite part.

And I know he worked really hard. He worked really hard. He believed in hard work. He passed that on to me. He provided a good middle-class life for us. So I am proud to stand with hardworking families all over Toledo, Ohio, and America, who should have the same chance that I did to share in the American Dream, which should be big enough for everybody.

Fighting for kids and families has been the cause of my life, as Kenyetta said, when I went to work for the Children’s Defense Fund all those years ago. And it will be the mission of my presidency, because I want to focus on what are called kitchen table issues, the ones that keep you up at night – like the cost of child care, and college, and prescription drugs, and so much else.

And that means we’ve got to create more good jobs with rising incomes. That means we’ve got to have good schools in every zip code. That means everybody willing to work – and I say that very clearly; you’ve got to be willing to work – and if you’re willing to work, you should be able to get ahead and stay ahead. That is the basic bargain.

Now, I don’t know about you, but you wouldn’t think that the theme of my campaign, ‘getting an economy to work for everyone, not just those at the top’ would be controversial – and yet this is one of the defining debates not just of this election but of our time.

Now, I will say, most American companies – most – are run by honorable, patriotic people who care about their employees and communities. But there are still too many powerful interests fighting to protect their own profits and privileges at the expense of everyone else. [Applause.] And they are aided and abetted by the rules and incentives in our economy who actually encourage people at the top to take advantage of consumers, workers, small businesses, and taxpayers.

That makes it tougher for the well-meaning CEOs to take the high road. And it gets even harder when we don’t aggressively enforce the rules, when we don’t enforce trade rules that allow other countries with lower wages and standards to get an unfair leg up, when we don’t enforce rules on Wall Street, which exerts enormous pressure on publicly traded companies to prioritize boosting share prices in the short term over building real value, investing in workers, plant, and equipment over the longer term.

And let’s be honest, the tax code rewards corporations for outsourcing jobs and their profits overseas instead of investing here in the United States. And it is riddled with loopholes that let the rich get even richer and make income inequality even worse. It tilts the playing field further against small businesses that can’t afford lawyers and lobbyists.

So with all these pressures pushing in the wrong direction, it’s even more important that we have an election about these very issues. Because what I know will happen – if we have an election where we have an agenda that actually would begin to level that playing field, we will rebuild the middle class, we will make work pay, we will create greater opportunities for a great percentage of Americans.

Now, I know how hard this, but I think we are on the cusp, if we win this election, to be able to get these things done, right?”

AUDIENCE: “Yeah.”

HILLARY CLINTON: “That means pursuing reforms that unleash the enormous positive potential of the American private sector. We’ve got unmatched talent, innovation, entrepreneurial spirit.

So when we work together, we can all benefit.

Now, I believe corporations that benefit from everything America has to offer should feel some sense of responsibility not just to their biggest shareholders – but to their workers, to their customers, to their communities, and yes, to our country, to the United States of America. We have been moving off track for decades. I don’t need to tell you that. You know it, you’ve lived it, you’ve seen it. But it is time to get back on track.

And you can ask anybody who’s ever worked for me or worked with me, who’s ever served with me, when I tell you I’m going to try to do something, I will get up every single day and work my heart out for you.

So let’s begin by making it clear that for most businesses, America is the most important asset on their balance sheet. This country of ours, this system of ours, the rule of law, the opportunity to get an education and go as far as your hard work and ambition will take you. And we created the biggest engine of economic growth in the world, the American middle class. So when we middle class thrives, the country thrives. And when it doesn’t, we don’t, right?

And I’m going to use the White House and every tool at my disposal as your president to make the case that patriotism is profitable. Standing up for America, investing in America will pay off.

Now, we have always had innovators and entrepreneurs who build great companies and create real value. But we should not and we will not respect those who get rich by cheating everybody else.

So today I want to send a clear message to every boardroom, every executive suite across America: If you scam your customers, exploit your employees, pollute our environment, or rip off taxpayers, we will find ways to hold you accountable.

But on the other side – on the other side, if you do the right thing and you invest in your workers and your communities and our country’s future, we will stand with you. That is the choice. Our goal is to make it easier for everyone to do better.

Now, to understand why this is so important, consider the recent examples we’ve seen of egregious corporate behavior.

Look at Wells Fargo. Really shocking, isn’t it? One of the nation’s biggest banks bullying thousands of employees into committing fraud against unsuspecting customers, secretly opening up millions of accounts for people without their consent, even their knowledge, misusing personal information, and then sticking customers with hidden fees. It is outrageous that eight years after a cowboy culture on Wall Street wrecked our economy, we are still seeing powerful bankers playing fast and loose with the law.

And then in a category by himself, there’s Donald Trump. Well, you may have heard that he has long refused to release his tax returns the way every other nominee for president has done for decades. You can look at 40 years of my tax returns. I think we need a law that says if you become the nominee of the major parties, you have to release your tax returns.

Now, a lot of us were wondering, what is he hiding? It must be really terrible. Well, The New York Times has discovered at least part of the answer. Back in the 1990s, Trump apparently lost a billion dollars in a single year on bad investments and failing casinos. Now, how anybody can lose a dollar, let alone a billion dollars, in the casino industry is kind of beyond me. It’s just hard to figure. But as a result, it doesn’t look like he paid a dime of federal income tax for almost two decades.

Now, while millions of American families, including mine and yours, were working hard paying our fair share, it seems he was contributing nothing to our nation. Imagine that. Not fair. Nothing for Pell Grants to help kids go to college. Nothing for veterans. Nothing for our military. And you know, he has been dissing America in this whole campaign. Right? He talks us down. He makes disparaging comments about our country. He calls our military a disaster. Well, it’s not, but it might have been if everybody else had failed to pay taxes to support our brave men and women in uniform.

I saw a newspaper article. A gentleman named Steve Crouse, who owns the Glass City Café here in Toledo, summed it up pretty well in this article. He said, ‘I would feel guilty if I didn’t pay anything. It’s flat-out cheating the government.’ Now, my friend Bernie Sanders was right yesterday when he said Trump reflects a distorted view of the American people and what this country is all about.

Trump represents the same rigged system that he claims he’s going to change. The whole story tells us everything we need to know about how Trump does business. After he made all those bad bets and lost all that money, he didn’t lift a finger to help and protect his employees, or all the small businesses and contractors he’d hired, or the people of Atlantic City. They all got hammered while he was busy with his accountants trying to figure out how he could keep living like a billionaire. And all the while he was using his political connections to collect hundreds of millions of dollars in government subsidies and extra tax breaks for his companies. In other words, Trump was taking from America with both hands and leaving the rest of us with the bill.

Now, he says that he’s the one who can fix things, but that is like letting the fox guard the henhouse. Right? And here’s what I really am just stunned by. I get stunned every day in this campaign. But here’s one of the many things that I’m stunned by. He has put forth a tax plan that would cut his own taxes even more. It would be like you’re paying zero. You expect us to pay you to stay in business, all the rest of us in America? He’d open the loopholes even wider. And according to a new independent study, he would actually – listen to this, people, because this is a real shocker – his plan would actually raise taxes for millions of middle class families. And you know the people it would hit the hardest? Are single parents, whose lives and challenges he doesn’t care about, certainly doesn’t understand.

Now, many have likely already spent years paying more than he did, and he now would make that even worse. And what does he say about it? Well, did you all see the debate last Monday? Well, in the debate – in the debate – well, then you all know that in the debate he said it was smart to avoid paying taxes. Yesterday his campaign was bragging it makes him a genius. Here’s my question: What kind of genius loses a billion dollars in a single year?

This is Trump to a T. He’s taken corporate excess and makes a business model out of it. He abuses his power, games the system, puts his own interests ahead of the country’s. It’s Trump first and everyone else last. And there are lots of principled, law-abiding business leaders out there who are horrified by all of this. Not a single – not a single CEO of a Fortune 100 company supports Trump’s campaign. Think about it. I’ve been endorsed by very successful people – Warren Buffett, Mike Bloomberg, Mark Cuban. I loved what Mark Cuban said when he endorsed me. He said, ‘Look, I’ve been successful.’ He actually is a real billionaire. And you know what? He used profit-sharing to help his employees, not bankruptcy to fire people. And when he sold his first company, he shared the profits with his employees, and 300 of them became millionaires. That’s the kind of business practices I want to see more of in our country.

But here’s what we’ve got to do. Even if Trump is like one of a kind, we’ve got to reverse the broader trends he represents. It’s time to rewrite the rules and make this economy fair for everyone. And today I want to briefly share with you my plan for protecting taxpayers, consumers, small businesses, and workers. We’re going to crack down on the worst corporate abuses and empower companies willing to take the high road and invest in good jobs, in higher wages, and in stronger communities.

First let’s start with protecting taxpayers and making sure we have more fairness in the system. It is wrong that corporations and the super-wealthy play by a different set of rules. A Wall Street money manager should not be able to pay a lower tax rate than a teacher or a nurse. And I’ll tell you something else. Our largest companies should not be able to get away with paying hardly anything at all. It is insulting when they engage in these games, like moving their headquarters over to a foreign country – on paper, not in reality – just to take advantage of lower tax rates. And it is infuriating when they take tax breaks with one hand and give out pink slips in America with the other hand.

So here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to close those loopholes. I’ve got a list of them we’re going after. We’re going to make Wall Street corporations and the super-rich start paying their fair share of taxes. We’re going to pass something called the Buffett rule, which means multimillionaires cannot lower rates than their secretaries and other people working for them. We’re going to put in place a new exit tax. If companies try to leave our country to avoid paying their fair share, if they try to outsource jobs, they’re going to have to give back every tax break they ever received in our country. And then we’re going to put that money to work creating opportunities here in America.

Second, we’re going to protect consumers. No American should ever be taken advantage of, like thousands were, by Wells Fargo. And this isn’t a new fight for me. As a Senator, I raised the alarm about subprime mortgages. I fought to hold reckless managers accountable for toxic toys and household products that threaten our kids. I introduced legislation to protect Americans’ personal data and combat identity theft. So as president, I will make consumer protection a top priority across the entire government.

And that starts by defending and empowering the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created after the financial crisis. And the principal person who got it created was Senator Elizabeth Warren. And under the leadership of Ohio’s Rich Cordray, the agency has already returned more than $11 billion to more than 15 million Americans who were ripped off by predatory lenders, credit card companies, and others. And it is the one making sure that the defrauded Wells Fargo customers get their money back.

Now, I got to say I am so proud of what this new agency has done. Sometimes people say, well, what does the government really do? Well, there’s a lot of examples, but this is a primary one, standing up and making sure consumers get paid back when they are ripped off. And because of its success, Republicans in Congress keep trying to shut it down. And Donald Trump agrees with them. In fact, he wants to scrap all the tough new rules imposed on Wall Street after the crisis. Well, not on my watch, Donald. We’re never going to let that happen.

Now, instead of gutting consumer protection, we should be expanding it. And we should build on the Dodd-Frank financial reforms and go even further because Wall Street can never, ever be permitted to threaten Main Street again. And the Wells Fargo scandal sheds light on another threat to consumers that we have to address. When the scam’s victims, people like you and me, who had accounts there tried to sue, they were shocked to learn there was a provision in the very fine print of their contracts that kept them from going to court to sue the bank for being cheated. Instead, they are forced into a closed-door arbitration process without the important protections that you get in a court of law. We are not going to let corporations like Wells Fargo use these fine print “gotchas” to escape accountability.

And in fact, this is now common practice across a lot of industries – from nursing homes, nursing homes that mistreat seniors, to for-profit colleges that defraud students. Who reads all that fine print? I don’t. And you get defrauded or you get mistreated, and then all of a sudden they say, ‘Well, you can’t sue us.’ So we’re going to rein in that abuse across everybody.

We also see a similar problem in some international trade agreements, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It sets up a dispute resolution system that favors large corporations over everyone else. It’s one of the reasons I’m against it. I’ve warned about this for years, I’ve written about it, and I oppose TPP now, I will oppose it after the election, I will oppose it as president – because it is one-sided and unfair to American workers.

And what about all those pharmaceutical companies that jack up prices for no reason? We’re going to have to protect ourselves against that too. And when we find unjustified spikes in the prices of longstanding, life-saving drugs, we should slap penalties on companies trying to cheat people who need those drugs.

And let’s finally import safe alternatives from other countries, like Canada, and speed up approvals to get more generic drugs on the market. And it is long past time to allow Medicare to negotiate for better prices for drugs and get the cost down for Medicare recipients. And I believe we should cap the amount working families pay out of pocket every month for medicine. No one should ever have to choose between paying the rent and filling their prescriptions.

So let’s stand up for taxpayers. Let’s stand up for consumers. And let’s stand up for small businesses, which create most of the jobs in America. I take this personally because of my dad’s very small business. We need fair rules of the road so big corporations can’t use their power to gain unfair advantages.

Now, when it comes to bullying small businesses, Donald Trump is the poster boy. I have heard so many stories of contractors, and I’ve met some too, who worked for him, produced the goods and services, and never got paid for what they were owed. I’m talking about painters, and plumbers, piano sellers, architects, glass installers – he stiffed them all. Not because he couldn’t pay them, but he wouldn’t pay them. And he told them, ‘You want to get your money? Sue me.’ My dad could never have done that. I’m just grateful my dad never got a contract with Donald Trump, because I don’t know what we would have done.

More than 60 percent of small businesses face payment delays. That can cause a serious cash flow crisis. So as president, I will explore new ways to arm small businesses with the tools to fight back and level the playing field. Part of the problem is large corporations are amassing so much power in our economy. Sometimes it’s called market concentration or even old-fashioned monopolies, but either way it threatens businesses of all sizes, as well as consumers. With less competition, corporations can use their power to raise prices, limit choice for consumers, cut wages for workers, crowd out startups and small businesses.

I mean, look what’s happening right now. In most of the country, the three largest health insurance companies in each state control 80 percent of the market. No wonder premiums are going up. As president, I will appoint tough, independent authorities to strengthen anti-trust enforcement and really scrutinize mergers and acquisitions, so the big don’t keep getting bigger and bigger.

I want every business to compete and thrive, and then I also want to do something else. Let’s protect and empower workers who actually drive our economy. Everyone who works hard should be able to share in the rewards, not just senior executives. So we’re proposing new tax credits to encourage more companies to share profits, on top of, not instead of, higher wages.

