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Forum Post: dr jill stein for president?

Posted 11 years ago on July 13, 2012, 6:33 p.m. EST by flip (7101)
This content is user submitted and not an official statement

AMY GOODMAN: It’s good to have you with us. Dr. Stein, if you were elected president, what would you do?

DR. JILL STEIN: Clearly, a lot needs to be done, Amy, as you know so well. The American people are really in crisis, facing the loss of our jobs, decent wages, affordable healthcare, losing our homes. We have a generation of students who have become indentured servants that can’t repay their debt because of the high unemployment. Attacks on our civil liberties. The climate is in serious jeopardy. So, we need big solutions, you know, not solutions around the margins. We really need to end unemployment. We need to put 25 million people back to work with good-paying jobs.

AMY GOODMAN: How would you do that?

DR. JILL STEIN: Through a Green New Deal, and it’s modeled on the New Deal that helped get us out of the Great Depression. Instead of using the money that went into the stimulus package, for example, of 2009, some $700 billion, a little more—and you know that more than half of that went to basically corporate subsidies and tax breaks, which don’t create jobs—if, instead, the money were simply used for direct job creation, jobs that are community-based in small businesses and worker cooperatives, as well as public services and public works, that’s how you can do it. It’s not rocket science. We’ve actually done it before, and it actually works.

So, the money would be basically distributed to communities to create the kinds of jobs that they need to become sustainable, not only economically, but also socially and ecologically, as well. So we’re talking about jobs in the green economy—clean manufacturing; local, organic agriculture; public transportation; clean, renewable energy—jobs in which we can put people to work right now in the places that they need them. And at the same time, that makes wars for oil obsolete, because then we have a green energy economy, and it also—it basically puts an end to the climate crisis, which we’re seeing unfolding.

And just one other point, which is that we also create the social jobs that our communities need. So let’s put 300,000 teachers back to work, the nurses, the day care after school, affordable housing construction, violence and drug abuse prevention and rehabilitation. It creates a whole spectrum of jobs, and we can jumpstart this program basically at the cost of the first stimulus package. But instead of creating a small dent in the problem, we can really fix it and put an end to unemployment in this country.

AMY GOODMAN: Dr. Jill Stein, interestingly, you are from Massachusetts, from Lexington, so even as Mitt Romney attacks President Obama over his healthcare plan, it was very much modeled on Romney’s healthcare plan when he was governor of your state of Massachusetts.

DR. JILL STEIN: Exactly, yes, and we’ve had Romneycare, aka Obamacare, in effect in Massachusetts for five years. So, there’s a track record here. And, you know, that track record is very problematic. Romneycare, Obamacare, helped some people, and it hurt other people. It basically pits the very poor against the near poor. And that’s not a solution.

And this whole debate, I think, misses the point, which is that we can actually solve this problem. There is also a track record of success: it’s called Medicare. Instead of spending 30 percent of our healthcare dollar on waste and wasteful insurance bureaucracy and paper pushing, we can take that 30 percent, squeeze it down to 3 percent—that’s what the overhead is in Medicare—and then use that incredible windfall to actually expand healthcare and cover everyone. So, you know, Medicare works. People like it. It’s been tampered with, and we need to fix it and create an improved Medicare, but it actually works, and we have the track record all over the world, really, of just about every developed nation.

AMY GOODMAN: So, just dropping the "over 65" from Medicare?

DR. JILL STEIN: Exactly, right. Let’s make it from the point of conception on, you know, that we’re basically covered cradle to grave. And—

AMY GOODMAN: How could the U.S. afford that?

DR. JILL STEIN: Well, it actually is a money saver. And we know that because of that 30 percent waste, that is part and parcel for our privatized healthcare system now, 30 percent of your healthcare dollar is paying for those elaborate forms that you have to fill out, you know, every time your insurance changes or every time you see a provider. There’s a mountain of minutiae that goes into the tracking of payments. Instead of tracking who’s using what and who pays for it, let’s just pay for healthcare, and let’s cover it as a human right.

There are—most other developed nations around the world are using a Medicare-for-all, single-payer-type system, providing better care with better outcomes at half the cost of what we’re paying. So, there’s a really good solution here. It also stabilizes medical inflation, which is actually the biggest driver of our skyrocketing healthcare costs. And on that account, economists estimate that moving to a Medicare-for-all system will actually save us trillions of dollars over the coming decades. So this is not a cost, this is actually a money saver.