We need to support new organizing strategies for employees who too often have never had the benefit of collective bargaining. And we have to resist the assault on workers’ rights. Let’s say loudly and clearly: ‘right to work’ is wrong for workers and wrong for America.

Let’s also, my friends, let’s raise the minimum wage and support the Fight for 15 so you don’t live in poverty. Let’s defend overtime and go after wage theft. Let’s provide family leave that is paid and access to affordable, high-quality childcare. And of course you know what I’m going to say: let’s finally guarantee equal pay for women.

Now, my opponent and his chief surrogates like to say I’m playing the woman’s card. And I’ll tell you – right? – if fighting for working families is playing the women’s card, you know what? Deal me in!

And then finally, I’ve got a lot on my mind, but finally, we need to make it easier for companies to invest in good jobs here at home. As president, I will ramp up enforcement of trade rules by appointing a new chief trade prosecutor and tripling the number of enforcement officers. We will work with both parties to pass the biggest investment in new, good-paying jobs since World War II. I want to direct $10 billion to create a ‘Make It in America’ partnership to support American manufacturing. And I want to take some of the ideas that worked when my husband was President and we ended up with 23 million new jobs and incomes went up for everybody.

That includes incentives like the New Markets Tax Credit for creating good jobs in poor or remote areas, from inner cities to rural communities ravaged – ravaged – by hollowed-out factories, ravaged by mines that have been shut down, ravaged by opiate addiction. It all comes down to this: When I say our economy should work for everyone, not just those at the top, I mean it. And we’re going to do everything we can to make sure workers are treated like assets, not costs. And we’re going to bring back infrastructure jobs, advanced manufacturing jobs, clean, renewable energy jobs, innovation, technology, small business.

Now, you don’t have to look any further than right here in Northwest Ohio. Just a few years ago, as you heard Kenyetta say, in 2009 you were in the eye of the storm. Jobs, homes, savings, wiped out. The auto industry on the verge of collapse. A lot of people were ready to give up on it. Well, that would have meant giving up on 850,000 people across this state whose jobs were tied to the industry. Donald Trump, for one, said rescuing the auto industry didn’t matter very much. Either way would have been acceptable, he said. ‘We could have just let it go,’ and that’s a direct quote from him. Everybody in Ohio who’s thinking about voting for Trump needs to hear that. At the time of the worst financial crisis in Ohio in 2009, he would have let you twist and fall. And for his running mate he picked Mike Pence, an ardent opponent of the auto rescue. Well, thank goodness the people of Northwest Ohio weren’t ready to let it go. You never gave up. You didn’t lose faith. And now, after a lot of hard work and sacrifice, the auto industry just had its best year ever.

But that’s not all there is to the story because in addition to that hard work, America, America, came to the rescue. Taxpayers like all of us, not him but us, provided the funds for the rescue. Union workers stepped up. Communities like Toledo came together to make it work. And now that the industry’s back on its feet, the auto companies have a responsibility to give back.

So I was delighted to hear that Chrysler is doubling down on Toledo, investing $700 million here to start building the next generation Jeep Wrangler, which could create about 700 new good jobs. And tens of thousands of UAW workers at Chrysler plants should see a big increase in profit-sharing payments above and beyond wages and benefits. Now, that’s the way it’s supposed to work, when we all help each other out. When we stand together, we are stronger together.

So what I want you to know is if you join me in this campaign, I will always stand up and fight for you and fight for your jobs and fight for your families. And I guess we have about 36 days left. The election’s going to be close. Every call you make, every door you knock, every friend you register to vote, could make the difference. You can text ‘join,’ j-o-i-n, to 47246 right now or go to hillaryclinton.com to sign up and volunteer. Here in Ohio you have until October the 11th to register to vote. And there are people with clipboards around, and you can go actually register today on your way out the door.

So we have just over a week to register, and then early voting starts October 12th. Let’s prove – let’s prove – that the American dream is big enough for everyone to share in its promise. Let’s prove that we’re going to stand together, make the smart decisions that we get the economy going and growing for everybody, not just those at the top; that we will stand up against special privilege and special interest; that we will be ready after this election to have an agenda that will really make a difference here in Toledo and across Ohio. So I’m here asking for your help, asking for your work, asking for you to be part of this campaign, and then when we win on November 8, be part of changing our country for the better! Thank you all and God bless you!”

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STAND

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Hillary Clinton with her daughter Chelsea in 1984.Mike Stewart — Sygma via Getty Images

We’ve made progress, but have a ways to go.

When I was pregnant with my daughter Chelsea, I asked about the maternity leave policy at the law firm where I worked. I was surprised to find out that we didn’t have one. I soon learned why: No woman who worked in our office had ever come back to work full-time after having a baby.

Well, I wanted to come back. I loved what I did. And it was important to me to contribute to my family’s finances, especially now that we were having a baby.

Finally, as my due date approached, I decided to take matters into my own hands. When Chelsea was born, my employer agreed to grant me four months off to be home with her. I’d still earn an income, though it would be smaller; part of my income was determined by the fees I generated for the firm, which would fall to zero while I was on leave. That made sense to me. And it meant a lot that I could have that time with my new daughter, knowing that my job would be waiting for me when I came back.

These kinds of situations are commonplace today, with more women entering the workforce than ever before. Today, nearly half of all full-time employees are women. Through our contributions, talent, insights, and very presence, we’ve changed the workplace forever. There’s no going back to the days when women were fired for getting married or pregnant, or were excluded from entire professions. Thank goodness.

Bill and Hillary with their daughter Chelsea in 1980.Courtesy of Hillary for America

But let’s be real. We still have a long way to go. Our policies just haven’t kept up with the challenges women and families face today.

Too many women still aren’t paid fairly. On average, women earn 20% less than men do for full-time, year-round work. Women of color earn even less. And when a working mom or grandmother earns less than she deserves, she’s not the only one who pays the price. Her children or grandchildren — whoever’s counting on her salary — do, too.

Women also make up the majority of minimum-wage workers, which means they make as little as $14,500 a year for full-time work. That’s below the national poverty line. Many of those women are raising kids on that income. Raising the federal minimum wage would do a lot for those families.

Meanwhile, even though the number of women running companies, labs, universities, and philanthropies is growing, it’s still too small. So is the number of women serving in elected office. That means women aren’t always included in decision-making, and their needs and concerns aren’t always reflected in government policy or workplace norms.

And we’re making it too hard to balance work and family. That’s true for all parents, but especially mothers. Women are breadwinners in more households than ever, yet they still do the lion’s share of childcare.

Many are feeling the squeeze. I’ve had moms break down in tears as they describe the heartbreak of returning to work just a few days after delivering their baby, because they don’t have paid leave at their jobs. Staying with their child for a few months would mean losing too many paychecks, maybe even their job.

In April, I met a mom in Newton, Iowa, who held her four-and-a-half-month-old in her arms. She said to me, “I’m counting on you to know what it’s like to be a working mother. Please help us working mothers and fathers have more time with our babies.”

I’m not going to let her down.

One thing we can do is invest in affordable childcare. Right now, childcare is more expensive than college tuition in many states. Let’s make sure no family has to spend more than 10% of their income on childcare by making historic investments in childcare assistance and providing tax relief to working families.

Let’s finally join every other advanced economy in the world and guarantee paid leave. I’m proposing 12 weeks of paid medical leave to recover from a serious illness, and 12 weeks of paid family leave to care for a new child or a sick relative. After all, moms and dads both deserve to spend time with their babies.

Let’s encourage employers to adopt family-friendly work policies, like flexible and fair scheduling and tele-work, so parents can both work and be there for their families.

Let’s raise the minimum wage. No one who works full-time should be forced to raise their kids in poverty.

And at long last, let’s finally ensure equal pay for women. It’s time for Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act — which I cosponsored when I was in the Senate — to give women the tools they need to fight discrimination in the workforce. We also need to promote pay transparency so that women have the information they need to negotiate fairly for their wages.

These aren’t just women’s issues. They’re economic issues and family issues. And they need to be a top priority for our next president. If we’re going to build a globally competitive workforce, we can’t afford to leave any talent on the sidelines. We can’t keep short-changing working families.

I’ll never forget what it was like to be a mom at work. It wasn’t easy. And I was lucky: I had financial security, a supportive employer, and affordable childcare. Too many families don’t. I’ve met so many parents stuck in impossible situations, at their wits’ ends trying to make it all work. It just shouldn’t be this hard to work and have a family.

As president, it’ll be my mission to bring our economy and workplaces into the 21st century, so all of our contributions are respected — both women’s and men’s — and families can thrive.

Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee for president and a former secretary of state.

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Hillary Clinton’s Open Letter to Wells Fargo Customers

Dear Wells Fargo Customers,

In America, we have faith that when we open up a checking account, we aren’t opening ourselves up to being scammed.  Whether you use a local credit union or community bank or one of the big national chains, we take it for granted that those institutions are fulfilling this basic responsibility to their consumers.

That’s why I was deeply disturbed when, last week, we found out that Wells Fargo had engaged in widespread illegal practices over many years.  The bank secretly opened up millions of accounts for customers without their consent – betraying their customers, misusing their personal information and leading many to be slapped with unjust fees and other charges. Today, Wells Fargo’s CEO will appear before Congress. He owes all of you a clear explanation as to how this happened under his watch.

There is simply no place for this kind of outrageous behavior in America.

Our economy depends on a strong and safe banking system to help keep it moving.  But even after Americans spent years working hard to recover from the Great Recession, the culture of misconduct and recklessness that preceded that crisis too often persists.

I have a plan to address it.

First, we need to defend the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.  The unfair and abusive practices at Wells Fargo remind us that we need tough watchdogs looking out for customers.  The CFPB worked with local authorities and enforced the law – assessing its highest penalty ever, and bringing the bank’s illegal activity into the national spotlight.

Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and Wall Street lobbyists are desperate to dismantle this effective agency, which is dedicated solely to protecting consumers from unfair and deceptive practices.  I won’t let them put the CFPB under their thumb.  I’ll protect the CFPB and make sure it can continue its essential work on behalf of the American people.

Second, we need real consequences when firms on Wall Street break the law. This past week, we learned that one of the Wells Fargo executives that oversaw the division that ripped off its customers left the bank – not with a pink slip, but with a $125 million payout.  It’s hard to imagine that top executives were unaware of a problem that involved thousands of the firm’s employees.  After all, they imposed sales targets and compensation incentives in ways that led to this behavior.  And it’s frustrating that a bank can simply pay a fine and keep doing business as usual – with massive compensation for the executives responsible.  That compensation should be clawed back.

I’ve put forward an agenda to enhance accountability on Wall Street. Executives should be held individually accountable when rampant illegal activity happens on their watch.  Their compensation should take a hit if their companies pay major fines.  And they must face appropriate legal consequences if they break the law.

Third, we need to make sure that no financial institution is too big to manage.  I’ll put additional safeguards in place to address the risks that the big banks continue to pose to our system.  And if any bank can’t be managed effectively, it should be broken up.

I’ll appoint regulators who will stand with taxpayers and consumers, not with big banks and their friends in Congress.  I’ll fight hard to make sure that Wall Street is working for Main Street – not the other way around.

We need to keep pushing to make the financial system safer and fairer. Let’s do it together.

Sincerely,

Hillary Clinton

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Hillary toured the John Marshall High School in Cleveland before she delivered an address on the economy that touched upon the many factors that affect the bottom line for Americans and for the nation.

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In Cleveland, Clinton Contrasts Plan to Invest in Ohio with Trump’s Tax Loopholes for Millionaires

Following a tour at Cleveland’s John Marshall High School on Wednesday, Hillary Clinton rallied her supporters and contrasted her tax plan designed to invest in Ohio with Donald Trump’s, which would provide trillions in tax breaks for billionaires and millionaires like him at the expense of working Americans. While Clinton has a “100-Day Jobs Plan”targeted towards families and small businesses, Trump would eliminate the Estate Tax, which could give his own family alone $4 billion in tax breaks. We can’t say for sure how much, however, Clinton reminded the crowd, since Trump refuses to release his tax returns.

Clinton also highlighted trillions of dollars of other tax breaks in Trump’s plan for Wall Street and big corporations, such as the “Trump Loophole” — a backdoor tax break Trump has proposed that lets the wealthy cut their tax rate in half on a substantial portion of their income. She promised to use that money instead for crucial investments including infrastructure, education, health care, and other priorities, adding, “Now, think of what we could do with $4 billion in Ohio.  We could build 280 new elementary schools. We could eliminate the outstanding student loan of 166,000 Ohioans. We could provide health care to 370,000 veterans […] Donald Trump doesn’t need a tax cut. I don’t need a tax cut. It’s time for the wealthiest Americans, whoever you are, as well as corporations and Wall Street, to pay your fair share in taxes.”

Clinton said John Marshall School represents the type of investment we should be making rather than giving further tax breaks to those at the top. She believes the opportunities afforded to students there – a “small schools” model in which students choose between directed programs in engineering, information technology and business and civic leadership – can be afforded to all students, regardless of ZIP code or background.

Clinton’s remarks, as transcribed, are below:

“Hello. Thank you.  Thank you so much.  Wow.  I am so happy to be here.  It is great being in Cleveland.  Thank you all. I want to thank Kim Greytak, a teacher right here at John Marshall, for introducing me. And I want to thank all the teachers and educators, the staff, and the students of John Marshall. I am delighted to be here with your mayor, Mayor Frank Jackson. Also, with my longtime friend, your former governor, candidate for the Senate, Ted Strickland. With your county executive, County Executive Budish, I know is here somewhere.  And with my great friend who did an excellent job presiding over the Democratic National Convention, Congresswoman Marcia Fudge.

I always love being here, and today is particularly special, because I got a tour of this high school. And I first of all want to thank the people of Cleveland for investing in a high school that is really all about the future. What a stark contrast this high school poses to what happened here in Cleveland during the Republican Convention.  Because, honestly, they painted such a bleak, negative picture of America, I couldn’t recognize our country.  Listening to their angry speeches, the kind of negative view that they had of our people, Donald Trump saying we never win anymore – well, tell that to the Cavaliers. Tell that to our Olympic athletes, who are cleaning up in Rio.

There is nothing we can’t do if we put our minds to it.  And that’s how I want America to feel about itself, and how I want every American to feel.  And I saw the future.  The students and teachers who showed me what they’re doing here in robotics, in 3-D design, in laser design, in entrepreneurial and civic education – I for one am really proud of this high school and what it represents for the students here. And why is that so important for those of us who are no longer in high school?  Because we’ve got to get the economy working for everybody, not just those at the top.  And how are we going to do that?  Well, I know that too many families right here in Ohio are feeling a lot of financial stress.  Worrying about how they’re going to make ends meet, dealing with all the costs from childcare to prescription drugs.  I understand that.

That’s why I have laid out specific plans about how we’re going to get the economy working for everyone.  And I think it’s important, when someone comes to you and asks for your support, running for president, that maybe they tell you what they want to do, so that you can decide who you want to vote for. And sometimes, you know, I get criticized for doing that.  People say, oh, there she goes.  She has another plan.  Well, I do.  I’ve got an infrastructure plan to create millions of jobs fixing our roads, our bridges, our tunnels, our ports, our airports, our water systems, our sewer systems. As part of that plan, I want to start a national infrastructure bank so that we have public and private funds working together, so we don’t just wait on Congress to act, but we are building, rebuilding, maintaining all the time.

And it’s not just what we can see, as important as that is.  We need a new modern electric grid that can take and distribute clean, renewable energy across America. And we need to finally finish the job of connecting every home and business everywhere in America, from inner cities to remote rural areas to high-speed broadband access, so they can be part of the 21st-century digital economy. I was talking to a group of my friends who are teachers – I love teachers.  Thank you all for being here with me. And they were telling me there had just been a national survey done.  And the teachers were asked, do you ever assign homework that requires your students to go on the Internet?  And the answer was 70 percent, yes, they did.

Now, that makes perfect sense if you just saw what I saw.  You’ve got to have knowledge of the Internet.  You’ve got to be able to learn to use it.  It can spark your imagination, create new dreams.  I met young people – I said, well, what got you interested in computer design, 3-D design, robots?  They were interested in the arts.  They were interested in what they could do to design and make things.  So the answer was 70 percent of teachers, but here’s the problem: 5 million students – 5 million homes with students in them in America do not have access to the Internet.  And so we’re already creating a big gap.  A homework gap, which turns into an achievement gap, and doesn’t give every kid the chance to go as far as his or her hard work and talent will take them.

So when I talk about infrastructure, I’m talking about making our economy more competitive and creating more opportunities for more Americans willing to work for it.  Because I believe in the basic bargain: if you’re willing to work, you ought to be able to get ahead and stay ahead.  That’s how I was raised.  That’s what I want Americans to believe again. You know, this past Monday I was in Scranton, Pennsylvania with Joe Biden. And Joe was born in Scranton.  My grandparents – my father was born in Scranton.  I went back to Scranton every summer.  A lot of Christmas holidays.

My grandfather was an immigrant.  Came as a young child.  He worked in the Scranton Lace Factory making lace, which was a big deal back in those days.  I remember, we used to have lace curtains and lace tablecloths and things like that.  And my grandfather worked really hard, because he believed if he worked hard, he could provide a better life for his kids.  And he did.  My dad got to go to college.  He went to Penn State, where he played football. And then he took a job in the Midwest as a salesman, and then went into the Navy during World War II, and when he came out, he started a small business.  And he worked really hard.

And I used to go help him sometimes, because he printed fabric for draperies, and he had a print plant.  And he had two long tables.  And it was, you know, not a – it was just an old plant.  It was, you know, low ceilings, no windows.  And he would print that drapery fabric.  He’d take an old-fashioned silkscreen and he’d put it down, he’d pour the paint in, and then take a squeegee and then go from one side to the other, pick up the screen, keep going down the table.  And he provided a good life.  I grew up in a suburb of Chicago.  And so I know what the American dream is all about.  I am proud to be the granddaughter of a factory worker and the daughter of a small businessman, and standing here before you.

And so when I think about how hard my dad worked, and I think about him printing those fabrics and then loading them into his car, and delivering them to whoever had ordered them, and then expecting to be paid, because he had done the work, it just really hits me personally when people are standing up and telling their stories: they were small business people, they were plumbers, electricians, painters, who did work for Donald Trump, and he refused to pay them. That violates the basic bargain.  If you do your job, you’re supposed to be rewarded for your work.  Not stiffed.  Not told to go sue somebody.

And I can’t help but take it personally, because I think about, what would have happened to my family if my father had taken a job like that and put his heart and soul into it, bought the material, bought the paint, did the labor, shows up, delivers the product, and is told, we’re not paying you?  But person after person, small business after small business is telling the same story.  That they were not paid.  They were told to go sue Donald Trump.  Well, you’re a small business.  You can’t afford lawyers to go sue somebody.  That’s not the way it’s supposed to work.

So when I talk about creating new jobs in infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, clean, renewable energy, I also talk about creating more small businesses.  And small businesses that will actually grow and give more people a chance to fulfill their dreams, and will be part of the basic bargain, who will be paid for the work that they do, so they can stay in business.

Now, I’ve got to tell you, creating the jobs of the future means we’ve got to make sure that all Americans, not just young Americans, have all the education and all the skills that are needed.  That’s why I want to start with early childhood education, so that more young kids I saw right here in John Marshall across America, so that high school students can be better prepared. You know, when we stopped doing vocational education some years ago, we basically sent a message to so many young people: there’s only one way to be successful in America.  You’ve got to go to a four-year college.

That is so unfair, and it’s also untrue. Actually, if you look at job projections, more than half of the jobs that will be available in America in 2020 will not require a four-year college degree.  And so how are we going to get our people prepared?  We’re going to bring more technical education.  Not the old-fashioned kind, but what I saw here at John Marshall.  We’re going to bring computer coding, like I saw in a classroom just a few minutes ago, we’re going to bring engineering and design work, we’re going to give young kids in high school the chance to either get that education right in their own school, or go to a community college that will provide it, and give them credit to get a credential, an associate degree, or credit to go on to a four-year college.  So we’re going to do more on apprenticeship programs.

I want everybody who’s willing to work to be prepared.  I don’t want any excuses.  I’m a kind of no excuse person.  If you are willing to do the work, I want to make sure that we’ve got an economy that will produce the jobs.  And then I want to make four-year college affordable.  If you go to a four-year public college or university, it should be affordable. And we’re going to make community college free for everybody that wants to go to community college. And we’re going to help everybody with student debt pay down the debt. Get it off their backs.

Now, I think it’s – I think it’s fair to say, okay, well, how are you going to do all that?  That’s fair to ask.  Well, we’re going to do it in two ways.  Number one, we are going to tax the wealthy, who have made all of the income gains in the last 15 years – the super-wealthy, corporations, Wall Street.  They’re going to have to invest in education, in skills training, in infrastructure, because we have to grow this economy.  We do need to have the resources to do that.  And I’ve laid out what I want to do and how I would do it – closing the loopholes, creating a fairer tax system.  But I’ve made very clear I’m the only candidate who ran in either the Democratic or the Republican Primary who said from the very beginning, I will not raise taxes on the middle class. The middle class has to catch up to where they were before the Great Recession.

And so I’ve laid this all out.  And so independent analysts, economists and others, are looking at what I’ve said and what Donald Trump has said.  And in fact, according to an independent analysis by Moody’s Analytics, carried out by the man who was John McCain’s economic advisor, if you were to implement what I am proposing, we would create at least 10 million new jobs in the first term of my administration. By contrast, if you look at what Trump is proposing, and how he wants to give huge tax breaks to people who are wealthy like him, it would cost our economy 3.4 million jobs. Now, this is not me saying it.  This is an independent analysis saying it, that has tried to look at both of us very objectively.

But what does that mean for Ohio?  If we divide across the country by population, Ohio would gain 376,000 jobs under my plans and lose more than 123,000 jobs under Donald Trump’s plans. And it’s not hard to see why – because he wants to give tax cuts to big corporations, millionaires, Wall Street money managers.  He’s even created a new tax loophole that we call the Trump loophole – because it’s really good for Trump.  It would let millionaires and billionaires cut their tax rate in half on a lot of their income. Under his plans, Donald Trump would pay a lower tax rate than middle class families.  Of course, we have no idea what tax rate he pays – because unlike everybody else who’s run for president in the last four or five decades, he refuses to release his tax returns.  So the American people can’t really judge.

And then there’s the Estate tax, which he wants to eliminate altogether.  So if you believe Donald Trump is as wealthy as he claims – we can’t say that for sure, but let’s assume it – he would, by eliminating the Estate tax, save the Trump family $4 billion – and do absolutely nothing for 99.8 percent of all Americans.  Now, think of what we could do with $4 billion in Ohio.  We could build 280 new elementary schools. We could eliminate the outstanding student loan of 166,000 Ohioans. We could provide health care to 370,000 veterans. And we could sure rebuild every crumbling bridge in this state and fix a lot of the highways that are causing folks to incur expenses.

Donald Trump doesn’t need a tax cut.  I don’t need a tax cut.  It’s time for the wealthiest Americans, whoever you are, as well as corporations and Wall Street, to pay your fair share in taxes. You have been successful in this country because of everything this country represents. We’re going to stop giving tax breaks to corporations that outsource jobs and profits.  We’re going to reward those who invest in their employees again.  If corporations move their headquarters overseas, we’re going to slap an exit tax on them and try to persuade them not to move. We’re going to add a new tax on multi-millionaires, crack down on tax-gaming and close loopholes, and then use that money to make the kind of investments that will grow the economy for everybody.

So here’s the bottom line.  There are just 83 days in this election.  I keep track of them, cross them off. And for anyone waiting for Donald Trump to suddenly become more responsible, remember what a great American, Maya Angelou, said: ‘When someone shows you who they are, believe them.’ And I think it’s fair to say that Donald Trump has shown us who he is.  He can hire and fire anybody he wants from his campaign.  They can make him read new words from a teleprompter. But he is still the same man who insults Gold Star families, demeans women, mocks people with disabilities, and thinks he knows more about ISIS than our generals. There is no new Donald Trump.  This is it.  And you know, I hope you will talk to any of your friends who are flirting with the idea of voting for Donald Trump.  Friends don’t let friends vote for Trump.

So, now, here’s what I have to ask all of you.  I’m proud that we have run a campaign of issues, not insults.  That’s what I’m going to continue to do for the next 83 days. Because I think the details actually matter.  That’s why I sweat the details.  I really care a lot about what happens to the young people and the families and our seniors.  That’s why I’m going to do everything I can to raise the national minimum wage so that it is a living wage. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that you have the health care you need at an affordable price – and get the costs of prescription drugs down because they are once again getting out of reach.

I was at an event the other day and a very distinguished doctor, the head of a big hospital in New York, he said, ‘We got to do something about prescription drug costs.’ This is not a – this is not a patient or a family.  This is one of the most distinguished doctors in New York City.  He said, ‘It’s getting to the point where I can’t prescribe certain drugs that my patients need because the insurance won’t pay for them.  Medicare, Medicaid, nobody will pay for them because they are too expensive.’  And he mentioned particularly a drug by Gilead that will cure hepatitis C.  And it is so expensive that a lot of Americans are being left out.  And you know what really is upsetting about this is that drug company sells that same drug all over the world at a much lower price to everybody else.

Now, I’m proud, I’m proud, that our drug companies invent drugs to cure really terrible diseases and treat chronic diseases.  I’m proud of that.  But let’s be clear.  Your tax dollars helped support the research that is used to create those drugs in the first place. Your tax dollars support the Food and Drug Administration that tests those drugs to determine whether or not they are safe and effective to be able to go to market.  And then we end up in America paying the highest price for those drugs that we have helped to create.  We have got to take this on.  And we can do it without hurting research and discovery and new drugs and new devices.

And there are two other issues that I want to mention respecting health because I’ve been on the campaign trail now for, well, about a year and a half, ever since April of 2015.  So I have – I have talked with and mostly listened to thousands of Americans.  Now, people talk to me about their jobs.  They talk to me about education.  They talk to me about student loans and the high price of college.  They talk to me a lot about gun violence.  They talk to me about the things that are on their minds.

But the most emotional encounters I have are when families grab my hand and talk to me about mental health and addiction. We have got to do a better job.  We have too many families and too many individual Americans whose lives are being either totally undermined or shortened because of mental health and because of addiction.  So I’m going to work on those things, too, as your president because we’ve got to tackle these two problems.

And I also want to defend the rights that Americans now have from all of the various attacks that people are waging.  That’s why I support human rights and civil rights.  I support women’s rights. And yes, I will defend Planned Parenthood against all of these partisan attacks. I support gay rights. Voting rights, which are under attack across America, including right here in Ohio. I support workers’ rights, the right to form and organize a union and bargain collectively. I support the rights of people with disabilities, who deserve more chances to be integrated into the economy and society. And yes, I will take on the gun lobby and try to get common-sense gun safety measures passed.

And you know, I know how difficult this is.  But here’s what I want to say.  I want to say what I said at the convention in my speech.  I am not at all advocating the repeat of the Second Amendment.  I am not at all advocating any program that would in any way take people’s guns away.  Here’s what I’m advocating: I want to help you stay alive so that nobody who shouldn’t have a gun in the first place gets one and hurts you or other people.

Because when I think about the three big challenges the next president faces: getting the economy to work for everybody, not just those at the top; keeping us safe and leading the world with steadiness; and unifying America, it’s not just a job for the president.  We all have to do our part. And when it comes to keeping Americans safe, I want to keep you safe in your own communities and your homes from gun violence, I want to keep us safe from terrorists no matter where they’re from or what they’re after, I want to make sure that we keep our alliances strong.  Because I know how important it is that we work together to defeat the terrorist threat.  And I will bring all the experience I had as a senator serving on the Armed Services Committee, as a Secretary of State, to make sure that America remains the most free, the most safe, the most important leader in the world.

But I also want to unify our country.  You know, I bet if we had the time, we’d find something that every single one of us disagreed about with everybody else.  We have different experiences, different backgrounds.  I think that’s part of the American DNA.  You know, our founders had some big arguments.  We have a lot of impassioned people who care about the future of our country and what we should do.  But at the end of the argument, we’ve got to come together.  We are the greatest example of freedom and opportunity and justice that the world has ever known, and we can’t do anything that ever undermines that.

And that’s why it is so important that we seek and find common ground together.  I did that as a First Lady.  I worked with Republicans to create the Children’s Health Insurance Program that now covers 8 million kids, I worked with Republicans to reform the adoption and foster care system, which I care deeply about. I worked with Republicans after 9/11 to rebuild New York and to make our country safer, to get healthcare to National Guard men and women.  I worked with every Republican I served with, just about.  I worked with Republicans as Secretary of State.  We got a new treaty with Russia to lower the number of nuclear weapons, and that took 67 votes, and we had to get Republicans as well as Democrats to agree with that.