AMY GOODMAN: The issue of the Supreme Court upholding Obama’s healthcare law, but not on the issue of expansion of Medicaid.

DR. JILL STEIN: Exactly.

AMY GOODMAN: Explain the significance of this.

DR. JILL STEIN: Well, that’s huge. It basically destroys what was most valuable in the Affordable Care Act. And, in fact, if you look at Massachusetts, what has really benefited people in Massachusetts who need healthcare is the expansion of Medicaid, far and above anything that the Romneycare or Obama—

AMY GOODMAN: What does that mean, the expansion of Medicaid? And what won’t happen now?

DR. JILL STEIN: It means—exactly, it means that people who are basically at the poverty level or some slight increase over the poverty level—I’m not sure exactly where the cutoff is—but it means if you’re poor, you’re covered under Medicaid, with Medicaid expanding to cover millions of people who are not currently eligible. So, Romneycare expanded Medicaid eligibility.

AMY GOODMAN: And what is the Supreme Court decision?

DR. JILL STEIN: And the Supreme Court decision, basically it allows states to take it or leave it on the Medicaid expansion. So it’s expected—there were some, you know, 20-some states, a majority of states, actually, who were suing to overturn the Affordable Care Act, so it’s expected that those states are going to decline the expansion of Medicaid.

24 Comments

24 Comments


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[-] 5 points by beautifulworld (23769) 10 years ago

Come back, flip. We need you.

[-] 2 points by flip (7101) 10 years ago

hey bw, how are things? still at it I see. I don't check in often - looks like the same old arguments and the same old suspects - with different user names

[-] 5 points by beautifulworld (23769) 10 years ago

Hey flip! I'm doing great. Still fighting the fight because it's still important, and worth fighting, right? The arguments may not change but until they sink in to the American people, I say keep going. Hope you are well and that you recovered from Sandy.

[-] 5 points by flip (7101) 10 years ago

doing great - wow that is a nice thing to hear. no doubt the fight is worth it and anywhere you make it is worthwhile. how we get to the American people is a good question. actually i think the people already know the deal we just need to galvanize them somehow to action. sandy was a pain in the ass for us - no power for 8 days - we have an electric stove so i was making coffee over an open fire in the backyard - that wasn't fun but some people near us had it much worse so i am not complaining - not really! keep at it - maybe i will start posting again - when i come across a good read. i just got out of the habit. good to hear things are great - keep at it.

[-] 1 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

Solidarity to you and yours and excuse me butting in and dittoing bw re Sandy flip and ''the same old arguments'' are also the very current arguments being faced by The US (& Global) 99%. Wishing you and yours well and best wishes for forthcoming Solstice, Hannukah and Yule, with :

If a fight is worth fighting then it's worth fighting for as long as it takes and also fyi, please see :

pax, amor et lux ...

[-] 6 points by flip (7101) 10 years ago

I agree that the fight is a long one and we have to keep at it. I am really happy to read what the occupy movement has morphed into and the work they are doing all over the country. for me the arguments here got repetitive . I also got busy with our new solar business so I stopped checking in regularly. this site was really helpful to me. i am glad you guys are still here. I like howard zinn's line - “We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world" - we made it through sandy ok, no power for 8 days but no real damage to the house.

[-] 6 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

“We don't have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world" (Howard Zinn) is an apt and moving quote from a great man. Thanx flip and in compliment, I also append fyi :

Occupy continues to seed and we can be both assured and take heart from that. The struggle for a Mass Movement of The 99% is generational and its need will be with us so long as sh*t like described below continues ...

Solar-darity in all your endeavours and hope to see you around the threads. Post anything of 99% interest that comes to your attention and there is value in repetition as informing is the priority & ...

Finally, ''Henry Giroux explains how our political system has turned people into zombies – “people who are basically so caught up with surviving that they become like the walking dead — they lose their sense of agency, they lose their homes, they lose their jobs.” from :

fiat lux ...

[-] 4 points by flip (7101) 10 years ago

we watched henry with bill moyers last sunday - he was really good!

[-] 4 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

''America is descending into madness. The stories it now tells are filled with cruelty, deceit, lies, and legitimate all manner of corruption and mayhem. The mainstream media spins stories that are largely racist, violent, and irresponsible —stories that celebrate power and demonize victims, all the while camouflaging its pedagogical influence under the cheap veneer of entertainment. Unethical grammars of violence now offer the only currency with any enduring value for mediating relationships, addressing problems, and offering instant pleasure.