I happen to believe I don’t have all the answers.  I happen to believe we are stronger together in charting a course toward the future. So I need your help. ‘Stronger Together’ is not just a slogan for our campaign, it is what I believe in my heart.  I will get up every day in the White House trying to figure out how we’re going to create more jobs, more opportunity, keep us safe, unify us.  And that’s where you come in.  I hope you will join this campaign.  You can do so today by texting ‘JOIN’, J-O-I-N, at 42746.  Or you can go to HillaryClinton.com.  We’re hiring organizers in Ohio.  So if you’re interested in working as an organizer, see one of our people who will be at the doors as you leave.

This is a consequential election.  I understand a lot of the concerns that many Americans have, wondering and worrying about our country.  About their lives, about their kids’ lives, about their retirement, about the purpose and dignity of their work.  So I know we’ve got challenges that we have to address.  But I am absolutely sure we can do this.  I believe America’s best days are still ahead of us.  If you will join this campaign, join our cause, together, we […] win an election, but chart a course of confidence and optimism. Getting results for the American people.  Come, join me please.  Thank you all very much.”

 

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After touring the Futuramic Tool and Engineering facility in Warren, MI, Hillary delivered remarks addressing her plans for the economy in contrast to the very hazy, foreshortened bullets (I hesitate to call them plans) offered by Donald Trump. Bullets are great on a memo or a meeting agenda.  The American people want to hear how candidates plan to boost the economy.  Hillary presented a detailed, multifaceted, intersectional set of initiatives that, working in concert, will benefit all Americans and American families, not just those at the top.

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Just a note on Trump’s latest lies and other words. He told a crowd this morning that Hillary talks for 10 minutes and then goes home and sleeps.  Everyone here knows that is not true, and we actually often wonder if she ever gets a chance to sleep. His speech consisted largely (he thinks bigly is a word) of reading off a series of numbers from notes in his hand.  They were just numbers out of context. They meant nothing, and it was mystifying.  Hillary, in interview situations, for example, and town halls, can rattle off numbers from her head, without knowing a particular question is coming, and relates the numbers to concrete realities.  Trump held up a graph that he stared at more than he showed it to the audience.  It was a shabby imitation of Ross Perot who at least really knew the graphs and what they showed.  Perhaps Perot even made those graphs himself.  Trump looked at the graph and read the numbers as if they were alien to him and he had never seen them before.  In one instance he said, “I agree with this one.”  What an unprepared puppet of the billionaire boys club that he calls his economic advisory team!

Here is Hillary’s plan.

Stronger Together: Hillary Clinton’s Plan for An Economy That Works for Everyone, Not Just Those at the Top

Earlier today, Hillary Clinton delivered a speech in Warren, Michigan, posing four questions that should make voters’ choice in this election crystal clear. First, which candidate will actually stand up to those at the top and restore balance and fairness to our economy? Second, who has a better plan to create good-paying jobs? Third, who will really go to bat for working families? And, fourth, who can break through the dysfunction in Washington deliver real results for the American people?

Donald Trump fails each of these tests. Instead of restoring balance and fairness to our economy, he wants to provide trillions in tax breaks to corporations and the super-wealthy, exploding our deficit while leaving working families to hold the bag. Instead of creating good-paying jobs, his economic proposals would produce crisis and recession, resulting in 3.4 million lost jobs according to independent analysts who also projects that the economy would create 10.4 million jobs under Hillary Clinton’s plans. Instead of standing up for working families, Trump has made a career out of stiffing small businesses and outsourcing jobs. Instead of breaking through Washington gridlock, Trumps’ temper tantrums and name-calling would just make things worse.

Unlike Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has the agenda, experience, and know-how to restore fairness to our economy, create good-paying jobs, stand up for working families, and break-through Washington’s dysfunction to deliver real results for the American people. She understands that we are stronger together when we grow together—when we all contribute to our prosperity and we all share in the rewards. While we have worked our way back from the Great Recession, too many Americans are still left out and left behind. Instead of growing together, we’re in danger of growing apart – with too few good-paying jobs, too much inequality, and a lack of basic economic security and fairness for working families.

We can meet these challenges. We can spur more economic growth, which will create more good-paying jobs and raise wages. And we can have more economic fairness, so the rewards are shared with everyone. Hillary Clinton is running for President to build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. As she laid out in her speech last month in Raleigh, North Carolina, she is setting five big goals to get there:

  1. Break Through Washington Gridlock to Make the Boldest Investment in Good-Paying Jobs Since World War II
  2. Make Debt Free College Available to All Americans
  3. Rewrite the Rules to Ensure That Workers Share in the Profits They Help Create
  4. Ensure That Those at the Top Pay Their Fair Share
  5. Put Families First by Matching Our Policies to How Families Live, Learn, and Work in the 21st Century Economy

A summary of Hillary’s economic agenda is below. You can read about all of these proposals in greater detail at https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/.

I. BREAK THROUGH WASHINGTON GRIDLOCK TO MAKE THE BOLDEST INVESTMENT IN GOOD-PAYING JOBS SINCE WORLD WAR II

Our country has a strong bipartisan tradition of investing in our future—from Eisenhower’s Interstate highway system, which unlocked the potential of the American economy and drove the rise of the middle class, to the Apollo program, which put a man on the moon and fueled giant leaps forward in technology and innovation. Hillary Clinton will break through the gridlock in Washington to make these investments, which have been a hallmark of American prosperity, once again possible.

From her first day in office to her last, Hillary will make it a central priority to make sure that every American can find a good-paying job, with rising incomes across the board. That’s why she will make the largest investment in good-paying jobs since World War II. These investments will not just create good jobs today, they will unlock the potential of our businesses to create good-paying jobs in the future. And she is setting a goal of a full employment, full-potential economy, where we break down barriers and create good-paying jobs in every community, for people across the country willing to work hard. Hillary will:

  • Launch our country’s boldest investments in infrastructure since we built the Interstate highway system
  • Make audacious advancement in research and technology, creating the industries and jobs of the future
  • Establish the U.S. as the clean energy superpower of the world—with half a billion solar panels installed by the end of her first term and enough clean renewable energy to power every home in American within ten years of her taking office
  • Cut red tape, make small business tax filing as easy as keeping a checkbook, and expand access to capital so small businesses can grow, hire and thrive
  • Ensure that the jobs of the future in caregiving and services are good-paying jobs, recognize their fundamental contributions to families and to America
  • Pursue smarter, fairer, tougher trade policies that put U.S. job creation first and that get tough on nations like China that seek to prosper at the expense of our workers – including opposing trade deals, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership, that do not meet a high bar of creating good-paying jobs and raising pay
  • Commit to a full employment, full-potential economy and break down barriers so that growth, jobs, and prosperity are shared in every community in America, no matter where you live and no matter your race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or disability
  • Appoint Fed governors who share the belief that maximum employment is an essential prong of the Federal Reserve’s dual mandate

II. MAKE DEBT FREE COLLEGE AVAILABLE TO ALL AMERICANS

An economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, is based on the idea of equal opportunity and a belief that anyone can rise. That vision of our nation only works if we renew our commitment to education at every level. That’s why Hillary will fight for transformational investments that prepare the next generation for the jobs of the future—starting with debt-free college:

  • Eliminate tuition for working families and provide debt-free college to all Americans—because debt should never be a barrier to equal opportunity
  • Ease the crushing burden of student debt for 40 million Americans by allowing students to refinance at lower rates and making sure that none of them have to pay more than they can afford

III. REWRITE THE RULES TO ENSURE WORKERS SHARE IN THE PROFITS THEY HELP CREATE

Businesses thrive all over our country by seeing employees as assets to invest in, not costs to cut. They’re building companies, not stripping them, and creating good jobs, not eliminating them. But too many corporations take the opposite view. They seem to have forgotten that one of the biggest assets on their balance sheets is America itself. Hillary will make it easier for companies that take the “high road,” like sharing profits with their workers and investing in them over the long term. And she will make it harder for them to take the “low road,” by mistreating their workers and customers or walking out on America to avoid paying their fair share in taxes.

  • Reward companies that share profits with their employees, not just their executives
  • End the tyranny of “quarterly capitalism” and encourage companies to invest in America for the long-run
  • Reform our tax code to reward businesses that invest in jobs in the United States, and impose an exit tax on companies that move overseas to avoid paying their taxes
  • Strengthen our antitrust laws and enforcement so businesses get ahead by competing and benefitting their customers – not by unfairly concentrating markets
  • Eliminate write-offs and claw back special tax breaks when companies ship jobs and production overseas, and use the proceeds to invest in America
  • Pursue worker-friendly policies to make it harder for companies to race to the bottom in search of profits

IV. REWRITE THE RULES AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE AT THE TOP PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE

Our tax code is rigged for those at the top, making it harder to invest in our future, whether it’s in infrastructure, education or healthcare. We need policies to address these discrepancies in our tax code and go after all the scams, loopholes, and special breaks exploited by corporations and the mega-rich, like the carried interest loophole that lets some hedge fund managers pay a lower rate than a teacher or a nurse. She believes that by making sure the most fortunate and corporations pay their fair share, we can afford to pay for the ambitious progressive investments she has put forward, in a fiscally responsible way, without adding to the debt.

As President, Hillary will make sure that corporations and the most fortunate play by the rules and pay their fair share – because they can afford it, and we’re all in this together. She will:

  • Reform our individual income tax code to make sure that no millionaire pays a lower tax rate than a middle-class family and impose a surcharge on the incomes of multi-millionaires
  • Close tax loopholes and special breaks that make it possible for the wealthy and corporations to avoid paying their fair share
  • Charge a risk fee on major Wall Street institutions
  • Close the “carried interest” loophole for Wall Street money managers – acting without Congress if it will not move forward on its own

V. PUT FAMILIES FIRST AND MAKE SURE THEY HAVE THE SECURITY AND OPPORTUNITY THEY NEED TO THRIVE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

When we forged the basic bargain of our economy, with guarantees like Social Security, minimum wage, overtime pay, child labor laws, and other protections we count on today, our economy was very different. Most families got by on one income, and workers could expect to hold a steady job with good benefits for an entire career. Despite massive shifts in how our economy works today, too many of our policies are outdated and basic protections have not kept up. We need policies that match how we actually live and work in this 21st century economy. That means updating the basic bargain and putting families first. Hillary will:

  • Provide universal, affordable healthcareincluding offering a public option choice in every state, letting people over 55 buy into Medicare, and investing in community health centers
  • Work to ensure no family pays more than 10 percent of their income on child care by making the Child Tax Credit more generous for working families, making preschool universal for every 4 year-old in America, and significantly increasing our investment in high-quality child care programs
  • Break down barriers to make affordable housing and homeownership possible for hard working families

 

And now this!

David Cay Johnston:  Is a Crook Hiding in Donald Trump’s Taxes?

STAND

 

 

 

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Hillary outlined her plan for the economy in Raleigh following an earlier speech by Donald Trump about her. Hillary’s team was quick to fact check his words and point out the hypocrisy.

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Too many corporations seem to have forgotten: It’s wrong to take taxpayer dollars with one hand and give out pink slips with the other.

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Every American willing to work hard should be able to find a job that pays enough to support a family.

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“The heart of my plan will be the biggest investment in American infrastructure in decades.” —Hillary

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We’re going to invest $20 billion specifically to create jobs for young people, especially in communities of color.

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We should support our teachers, not scapegoat them.

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“I will make it a national priority for more companies to share profits with employees. On top of, not instead of, good wages.” —Hillary

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We’ll make companies that ship jobs overseas give back tax breaks they received here at home.

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“Progress is possible … I know Republicans and Democrats can work together, because I’ve done it.” —Hillary

Instead of pitting people against each other, we need to enlist everyone in building our country together.

Hillary Clinton Delivers Remarks on the Economy in Raleigh

In a forward-looking policy address in Raleigh, North Carolina on Wednesday, Hillary Clinton explained how, as president, she will build an economy that works for everyone—not just those at the top. Clinton outlined five specific goals to realize this vision:

1) Pass the biggest investment in good-paying jobs since World War II in her first 100 days; 2) Make debt-free college education available to all Americans; 3) Let workers share in the profits they help create; 4) Ensure Wall Street and the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share; and 5) Put families first and match our policies to how they actually live and work in the 21st century.

Below is a transcript of Clinton’s remarks today:

“Thank you, It’s great to be back in Raleigh! Thank you so much. I have to confess I was having such a good time backstage listening to the 120 Minutes Band, listening to Mary Wingate do the national anthem and just being absolutely transported by Shay Taylor and Friends, the gospel group that got us all going today. And I cannot thank a better twosome than the people you just saw up here.

Because I honestly believe Jim Hunt is not only one of the best governors North Carolina has ever had, but one of the best governors ever in America in the last years. And what he did to really put North Carolina on a path to the future has stood the test of time. We’ve had a few glitches with others who don’t seem to understand what the ingredients are for building an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. But Jim Hunt knows that.

I look forward to continuing to work with him. And I was so delighted to have a chance, as I did, to have Alicia Wilkerson talk about her journey, how hard she has worked, raising her children, getting an education, making it possible for her to have a better future.

I so greatly appreciate her mentioning the SCHIP program which has helped 8 million kids every year get health insurance. Now because we are in North Carolina and we have a lot of friends here I want to acknowledge some of them. Your Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

Senator Dan Blue, the Minority Leader of the North Carolina Senate. Representative Larry Hall, the Democratic leader of the North Carolina House of Representatives. Linda Coleman running for Lieutenant Governor. Judge Mike Morgan running against a Republican Supreme Court incumbent. And don’t forget than Dan Blue III is running for State Treasurer. Josh Stein, running for Attorney General. And let’s give a big round of applause to your next governor, Attorney General Roy Cooper! Your next AG commissioner Walter Smith and your next United States Senator, Debra Ross. We’re going to work hard in the this election to elect as many Democrats up and down the ticket so that North Carolina can get back on the path to the path to the future, get off this detour that you’ve been on.

I have to start by saying if you notice anything different about me today, it could be that now I have double the ‘grandmother glow.’ This past weekend, Chelsea and Marc had a little boy and we’re all totally over the moon about it.

Obviously, our family will do everything we can to make sure little Charlotte and now little Aidan grow up with every possible opportunity. I know that’s what every parent and grandparent, aunt or uncle, godmother and godfather, people who care about the children in our lives, that’s exactly how we all feel.

I believe with all my heart that you should not have to be the grandchild of a former President or Secretary of State to have every opportunity available to you in this country.

Every single child deserves the chance to live up to his or her God-given potential and that has been the cause of my life.

It’s rooted in the values I learned from my family and my faith. We’re all in this together. And we have a responsibility to lift each other up.

As we Methodists say: do all the good you can to all the people you can in all the ways you can. And that is absolutely true for our children.

That’s why I got into public service in the first place. And it’s why I’m determined that we will win this election.

I think it’s an understatement to say that Americans face a choice in November.

As I said yesterday in Ohio, Donald Trump offers no real solutions for the economic challenges we face – he just continues to spout reckless ideas that will run up our debt and cause another economic crash.

I’m here today to offer an alternative. I have a clear vision for the economy, and it’s this: We need to make sure our economy works for everyone, not just those at the top.

Not just for the rich or the well-connected, not just for people living in some parts of the country, or people from certain backgrounds and not others – I mean everyone.

I have a plan to get us there: Five steps we can take together to drive growth that’s strong, fair, and lasting. Growth that reduces inequality, increases upward mobility; that reaches into every corner of our country.

The measure of our success will be how much incomes rise for hardworking families. How many children are lifted out of poverty. How many Americans can find good jobs that support a middle class life and not only that, jobs that provide a sense of dignity and pride. That’s what it means to have an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. That’s the mission, and I’m asking all of you to join me in it.

We have to overcome some big challenges. I will admit that,

First, too many of our representatives in Washington are in the grips of a failed economic theory called trickle-down economics. I do not question their sincerity, but it has been proven wrong again and again.

But there are still people in Congress who insist on cutting taxes for the wealthy instead of investing in our future.

They careen from one self-inflicted crisis to another – shutting down the government, threatening to default on our national debt, refusing to make the common-sense investments that used to have broad bipartisan support, like rebuilding our roads and our bridges, our tunnels, our highways and airports, or investing in better education from zero through high school and college.

I like to look at evidence: I plead to that. I think evidence is important when making decisions that affect other people’s lives. If the evidence were there to support this ideology, I would have to acknowledge that, but we have seen the results. Twice now in the past 30 years a Republican president has caused an economic mess and a Democratic president has had to come in and clean it up.

And yes, too many special interests and too many lobbyists have stood in the way of progress while protecting the perks of the privileged few.

It’s not just Washington.

Too many corporations have embraced policies that favor hedge funds and other big shareholders and top management at the expense of their workers, communities, and even their long-term value.

They’re driven by Wall Street’s obsession with short-term share prices and quarterly earnings.

A recent survey of corporate executives found that more than half when asked would hold off on making a successful long-term investment — maybe in their workers, or plant equipment, or research — if it meant missing a target in the next earnings report.

So corporations stash cash overseas or they send it to top shareholders in the form of stock buybacks or dividends, instead of raising wages or investing in research and development.

This pressure, this short term pressure, leads to perverse incentives and outrageous behavior.

It is wrong to take taxpayer dollars with one hand and give out pink slips with the other hand. And no company should be moving their headquarters overseas, just to avoid paying their taxes here at home.

In addition, there have been big changes in how American families live, learn, and work, but our policies haven’t kept up.

There are so many examples of this.

Over the past several decades, women have entered the workforce and boosted our economy, yet we are the only, the only developed country that doesn’t provide paid family leave of any kind.

We’re asking families to rely on an old system of supports in a new economic reality. No wonder so many are struggling.

The bottom line is that too many leaders in business and government have lost sight of our shared responsibility to each other and to our nation.

They let Wall Street take big risks with unregulated financial activities, they skew our tax code toward the wealthy, they failed to enforce our trade rules, they undermined workers’ rights.

They have forgotten that we are all in this together and we are at our best when we recognize that. Excessive inequality such as we have today reduces economic growth. Markets work best when all the stakeholders share in the benefits.

The challenges we face are significant.

It is not easy to change Washington, or how corporations behave. It takes more than stern words or a flashy slogan – it takes a plan.

It takes experience and the ability to work with both parties to get results.

That means we need a President who knows what we’re up against, has no illusions about what we need to do to move ahead, but can actually get it done. And that is what I am offering.

Because there is good news. The good news is that everywhere I go, smart, determined men and women are working hard to reverse these trends.

Mayors are pioneering innovative ways to work with the private sector to invest in their cities.

Entrepreneurs and small businesses are building and hiring in places that bigger companies have abandoned.

Unions are providing training programs that add value to the companies that employ their members.

Union pension funds are already investing in infrastructure projects that have supported more than 100,000 jobs here in our country.

So do not grow weary, there are great ideas out there. And we are going to be partners in a big, bold effort to increase economic growth and distribute it more fairly.

To build an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. I believe the federal government should adopt five ambitious goals:

First, let’s break through the dysfunction in Washington to make the biggest investment in new, good-paying jobs since World War II.

Second, let’s make college debt-free for all. And transform the way we prepare Americans for the jobs of the future.

Third, let’s rewrite the rules so more companies share profits with their

employees, and fewer ship profits and jobs overseas.

Finally, let’s make sure that Wall Street, corporations, and the super-rich pay their fair share of taxes. And all of this depends upon putting our families first and matching our policies to how you actually live and work in the 21st century.

Briefly about these four points: Let’s start with jobs.

Every American willing to work hard should be able to find a job that pays enough to support a family. And I know we can do this because I’ve seen it in the past.

You know, I remember when I was growing up and America had come out from the upheaval of depression and world war. Our leaders worked together to invest in a new foundation for American power and prosperity.

Highways to connect up our entire nation. College and housing for returning veterans and their families. Unprecedented scientific research. And it worked – we built the greatest middle class the world has ever known.

Now, we have to get as ambitious again. There is nothing we can’t do. Let’s be just as ambitious to build our 21st century American economy to produce the same results for hard working Americans.

In my first 100 days as President, I will work with both parties to pass a comprehensive plan to create the next generation of good jobs. Now the heart of my plan will be the biggest investment in American infrastructure in decades, including establishing an infrastructure bank that will bring private sector dollars off the sidelines and put them to work here.

And I’ve talked with local leaders around America and I’ve seen the dire need for investment. In Tampa, for example, I saw how a smart, targeted highway investment near a major port can create thousands of good-paying jobs, support the local economy and unlock national commerce.

We can create millions of good-paying jobs while preparing America to compete and win in the global economy.

So let’s set these big national goals. And I know how important it is to rebuild our roads, our bridges and our airports, but we have more work to do. Let’s build better. And let’s connect every household to broadband by the year 2020.

Let’s build a cleaner, more resilient power grid with enough renewable energy to power every home in the country. Let’s fix failing water systems like the one that poisoned children in Flint, Michigan. Let’s renovate our public schools so every child in every community has access to safe, high-tech classrooms, laboratories, and libraries.

Our 100 Days jobs package will also include transformational investments in key drivers of growth:

Advance manufacturing, so we can ‘make it in America’ and compete and win in the global economy.

Making America the clean energy superpower of the 21st century, which will create millions of jobs and help protect our planet.

Recommitting to scientific research, which can create new whole industries, just like we did in the 90’s when we started mapping the human genome.

And small businesses, which should be the engine for creating new jobs across America, they need to be free of red tape and they need to have access to credit. We need to slash unnecessary regulations making it easier to get startup capital from community banks and credit unions. If you have an idea for a small business, we want you to get started.

Let’s free entrepreneurs to do what they do best – innovate and grow and hire and make sure that the new service and caregiving jobs being created today are jobs that pay well, too. And that does mean raising the national minimum wage.

So many of these are so personal to us that they need to be respected and lifted up. And I know too that we’ve got work to do to stand with those who are fighting for raising the minimum wage. It’s not always how we think about this, but I can tell you another engine for growth and job creation would be comprehensive immigration reform.

It will bring millions of workers into the formal economy so you don’t have an unlevel playing field, so that workers who are competing for those jobs don’t get undercut because employers go out and find undocumented workers to do those jobs for a lower wage. I really believe it’s not just the right thing to do, but it will be great.

It will be smart for our economy. I want people to be able to compete. I don’t want to have that disadvantage that exists in too many places, where people are being are being priced out of the jobs they’ve always done.

So we can work toward a full employment and full potential economy. That does mean we can’t ignore people that are still stuck on the sidelines, or working part-time when what they really want is a full-time job. Or those trapped in long-term joblessness, whether they’re veterans, workers with disabilities, people coming home from prison, or young people who tried to start their careers in the midst of the Great Recession. I particularly want young people to feel that they are going to get good jobs that will give them that ladder of opportunity that they deserve to have in America.

That’s why I want to expand incentives like the New Markets Tax Credit, Empowerment Zones, and other ideas that bring business, government, and communities together to create good jobs in poor or remote areas. Places that have lost a factory or a mine where generations of families used to work. Anyone willing to work should get the help they need to qualify for and find that good job.

That means breaking down the barriers of systemic racism and discrimination that hold back – those barriers, they hold back African Americans, Latinos, Asian and Native Americans, and women from fully participating in our economy.

We need to reverse the long-term neglect that has dried up jobs and opportunity in communities of color, in poor communities. It’s not by accident that the unemployment rate now among black Americans is twice as high as among whites. Back in the 90’s, we were closing that gap, incomes were going up for everybody.

I think we’re going to have to invest money to create jobs for young people because right now I’m worried that if young people don’t get that first job when they are young, learn about work, understand the obligations as well as the promise of work, it will be even more difficult to get them into the workforce later on.

It is way past time for us to guarantee equal pay for women, which is still not the reality.

So, you see it is not enough to have an affirmative agenda, we have to knock down those barriers.

And by the way, as you’ve seen here in North Carolina discriminating against LGBT Americans is bad for business.

And make no mistake, we will defend American jobs and American workers by saying ‘no’ to bad trade deals and unfair trade practices, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which does not meet my high bar for creating good-paying jobs. ‘No’ to assaults on the right to organize and bargain collectively.

‘No’ to every attack on the dignity of working families.

We’re going to make this economy work for everyone, and it’s time we start building this from the ground up. For every home and every community all the way to Washington. Now, I know very well that if you don’t have the skills for the jobs oftomorrow, it’s going to be difficult. Education is still the pathway for greater opportunities for many Americans.

Let’s start at the beginning with making quality, affordable childcare and pre-school available in every community in the next 10 years, so we get our littlest Americans off to the best start.

Jim Hunt was a pioneer in this. Why did he care so much about children zero to five, besides the fact that he cared about them? Because he knew there was a direct line to how the youngest children were treated, educated, and prepared for school, and what kind of jobs and economic competitiveness North Carolina would have. So we’re going to start by having families be their child’s first teachers, and we’re going to give them the support they need to do that. And when it comes to primary and secondary education I pledged to you we’re going to make sure all our kids have good teachers and good schools, no matter what zip code you live in.

You know, for many years, thanks to people and leaders like Jim Hunt, North Carolina was a leading state when it came to education. Now, unfortunately, thanks to your Governor McCrory and the legislature, the average teacher salary can barely support a family. It should not be a surprise that thousands have quit in recent years.

We should support our teachers, not scapegoat them.

And then let’s make sure every student has options after high school. Whether it’s a four-year degree, free community college, an apprenticeship, or other forms of higher education We need to provide the skills and credentials that match the job openings of today and tomorrow.

That’s why I’m proposing new tax credits to encourage more companies to offer paid apprenticeships that lets you earn while you learn. And I will to support the union apprenticeships and training programs already out there. Not every good job requires a four-year college degree. We need to dignify skills training. So many young people have the talent and the will to succeed – they just need a helping hand.

That’s why I want us to come together to help our young people break free from the burden of student debt. I’m sure we all have stories. I’ve met so many who told me they can’t start a business. They can’t even move out of their parent’s basement because of all the student debt holding them back.

Let’s set the goal to make debt-free college available to everyone. So future students won’t have to borrow a dime to pay for tuition at public college or university.

And let’s liberate the millions of Americans who already have student debt by making it easier to refinance, just like a mortgage. Let’s make it easier to have debt forgiven by doing national service, let’s make it easier to repay what you owe as a portion of your income so you never have to pay more than you can afford.

I’ve set out a way to do this, and we’ll be talking more about it as we go forward in this campaign.

My third goal is to rewrite the rules so more companies share profits with employees, and fewer ship profits and jobs overseas.

I know there are a lot of businesses thriving here in North Carolina and across our country who see employees as assets to invest in, not costs to cut. They’re building companies, not stripping them. They’re creating good jobs, not eliminating them.

But too many, too many businesses take the opposite view. I’m not asking corporations to be more charitable, although I think that is important. I’m asking corporations to realize that when more Americans prosper, they prosper too, right? When your paycheck grows, America grows.

We are a 70 percent consumption economy. If we want higher growth, we have to raise incomes. So people have more disposable dollars to be able to spend, instead of holding back out of fear of what will happen.

So let’s bring a long-term view back to board rooms and executive suites. Let’s restore the link between productivity growth and wage growth.

As President, I will make it a national priority for more companies to share profits with employees. On top of, not instead of, good wages. Let’s recognize the people doing the work, putting in the hours, they’re the ones who should be sharing the rewards.

We should continue to crack down on wage theft and make overtime count, so companies that pay well can’t be undercut by competitors paying poverty wages.

I believe we should strengthen unions, which have formed the bedrock of a strong middle class. It should be easier to bargain collectively. That’s not only fair, it makes workers more productive, it strengthens our economy.

And let’s close the loopholes that help companies ship jobs and profits overseas. Let’s make companies that outsource jobs to other countries pay back the tax breaks they received while they were here in America. And if corporations try to move their headquarters to a foreign country to skip out on their tax bills – let’s slap a new exit tax on them and then put that money to work in the communities left behind.

And we should extend the rules that were passed in Dodd-Frank on Wall Street after the crisis and strengthen them — both for the big banks and the shadow banking system. And I will veto any reforms to repeal those rules and vigorously enforce the law, with accountability, so Wall Street can never wreck Main Street again.

Fourth, let’s make sure Wall Street, corporations, and the super-rich pay their fair share of taxes.

When people say the game is rigged, the best evidence is the tax code. It’s riddled with scams, loopholes, and special breaks, like the carried interest loophole that lets some hedge fund managers pay a lower tax rate than a teacher or a nurse. That’s not only unfair, it’s bad economics, and we’re going to stop it.

I have been saying that for years. As President, if Congress won’t act, I will ask the Treasury Department to use its authority to close that loophole.

And here’s another idea that I will be pushing: Let’s pass the so-called Buffett Rule so top executives can’t pay a lower rate than their secretaries.

And let’s ask the wealthiest Americans to pay more – including a new tax on multimillionaires. That’s not only the right thing to do, it’s smart for our economy.

Because these steps will help pay for the investments we need in jobs and education without increasing our national debt. In fact, every program I have proposed in this campaign, I tell you how I will pay for it. Donald Trump and I disagree on a lot of things, and one of them is simple math.

Finally, here’s our fifth goal: Let’s put families first and make sure our policies match how you actually work and live in the 21st century.

Families look a lot different today than they did 30 years ago, and so do our jobs.

The movement of women into the workforce has produced enormous economic growth over the past few decades. But with women now the sole or primary breadwinner in a growing number of families – there’s more urgency than ever to make it easier for Americans to be good workers, good parents, and good caregivers, all at the same time.

The old model of work where you could expect to hold a steady job with good benefits for an entire career, is long gone. People in their 20s and 30s have come of age in an economy that’s totally different. And a lot of young parents are discovering just how tough that is on families. Many people now have wildly unpredictable schedules, or they cobble together part time work, or they’ve tried to go independent.

Flexibility can be good, but you shouldn’t have to worry that your family could lose your health care or retirement savings just because you change jobs or start a small business.

Why do you think every other–I have to ask–why do you think every other advanced country has paid family leave? Do you think they are just unrealistic, or do you think that they have figured out they can have a stabler economy, they can support families? And that’s what I want us to do. Working families need predictable scheduling, earned sick days and vacation days, quality affordable childcare and healthcare. These are not luxuries. They’re economic necessities.

In today’s economy, benefits should be flexible, portable, and comprehensive for everyone.

That means it’s time to expand Social Security as well. Especially, especially for older women who are widowed, or have taken time out of the workforce to care for a loved one, and who are suffering financially because of that. We need to look to a secure retirement for everyone, and to provide families relief from crushing costs and health care, housing, and prescription drugs. I looked at the numbers and in some states, two parents earning the minimum wage have to spend up to 35 percent of their income on childcare.

For a single parent, it could be 70 percent. So I will set a goal: families shouldn’t have to pay more than 10 percent of their income for childcare. And I will repeat today what I have said throughout this campaign: I will not raise taxes on the middle class I will give you tax relief to raise these burdens.

Now, you know whenever I talk about these family issues, Donald Trump says I’m playing the ‘woman’ card. Right? Well you know what I say, if fighting for childcare and paid leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in.

Here’s what I want you to understand. It may be difficult to imagine all this getting done and Washington is so broken, I get that – but I really think that progress is possible or I would not be standing up here running to be President of the United States.

I know Republicans and Democrats can work together, because I’ve done it. As you heard Alicia say, I helped create the Children’s Health Insurance Program when I was First Lady. That happened with support with both parties. And it now it covers 8 million kids and when you go to get health care for your child, nobody says, ‘Are you a Republican or Democrat?’ They say, ‘What does your child need?’

I worked with Republicans many times when I was a Senator from New York and as Secretary of State, so I know we can get results that will make real differences in people’s lives.

I know however it’s rare. There’s no question that we need to make Washington work much better than it does today. And that means in particular: getting unaccountable money out of our politics.

One of the reasons this election is so important is because the Supreme Court stands in the balance. We need to overturn that terrible Supreme Court decision, Citizens United, and then go a lot further to reform our whole campaign finance system.

This is about our democracy – but it’s also about our economy. Campaign finance reform and reducing the power of special interests is directly relevant to getting Washington working for the people again – making the right investments, putting your jobs and your economic security first.

That’s why I’m so passionate about this issue, and I’m will fight hard to end the stranglehold that the wealthy and special interests have on so much of our government.

So, let’s do this together. A historic investment in jobs. Debt-free college. Profit sharing. Making those at the top pay their fair share. Putting families first in our modern economy. And a democracy where working people’s voices are actually heard. That is what we are fighting for in this election.

As I said during the primary I am a progressive who likes to get things done and we can do this.

Just for a minute, compare what I am proposing to what we hear from Donald Trump. The self-proclaimed ‘King of Debt’ has no real ideas for making college more affordable or addressing the student debt crisis.  He has no credible plan for rebuilding our infrastructure, apart from his wall. He has no real strategy for creating jobs, just a string of empty promises. Maybe we shouldn’t expect better from someone whose most famous words are, ‘You’re fired.’

Well, here’s what I want you to know: I do have a jobs program. And as President, I’m going to make sure you hear, ‘You’re hired.’

Here’s the bottom line: Economists left, right, and center all agree Donald Trump will drive America back into recession. Just this week, one of Senator John McCain’s former economic advisors said Trump’s policies would wipe out, wipe out three-and-a-half million jobs. His tax cuts tilted toward the wealthy would add more than $30 trillion to our national debt over the next 20 years.

That is just astonishing and it’s no wonder that the Economist Intelligence Unit, one of the leading firms that analyzes the top threats to the global economy, now ranks a Trump Presidency #3, right behind problems in China and volatility in the commodities markets.

Look, I know Donald Trump hates it when anyone points out how hollow his sales pitch really is. I guess my speech yesterday must have gotten under his skin because right away he lashed out on Twitter with outlandish lies and conspiracy theories, and he did the same in his speech today.

Now think about it. He’s going after me personally because he has no answers on the substance. In fact, he doubled down on being the King of Debt.

So all he can do is try to distract us. That’s even why he’s attacking my faith, sigh. And of course attacking a philanthropic foundation that saves and improves lives around the world.

It’s no surprise he doesn’t understand these things. The Clinton Foundation helps poor people around the world get access to life-saving AIDS medicine.

Donald Trump uses poor people around the world to produce his line of suits and ties.  Here in North Carolina, you know as well as anyone that our economy is already too unpredictable for working families. We can’t let Donald Trump bankrupt America the way he bankrupted his casinos. We need to write a new chapter in the American Dream – and it can’t be Chapter 11.

Please, join me in this campaign, I’m offering a very different vision. We’re stronger together. We’re stronger when we grow together. We’re stronger when our economy works for everyone, not just those at the top. I am convinced that if we work hard if we go into November with the confidence and optimism that should be the American birthright, we will not only win an election, we will chart the course to the future that we want and deserve.

Thank you and God bless you.”

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Donald Trump claims he is very smart.  Hillary Clinton is a genius. If you doubt that, just look at the date she close to deliver the first of several speeches on the economy: the morning after the compulsory FEC filings.  Here was the HuffPo header this morning:  Donald Trump’s Latest Campaign Finance Report Makes Dumpster Fires Look Good.

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After a few days off to welcome a new grandchild, Hillary was back to the podium with a blistering attack on Donald Trump’s business practices and economic ‘theory.’

Hillary started her speech recalling listening to what families have told her about how the economy affects them.  She reviewed some of the conditions on the ground in Ohio and also what she has done.

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She stated her Mission: To create good-paying jobs and referred the audience to her detailed agenda to jump-start the cycle of good-paying jobs increasing demand and thereby increasing job  opportunities.

Hillary Clinton Retweeted Hillary Clinton

“I’ll admit—it’s a little wonky, but…I sweat the specifics because they matter.”

She said she believes if you are running for POTUS you  say what you are going to do and how you are going to do it.

“If you’re running for president, you should say what you want to do, how you’re going to pay for it, and how you’ll get it done.” —Hillary

How families live, learn and work in this society will be addressed tomorrow in NC.  Today’s speech was about her opponent, and she moved on to Trump.

. and agree: Trump would put us into a deep recession.

. declared Donald Trump one of the 10 biggest threats to the global economy.

Donald Trump is proud of his recklessness—that’s his business. But when he’s running for president, it’s ours.

“Donald Trump actually stood on a debate stage in November and said that wages are too high in this country.” —Hillary

“He says women will start making equal pay as soon as they do as good a job as men—as if we aren’t already.” —Hillary on

“The full faith and credit of the United States is not something we can just gamble away.” —Hillary on Trump’s reckless economic plan

“President Trump” would undo so much of the progress we’ve made over the past 8 years under President Obama. We can’t let that happen.

“He’s giving more away to the 120,000 richest…families than he would to 120 million hardworking people.” —Hillary on Trump’s tax plan

“The last time we opted for Trump-style isolationism, it made the Great Depression longer and more painful.” —Hillary

Trump has written a lot of books about business—but they all seem to end at Chapter 11.

“The same people [Trump’s] trying to get to vote for him now are people he’s been exploiting for years” —Hillary:

., only someone who’s never actually faced the consequences of his mistakes would brag, “I play with bankruptcy.”

“Imagine him being in charge when your jobs and savings are at stake. Is this who you want leading us in an emergency?” —Hillary on Trump

In America, we don’t begrudge people being successful – but we know they shouldn’t do it by destroying other people.

We need to build an economy that ensures everyone gets an equal shot and no one is left behind. Join us:

Hillary Clinton in Ohio: Trump ‘Shouldn’t Have His Hands On Our Economy’

In a major speech in Columbus, Ohio, on Tuesday, Hillary Clinton explained how Donald Trump would endanger the American and global economies as president, saying, “Just as he shouldn’t have his finger on the button, he shouldn’t have his hands on our economy.” Clinton laid out the broad consensus that Trump’s economic proposals, if enacted, could lead to another recession and cost the U.S. millions of jobs, specifically citing a new report by one of John McCain’s former economic advisers, Mark Zandi, which finds that a Trump presidency could lead to 3.5 million lost jobs. Pointing to Trump’s disastrous business record as an example of how he would damage the economy, Clinton said, “We can’t let him bankrupt America like we’re one of his failed casinos. We can’t let him roll the dice with our children’s futures.”

Clinton will deliver a second major speech on the economy on Wednesday in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she will lay out her vision for growing together and building an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top.

Below is a transcript of Clinton’s remarks in Columbus today:

“Thank you! Wow, thank you! Thank you! Thank you, thank you so much. Thank you all. Well thank you, it is wonderful to be back here in Columbus.

I want, I want to thank Whitney for not just her wonderful introduction but for all the hard work that she has done to build her career and the very strong endorsement she has given to Fort Hayes Career Center. Everyone associated with Fort Hayes, I want to thank you. This is exactly how we will create more good jobs with more opportunities for more people and it’s exciting to be here in a place that does just that.

I want to thank Governor Ted Strickland, who I hope is soon to be Senator Ted Strickland! Chairman David Pepper of the Ohio Democratic Party, Zach Klein, President of the Columbus City Council, John O’Grady, President of Franklin County Court of Commissioners, and all of you for being here with me.

I have to say I am pretty thrilled to be here for the first time speaking to any group like this as a grandmother of two now. It was an exciting weekend. Chelsea and Marc had a little boy and we are just truly over the moon. I have to confess, I’ve talked so much about being a grandmother, now I’m sure going to be talking doubly about being a grandmother. New stories to tell.

It’s always great to be back in Ohio, and I want to talk about a challenge that Ohio families know well – growing our economy and making it work for everyone, not just those at the top.

For more then a year now, I have been listening to Americans across our country. You’ve told me how the recession hit your communities – how jobs dried up, home values sank, and savings vanished. And I have seen how hard you’ve worked to get back on your feet.

If we’ve learned anything about the economy over the past 20 years, it’s that a President’s economic decisions have real consequences for families.  President Obama was handed the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Thanks to his leadership – and the hard work and resilience of the American people – we have seen more than 14 million private sector jobs created over the last six and a half years. And here in Ohio, the auto industry has made a strong comeback.

And how appropriate as we are here in the area where students learn about autos, learn about how they are made and how they work.

Still, we know that people are working harder and longer just to keep their heads above water.  And to deal with the costs, the everyday costs, the costs of basics like childcare and prescription drugs that are too high.  College is getting more expensive every day.  And wages are still too low and inequality is too great.  Good jobs in this country are still too hard to come by.

Now these problems are serious – but I know we can overcome them together. I really believe in this country because I believe in the American people. America’s economy isn’t yet where we want it to be – but we are stronger and better positioned than anyone in the world to build the future you and your children deserve.

And I have spent my adult life working to even the odds for people who’ve had the odds stacked against them.  I helped break down barriers to education for poor and disabled children as a young lawyer; fought for health insurance for all, and have been committed to that since my days as First Lady; I worked to bring opportunity back to upstate New York as Senator; and went to bat for American workers and American businesses as your Secretary of State.

And everything I’ve learned, and everything I’ve done, has convinced me that we are stronger when we grow together.  And I’ve said, I’ve said throughout this campaign that my mission as President will be to help create more good-paying jobs, so we can get incomes rising for hard-working families across America.  It’s a pretty simple formula: higher wages lead to more demand, which leads to more jobs with higher wages. And I’ve laid out a detailed agenda to jumpstart this virtuous cycle.  And you can go to my web site, HillaryClinton.com, and read all about it.

And I do admit, I – it’s a little wonky, but I have this old-fashioned idea that if you’re running for President, you should say what you want to do, how you’re going to pay for it, and how you’ll get it done.

I actually sweat the specifics because they matter.  Whether one more kid gets health care may just be a detail in Washington – but it’s all that matters to that family worrying about their child.

Tomorrow in North Carolina, I will set out ambitious new goals that will help us build a stronger, fairer economy.  We’ll work with both parties to make transformational investments in good-paying jobs – in infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, clean energy and small business.  And we’ll tackle the twin problems of college affordability and student debt.  We’ll pursue innovative ideas like corporate profit-sharing, because everyone who works hard should be able to share in the rewards of their hard work. And to pay for these investments, we will make sure that Wall Street corporations, and the super-rich contribute their fair share.  And through it all, we’re going to make sure our policies match how families actually live, learn, and work in the 21st century.

So that’s what I’ll be talking about tomorrow in North Carolina and throughout this campaign.

But today, I want to talk about what Donald Trump is promising to do to the economy.  After more than a year, it’s important that he be held accountable for what he says he’ll do as President.  And we need to clear the way for a real conversation about how to improve the lives of working people.

A few weeks ago, I said his foreign policy proposals and reckless statements represent a danger to our national security.  But you might think that because he has spent his life as a businessman, he’d be better prepared to handle the economy. Well it turns out, he’s dangerous there, too.

Just like he shouldn’t have his finger on the button, he shouldn’t have his hands on our economy.

Now, I don’t say that because of typical political disagreements. Liberals and conservatives say Trump’s ideas would be disastrous.  The Chamber of Commerce and labor unions. Mitt Romney and Elizabeth Warren. Economists on the right and the left and the center all agree: Trump would throw us back into recession.

One of John McCain’s former economic advisers actually calculated what would happen to our country if Trump gets his way.  He described the results of a Trump Recession: we would lose three and a half million jobs, incomes would stagnate, debt would explode, and stock prices would plummet.  And you know who would be hit the hardest: the people who had the hardest time getting back on their feet after the 2008 crisis.

One of the leading firms that analyzes the top threats to the global economy – called the Economist Intelligence Unit – comes out with a new list of threats every month.  It includes things like terrorism and the disintegration of Europe.  And this month, number three on the list is Donald Trump becoming President of the United States. Just think about that.

Every day, we see how reckless and careless Trump is. He’s proud of it. Well – that’s his choice.   Except when he’s asking to be our President. Then it’s our choice.

Donald Trump actually stood on a debate stage in November and said that wages are too high in this country.  He should tell that to the mothers and fathers working two jobs to raise their kids.

He said – and I quote – ‘Having a low minimum wage is not a bad thing for this country’ – at a time when millions working full-time are still living in poverty.

Back in 2006, before the financial crash, Trump said, and again, I quote, ‘I sort of hope’ that the housing market crashes, because he’d make money off all of the foreclosures.

Over the years, he said all kinds of things about women in the workforce.  He once called pregnant employees – and I quote – ‘an inconvenience.’  He says women will start making equal pay as soon as we do as good a job as men – as if weren’t already.  Now these are the words not of someone who thinks highly of women who work, or who cares about helping parents balance work and family. But instead he literally doesn’t know how much of how we have grown the economy over the last 40 years which is largely thanks to women getting into the workforce and adding to family income like asphalt paving lakeland fl who do professional construction work.

And he wants to end Obamacare, but has no credible plan to replace it or to help keep costs down.  It really wouldn’t be good for our economy, would it, if 20 million people lost their health insurance and we were back to absolutely skyrocketing costs for everything. It would be devastating to families and it would also be bad for the economy.

Here’s exactly what he’s promising to do as President, and why I believe it’s wrong for America.

First, there’s his plan for Wall Street.

After the 2008 crisis, President Obama fought to enact the toughest, most comprehensive set of Wall Street reforms since the Great Depression.  They’re designed to protect consumers and ensure that Wall Street can never again take the kinds of risks that crashed our economy the last time.

So what would Trump do?  He said he wants to wipe out the tough rules we put on big banks.  He said they created – quote – ‘a very bad situation.’ Well he’s got it backwards.  The ‘very bad situation’ was millions of families seeing their homes and savings disappear.

He also wants to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the new consumer watchdog that Senator Warren helped create to protect families from unfair and deceptive business practices.  That new agency has already secured billions of dollars in returns for people who’ve been ripped off.  Donald Trump wants to get rid of it.

Trump would take us back to where we were before the crisis.  He’d rig the economy for Wall Street again.

Well that will not happen on my watch, I can guarantee you.  I would veto any effort to weaken those reforms.  I would defend them and strengthen them – both for the big banks and the shadow banking system. And I will vigorously enforce the law.  Because we can’t ever let Wall Street wreck Main Street again.

Now second, there’s Donald Trump’s approach to our national debt.

Now, I have a plan to pay for all my proposals, because I take America’s long-term financial health seriously.

Donald Trump has a different approach.  He calls himself the King of Debt.  And his tax plan sure lives up to that name.  According to the independent Tax Policy Center, it would increase the national debt by more than $30 trillion over 20 years.  That’s ‘trillion’ with a ‘t.’  It’s much, much more than any nominee of either party has ever proposed.  An economist described it with words ‘not even in the universe of the realistic.’

And how would he pay for all this debt?  He said, and I quote, ‘I would borrow, knowing if the economy crashed, you could make a deal.  It’s like, you know, you make a deal before you go into a poker game.’

Well actually, it’s not like that at all.

The full faith and credit of the United States is not something we just gamble away.  That could cause an economic catastrophe.   And it would break 225 years of ironclad trust if the American economy has with Americans and the rest of the world.  Alexander Hamilton would be rolling in his grave.  You see, we pay our debts – that’s why investors come here even when everything else in the world goes wrong.

You don’t have to take it from me.  Ronald Reagan said it, ‘We have a well-earned reputation for reliability and credibility – two things that set us apart from much of the world.’

Now maybe Donald feels differently because he made a fortune filing bankruptcies and stiffing his creditors.  I’ll get to his business practices in a minute, but the United States of America doesn’t do business Trump’s way.

And it matters, it matters when a presidential candidate talks like this, because the world hangs on every word our President says.  The markets rise and fall on those statements.  Even suggesting that the United States would default would cause a global panic.

Trump also says, we can just print more money to pay our debt down.  Well we know what happened to countries that tried that in the past like Germany in the ‘20s and Zimbabwe in the ‘90s.  It drove inflation through the roof and crippled their economies.  The American dollar is the safest currency on the planet.  Why would he want to mess with that? And so we have to stand up for our history. Democrats and Republicans have always understood this. We can’t let these loose, careless remarks get any credence in our electorate or around the world.

And finally, the Trump campaign said that, if worst came to worst, we could just sell off America’s assets.  Really?  Even if we sold all our aircraft carriers and the Statue of Liberty – even if we let some billionaire turn Yosemite into a private country club – we still wouldn’t even get close.  That’s how much debt he’d run up.

Maybe this is what he means when he says ‘I love playing with debt.’  Someone should tell him our nation’s economy isn’t a game.  The full faith and credit of the United States is sacred.

We know what sound fiscal policy looks like and it sure isn’t running up massive debts to pay for giveaways to the rich. And it is not painful austerity that hurts working families and undercuts our long-term progress. It’s being strong, stable, and making smart investments in our future. So let’s set the right priorities and pay for them, so we can hand our children a healthier economy and a better future.

Now third, there’s Donald Trump’s tax plan.

You know when I was working on this speech, I had the same experience I had when I was working on the speech I gave about foreign policy and national security. I’d have my researchers and my speechwriters send me information. And then I would say really? He really said that? And they would send me all the background and the video clip, so here goes.

He’d give millionaires a $3 trillion tax cut. Corporations would get two trillion more dollars. That means he’s giving more away to the 120,000 richest American families than he would to help 120 million hardworking Americans. Now even in this era of rising inequality, this is like nothing we’ve ever seen.

Now you and I know that the wealthiest Americans and the biggest corporations don’t need trillions of dollars in tax cuts. They need to be paying their fair share.

And now, before releasing his plan, Trump said, ‘Hedge fund guys are getting away with murder.’ And he added, ‘They’ll pay more.’

Then his plan came out.  And it actually makes the current loophole even worse.  It’s gives hedge-fund managers a special tax rate that’s lower than what many middle-class families pay. And I did have to look twice because I didn’t believe it.  Under Donald Trump’s plan, these Wall Street millionaires will pay a lower tax rate than many working people.

And of course, Donald himself would get a huge tax cut from his own plan.  But we don’t know exactly how much because he won’t release his tax returns.

Now, every major presidential candidate in the last four decades has shown the American people their taxes.  In fact, Donald actually told Mitt Romney to do it.  And he said that if he ever ran for President, he would release his returns.  My husband and I have released ours going back nearly 40 years.

And now Donald’s refusing.  You have to ask yourself, what’s he afraid of?  Maybe we will learn he hasn’t paid taxes on his huge income?  We know that happened for at least a few years – he paid nothing, or close to it.  Or maybe he isn’t as rich as he claims. Or that he hasn’t given away as much to charity as he brags about.

Whatever the reason, Americans deserve to know before you cast your votes this November.

And when it comes to other people’s taxes, Donald Trump’s got it all wrong. We need to do better by the middle class, not by the rich. And that’s why my plan will help working families with the costs of college, healthcare and childcare – the things that really stretch a family’s budget. That’s where our focus should be.

Now fourth, Donald Trump’s ideas about the economy and the world will cause millions of Americans to lose their jobs.

The Republican primary featured the Trump immigration plan: round up and deport more than 11 million people – almost all of whom are employed or are children going to school – then build a wall across our border and force Mexico to pay for it.

Now this policy is not only wrong headed and unachievable, it is really bad economics.  Kicking out 11 million immigrants would cost hundreds of billions of dollars, and it would shrink our economy significantly.  Some economists actually argue that just this policy alone would send us into a Trump Recession.

So instead of causing large-scale misery and shrinking our economy, we should pass sensible immigration reform with a path to citizenship.  Because the youth, the youth and diversity of our workforce is one of our greatest assets.  Most of the rest of the world that we compete with is aging, so by staying younger and fresher, with talents that can be put to work, we’re actually going to be in a stronger economic position in the next decades. We’ve always been a country where people born elsewhere could work hard, start businesses and contribute to our growth.  That makes us stronger and more prosperous.

And then there’s trade.  I believe we can compete and win in the global economy.  To do that, we should renegotiate deals that aren’t working for Americans, and reject any agreements – like the Trans-Pacific Partnership – that don’t meet my high bar for raising wages or creating good-paying jobs.  And I will be tough on trade enforcement, too. Because when China dumps cheap steel in our markets or unfairly manipulates its currency, we need to respond forcefully.

And at the same time, we need to invest more at home.  I have a ‘Make it in America’ plan to increase 21st century manufacturing and energy jobs in America.  We’re going to build on the great ideas of Senator Sherrod Brown, and invest $10 billion in manufacturing communities. I agree with Sherrod with the right investments and a level playing field, American workers will out-hustle and out-innovate anyone in the world.

Now Donald Trump makes big threats, but he has no serious plan to encourage manufacturing, innovation or job creation in America.

And there’s a difference between getting tough on trade, and recklessly starting trade wars. The last time we opted for Trump-style isolationism, it made the Great Depression longer and more painful.

Interestingly, Trump’s own products are made in a lot of countries that aren’t named America.  Trump ties are made in China; Trump suits, in Mexico; Trump furniture, in Turkey; Trump picture frames in India; and Trump barware in Slovenia.  And I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

And I’d love him to explain how all that fits with his talk about America First.

I honestly believe that the difference between us is not just about policy.  We have fundamentally different views of whether America is strong or weak.  See I believe in the ingenuity and productivity of our workers.  I know we can sell our products to the 95 percent of global consumers who live outside of our country.  On the other hand, Donald Trump never misses a chance to say that Americans, he’s talking about us, to say that Americans are losers and the rest of the world is laughing at us.  Just the other day, he told a crowd that America is – quote – ‘not going to survive.’ I do not know what he is talking about. I went to 112 countries as your Secretary of state and what I say is envy, envy for our strength, our values, our diversity, the future we are making together – and I just can’t imagine how someone running for President of the United States could ever think that that is true.

I do understand how frustrated, fearful, and even angry many people are, especially if you’re underemployed or making a lot less than you used to, or worried that your kids or your grandkids won’t have the kind of good, solid middle class life that you did.  And we haven’t done enough to invest in our communities and in our people, to make sure there are enough good jobs with rising incomes to create that good future for all of us.

The answer is to do that – to bring them along on America’s ride to a prosperity that we all can share.  Not try to turn the clock back, pretend we can’t compete and decrease the jobs of the future.

But those are his plans for the economy.

Now, you may have noticed – there’s a lot missing.

The King of Debt has no real plan for making college debt payable back or making college debt free, this is a crisis that affects so many of our people.

He has no credible plan for rebuilding our infrastructure, apart from the wall that he wants to build.  Personally I’d rather spend our money on rebuilding our schools or modernizing our energy grid.

He has no ideas how to strengthen Medicare or expand Social Security – in fact, his tax plan would endanger both.

He has no real strategy for creating jobs, just a string of empty promises.  But then maybe we shouldn’t expect better from someone whose most famous words are, ‘You’re fired.’

He has no clean energy plan, even though that’s where many of the jobs of the future will come from and it is the key to a safer, healthier planet.  He just says that climate change is a hoax invented by the Chinese.  Well I’ll give him this – it is a lot easier to say a problem doesn’t exist than it is to actually try to solve it.

And of course he has no plan for helping urban and rural communities facing entrenched poverty and neglect.

Every single one of these issues matter.  They affect whether young people can go to college, whether single moms can support their kids, whether grandparents can have a dignified retirement.  What could be more important?

In the heat of a campaign, in a culture that rewards brevity and clever phrases on social media, it is tempting to give simple answers to complex problems.  Believe me, I have been tempted. But I’m not going to do that because it really matters that you know what I believe we can and should do so you can hold me accountable, in the election and then in the White House. Because whether we increase employment in distressed rural communities, relieve the burden of college debt or get health care to the people who still don’t have it – that all matters. And to me that’s the purpose of politics, to empower people in a democracy to have better lives, to make better choices, to seize opportunities to give themselves and their families that pathway to the future.

And one more thing.

I think Donald Trump has said he’s qualified to be President because of his business record.  A few days ago, he said, and I quote, ‘I’m going to do for the country what I did for my business.’  So let’s take a look at what he did for his business.

He’s written a lot of books about business – they all seem to end at Chapter 11.  Go figure.

And over the years, he intentionally ran up huge amounts of debt on his companies and then he defaulted.  He bankrupted his companies – not once, not twice, but four times.  Hundreds of people lost their jobs.  Shareholders were wiped out.   Contractors – many of them small businesses – took heavy losses.  Many went bust.  But Donald Trump, he came out fine.

Here’s what he said about one of those bankruptcies: ‘I figured it was the bank’s problem, not mine.  What the hell did I care?’

He also says, ‘I play’ with bankruptcy.  Everything seems to be a game with him.  Well, it isn’t for a lot of us, is it?

Just look at what he did in Atlantic City.  He put his name on buildings – his favorite thing to do.  He convinced other people that his properties were a great investment, so they would go in with him.

But he arranged it so he got paid no matter how his companies performed.  So when his casino and hotel went bankrupt because of how badly he mismanaged them, he still walked away with millions while everybody else paid the price.  Well today, his properties are sold, shuttered or falling apart.

And so are a lot of people’s lives.  Here’s what he says about that: ‘Atlantic City was a very good cash cow for me for a long time.’

Remember that the next time you see him talking on TV, about how we’ll all win big, if only we elect him President.

Now he’s trying to say he’s changed, somebody’s told him he needs to say that. That he’s not in it for himself anymore – he’s really now in it for America. But he’s doing the exact same thing that he’s been doing for years.  This is his one move.  He makes over-the-top promises that if people stick with him, trust him, listen to him, put their faith in him – he’ll deliver for them.  He’ll make them wildly successful.  And then everything falls apart, and people get hurt.

Those promises you’re hearing from him at his campaign rallies?  They’re the same promises he made to his customers at Trump University.  And now they’re suing him for fraud.

The same people he’s trying to get to vote for him now are people he’s been exploiting for years.  Because it’s not just other investors other rich people that he took advantage of – it was working people.

He’s been involved in more than 3,500 lawsuits in the past 30 years. And a large number were filed by ordinary Americans and small businesses that did work for Trump and never got paid – painters, waiters, plumbers – people who needed the money, and didn’t get it – not because he couldn’t pay them, but because he could stiff them.  Sometimes he offered them 30 cents on the dollar for projects they had already completed.  Hundreds of liens have been filed against him by contractors, going back decades.  And they all tell a similar story:  I worked for him, I did my job, he wouldn’t pay me what he owed me.

My late father was a small businessman.  If his customers had done what Trump did, my dad would never have made it.  So, I take this personally.

He says he’s a businessman, and this is what businessmen do. Well, CNN pointed out that no major company has filed Chapter 11 more often in the last 30 years than Trump’s casinos.  So no, this is not normal behavior.  There are great business people here in Ohio, in America – brilliant, hardworking men and women who care about their workers and the people they do business with, and they want to build something that lasts.  They’re decent.  They’re honest.  They’re patriots.  Some might even make fine presidents.  And they would never dream of acting the way Donald Trump does.

In America, we don’t begrudge people being successful – but we know they shouldn’t do it by destroying other people’s dreams. And so, if I were not running against him for president, I would be saying exactly the same thing.

We cannot put a person like this, with all his empty promises, in a position of power over our lives.

We can’t let him bankrupt America like we are one of his failed casinos.  We can’t let him roll the dice with our children’s futures.

Leading an economy as large and complex as ours, creating growth that is strong, fair and lasting is about as hard a job as there is.  It takes patience and clear thinking, a willingness to work across party lines, to level with the American people and it takes really caring about whether working families will be better off because of what we do.

Think of FDR leading us out of the Great Depression.  Imagine all the work that required – all the learning and patience, all the hard calls, day after day, for years.  But he steered us right.  And we emerged stronger and better positioned to build the greatest middle class in history and lead the world toward peace and prosperity.

Or think of President Obama in 2009 – newly elected, confronting the greatest economic crisis of our lifetimes. He had nothing to do with creating it. It landed in his lap, and he had to be focused, and he had to return to basics, to get us moving again. He fought for the Recovery Act to get people working, he passed Wall Street reforms and relief for homeowners, and he saved the auto industry.  And today, we are on a surer footing, ready to seize tomorrow.

Now just imagine if you can, Donald Trump sitting in the Oval Office the next time America faces a crisis. Imagine him being in charge when your jobs and savings are at stake.  Is this who you want to lead us in an emergency?  Someone thin-skinned and quick to anger, who’d likely be on Twitter attacking reporters or bringing the whole regulatory system down on his critics, when he should be focused on fixing what’s wrong?

Would he even know what to do?

Now, I have a lot of faith that the American people will make the right decision.  Making Donald Trump our President would undo much of the progress we’ve made, and put our economy at risk.

And beyond that – this election will say something about who we are as a people.  Donald Trump believes in the worst of us. He thinks we’re fearful, not confident. That we favor division, not unity; walls, not bridges; and yesterday, not tomorrow.  He thinks the only way forward is to go back to a past prosperity that left a lot of people out.

In fact, the only way forward is forward – toward a 21st-century version of the American dream, with a modern economy and a shared prosperity where no one’s left out or left behind.

I believe in an America always moving toward the future.  So, if you believe, as I do, in an America that values hard work, treats people with dignity, offers everyone the chance to live their dreams, cares for those in need, well the formula for America’s success has always been that we’re stronger together. And we need to remember that now, and recommit ourselves to making that ideal real in our time.

That’s how we will build an economy to make sure that it does work for everyone and to make our families and our communities stronger. We’ll make sure, in our country, no one gets left behind.

So let’s carry that message all across America.  Let’s fight hard lets win in November.  And then let’s get to work my friends, let’s make America what we know it can be. Thank you all very much.”

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This is a month old, but ICYMI:

Here’s the RNC statement. In his long career, only thousands of jobs? Shouldn’t that number be higher?

“Hillary Clinton is the last person qualified to talk about what will get our economy thriving again. After eight years of disastrous Obama policies which have produced stagnant wages, historically weak growth, and a declining middle class, Hillary Clinton is doubling down on the same failed agenda which has left our country wondering when prosperity will come back. Struggling Americans can’t afford the more than $1.3 trillion in new spending that she is proposing, and with Clinton saying President Obama deserves an ‘A’ for his handling of the economy, it’s clear American families will only continue to lose ground if she is elected. Donald Trump is a successful businessman who has spent his career creating thousands of jobs. The closest Hillary Clinton has come to business success was putting her office at the State Department up for sale to foreign donors and special interests.”

This is almost two years old, so the number is higher now.

Bragging Rights

07.07.14

Why You Don’t Know Obama Has Created 4.5 Million Jobs

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Donald Trump’s metric for America’s greatness is his own personal wealth.  He will not release his tax returns.  We have no idea what he is really accruing, but we know what he is worth.

The year before the mortgage crisis in 2007, Donald Trump actually said he was rooting for a crash:

“I sort of hope that happens,” Trump said, “because then people like me would go in and buy” in an attempt to profit.

More than 5 million Americans lost their homes during the mortgage crisis, and more than 9 million Americans lost their jobs in the economic crash that followed. Responsible Americans did everything they could to help bring this country back from the depths of the Great Recession — no one who hoped to profit from the wreckage is fit to serve as president.

Watch this video to hear what Trump said before the crisis, then share it with everyone you know:

Watch this right now
In 2008, John McCain famously said “the fundamentals of the economy are strong” on the very day the entire financial system looked to be collapsing in on itself. It was a huge moment that showed millions of Americans he wasn’t prepared to lead a country in recession.

But at least all McCain did was misjudge the situation — not actively root for chaos and collapse in order to profit from it.

We expect our president to fight for middle-class Americans. Trump has made it clear that he’s willing to throw families under the bus in an attempt to make a buck. That’s not just disappointing, it’s disqualifying.

Donald Trump said he saw exactly what was happening — and made it clear that he was excited to cash in.

How cruel do you have to be to actually root for a crisis that would devastate millions of families, all to pad your own pockets?

This wasn’t an anomaly for Trump. His economic plan helps millionaires and hurts middle-class families. He’d let Wall Street run wild again.

Trump prioritizing his own gain over Americans’ well-being isn’t new, but it is telling: The only person he’ll fight for is himself.

In Trump’s world, a “good result” means Trump gets his and working families get hurt. We’re better than that.

Hillary Clinton Retweeted Alexandra Jaffe

Trying to profit off of people losing their homes isn’t the “kind of thinking our country needs.”

We need a president who’s fighting to raise incomes for all Americans, not one who tries to profit at their expense.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch … Bernie Sanders, whose grasp of the concept of rules is tenuous at best and who can never admit when he has lost a close one, made his own agenda pretty clear.  When he lost Iowa he called it “a tie,” and again today he used that term for the Kentucky result.  Update: The hypocrite who complains about money in politics is about to cost the taxpayers of Kentucky more money.  Bernie plays it fast and loose with dollars. He yells about them a lot but he also throws them around – –  in this case it is money that is not his, so why should he care?

Bernie Sanders Wants KY Recanvass Over 1 Delegate

Bernie Sanders’s campaign has requested a recanvass of Kentucky’s Democratic presidential primary, asking state election officials to review all voting machines and absentee ballots. Sanders trails Hillary Clinton by just 0.5 percent in the state—roughly 2,000 votes—but both candidates were given 27 delegates. The recanvass, however, will only determine how one delegate is allocated.

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He also wants a say in Hillary’s cabinet picks. It does not work that way.  We have, as Hillary has said many times, one president at a time.  Nowhere has it been established that runners-up get this kind of clout simply for having run.

Is your head spinning yet?  For the record, particularly to Don Lemon at CNN, talking about Trump’s comments on the mortgage crisis is not mudslinging.  Trump is slinging mud.  Hillary is talking about a precedent of his that affected millions.

In other news, Hillary visited a community center today where she listened to advocates for change in the foster care system.  I know. She doesn’t have the big rallies at stadiums.  She talks to little groups.  She keeps her nose to the grindstone, and that is sooooo boring of her.

Hillary could use a little boost right now to let her know that we have her back!  Donate here if you can >>>>

To those of you who have and keep doing so, thank you so MUCH!

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These are Federal Reserve Notes aka U.S. paper currency.  Dollars. You can learn something about them below.

Federal Reserve Note

Federal Reserve Notes, also United States banknotes or U.S. banknotes, are the banknotes used in the United States of America. Denominated in United States dollars, Federal Reserve Notes are printed by the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing on paper made by Crane & Co. of Dalton, Massachusetts. Federal Reserve Notes are the only type of U.S. banknote currently produced.

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To the consternation of some who could have used the notes to pay their bills (we hear ya!), at a rally for Hillary not long ago, Bernie Sanders supplied protesters with $1000 worth of these to shower upon Hillary’s motorcade as a metaphor for speaking fees.  OK. We got the point. It was a peaceful demonstration where no grown, nearly naked men were ripping “Mme. President” signs from the hands of little girls or shouting through bullhorns at little boys. (Like last Thursday in East L.A.) But that dollar demonstration proved an interesting point. Bernie Sanders knows what a dollar bill is and likely has touched a few Federal Reserve Notes recently.

Speaking with Chris Cuomo on CNN’s New Day Monday morning, Donald Trump made a stunning remark about printing more money to pay the debt.  Heads spun like Linda Blair’s in The Exorcist as Trump came on like Helen Mirren in Calendar Girls, “We’re down to our last 25! We need to print more calendars!”  Except he didn’t say calendars.

First of all, you have to wonder when was the last time Donald Trump actually handled a Federal Reserve Note. On the campaign trail, when Hillary buys a book for Charlotte or a necklace to wear at a Syracuse rally, I am pretty sure she uses paper money.  This would be because she knows that the cashier will replace the 10, 20, or 50 with one of her own in order to keep the bill Hillary used for the purchase.  People like Donald Trump never use paper money. I don’t use paper money either except on bridges and tunnels because I neither have nor need EZPass. I use plastic.  All the time almost everywhere.  But I know my balance. I know my bottom line.  I know what the plastic is based on.

Guys like The Donald sign for things. “Put it on my tab.”  Probably a lot of the time the autograph satisfies the bill. Does he have any real idea where dollars come from?  How?  And Why?  Ooohhh— yes! They come from The Mint where they have the big deal printing presses.

Donald Trump says, as Hillary has remarked, “… a lot of things.”

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She has chosen, wisely, to ignore his personal comments and says she is not running against Donald Trump but rather for her vision for America.  But to all y’all out there urging me to ignore what The Donald says, might I remind you:  He is the presumptive GOP nominee, and Mr. Loose Lips, who lacks a filter, is now receiving national security briefings. Ignoring him will not make him go away.

To cite yet another  based-on-true-events movie, in Game Change Sarah Palin did not know what The Fed was and did not know why North and South Korea were two different countries. OK she was in the second slot, McCain lost, is still alive and kicking, and we never did have to contend with a President Quayle (sigh of relief).  But we are talking about the top slot here. This guy is running for head honcho.

In many town halls, Hillary Clinton has stated that running the government is not like running a business.  Trump’s business model includes filing Chapter 11 when initiatives fail.  Bankruptcy options may be fine for businesses (he certainly kept landing on his feet), but they are a nuclear option in government.  One need look no further than Puerto Rico to see the implications for all those who bought government bonds in good faith and no further than Brazil to witness the endgame. Checkmate!

Donald Trump’s plan for the economy is a blueprint for disaster.

A silver spoon has a way of shielding people from reality – even when their last job was on reality TV.  When I was a kid, I had a few Silver Certificates of my own that I deposited, like a good girl, in my savings account for college.  Those silver-backed notes were chopped up long ago and replaced by Federal Reserve Notes. But no matter what the currency rests upon, printing more of it solves nothing – there are protocols and rules – and even the POTUS cannot make his or her own.

If you thought you witnessed vacuity in 2008 from Sarah Palin, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!  When I turn on the morning news, I do so with dread. Monday morning I really hoped that what I was hearing was just the end of a really bad dream I was having about Donald Trump. I thought my head would settle after a cup of tea. That didn’t happen.

This is not a movie.  This is not a bad dream. These are real policy proposals from the GOP all-but-nominee: the guy who doesn’t really know where money comes from.  If you are one of those people who calls C-SPAN in idle moments, touts your master’s degree, and declares support for Trump, you should sue your university for not providing you with developmental reading and critical thinking skills.

Bernie Sanders may have his head in the clouds, and his plans may be as substantial as those clouds, but Donald Trump is completely detached from reality.  Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, has her feet planted solidly on terra firma and her sights set on ways to break down barriers so that everyone who works hard, pays into the social contract, and plays by the rules has a fighting chance at the American Dream – which is not to become a real estate billionaire – a few hope to accomplish that. We all just want a safe, secure, unified country for our kids, grandkids, and their grandkids. That is not too big a dream, and it’s a nice one.  I hope one day to wake up knowing that we have elected the realist with the plans that will provide for the common defense,  promote the general welfare, and help us form a more perfect union.   Plans that are neither dreams nor movie scripts.  Plans that align with our Constitution.

Here is what Hillary’s campaign sent out yesterday:

Our next President needs to do three things:

  • Keep our nation safe in a dangerous world

  • Help our working families get ahead here at home

  • Bring people together to get things done

Here, in case you have not read it recently, is the Preamble to our Constitution:

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Which candidate holds your posterity near and dear?  Make no mistake!  This election is not a TV show, and it is not a movie we are watching on Netflix.  In the wise words of Elliot in E.T., “This is reality!”

05-03-16-TW-01

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