''A predatory culture celebrates a narcissistic hyper-individualism that radiates a near sociopathic lack of interest in or compassion and responsibility for others. Anti-public intellectuals dominate the screen and aural cultures urging us to shop more, indulge more, and make a virtue out of the pursuit of personal gain, all the while promoting a depoliticizing culture of consumerism. Undermining life-affirming social solidarities and any viable notion of the public good, right-wing politicians trade in forms of idiocy and superstition that mesmerize the illiterate and render the thoughtful cynical and disengaged.

''Military forces armed with the latest weapons from Afghanistan play out their hyper-militarized fantasies on the home front by forming robo SWAT teams who willfully beat youthful protesters and raid neighborhood poker games. Congressional lobbyists for the big corporations and defense contractors create conditions in which war zones abroad can be recreated at home in order to provide endless consumer products, such as high tech weapons and surveillance tools for gated communities and for prisons alike.'' [My paras for emphasis] from :

Which ends : ''There is also a need for social movements that invoke stories as a form of public memory, stories that have the potential to move people to invest in their own sense of individual and collective agency, stories that make knowledge meaningful in order to make it critical and transformative. If democracy is to once again inspire a populist politics, it is crucial to develop a number of social movements in which the stories told are never completed, but are always open to self- and social reflection, capable of pushing ever further the boundaries of our collective imagination and struggles against injustice wherever they might be. Only then will the stories that now cripple our imaginations, politics, and democracy be challenged and hopefully overcome.''

spero meliora ...

[-] 2 points by DKAtoday (33802) from Coon Rapids, MN 10 years ago

America is descending into madness.

True - BUT - not alone - as those in power all around the world are dragging as many as they can into madness/destruction with them.

[-] 0 points by prospector22 (185) from Brooklyn, NY 10 years ago

Thanks, I just finished watching Bill Moyers interview with Henry Giroux. Much like Hedges and Wolff, he gives a very sobering analysis of where we are at, and what we need to do to get out of the mess we are in.

[-] 3 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

A ''sobering analysis'' which is not beyond the wit of man (actually ... it may be - which is why we need the 'wit of woman' too) - to fix. Henry Giroux' is one of those voices that we all need to heed. Also fyi :

However, despite 'the glass half empty' time of year, with its darker, colder, shorter days & longer nights ... there are still many reasons for hope, as The Global 99% (& please excuse my mangling PBShelley) - 'stir from slumber in unvanquishable number' - 'We are many - They are few' ! Solidarity !!

per ardua ad astra ...

[-] 1 points by prospector22 (185) from Brooklyn, NY 10 years ago

From your link, gee what a mess that we have helped to create in the World. Still though as you have implied, we must never lose hope, especially in knowing that there are people throughout the World working hard for the sea-change we need in knowing that Another World Is Possible.

"You may say I am a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope some day you will join us. And the world will live as one."... John Lennon

As with most people who have survived harsh winters, or difficult times, they come out of it with a renewed feeling of strength and purpose.

Solstice a Cause for Celebration since Ancient Times - "Throughout history humans have observed this seasonal milestone and created spiritual and cultural traditions to celebrate the rebirth of sunlight after the darkest period of the year."...my emphasis

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1220_021220_solstice.html

"Today is the winter solstice and the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. It is all due to the earth's tilt, which ensures that the shortest day of every year falls around December 21,"...which also happens to be the day my first-born came into this World. So for me now (& hopefully for you), I view it as early spring in also knowing from that day on... daylight is increasing ever so slowly at first reaching its maximum rate on the first day of spring, but continuing the rise all the way to the summer solstice when the cycle reverses.

On a side note this day was also the day that some cultures reckoned the fermention process was done and started swigging. their brews, so if you need a night out with the guys before the holidays, you now have the reason...;-)..Edit: I gotta celebrate the solstice honey!

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/1221-winter-solstice-first-day-winter-facts/

[-] 2 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

The shortening, darker, colder days are getting to me a wee bit, I have to say - but your comment and links were a timely shot in the arm and with the advent of Xmas upon us, as an interesting side but in compliment - I'll append fyi, this piece : http://www.alternet.org/economy/pope-francis-and-karl-marx?

pacem in terris ...

[-] 1 points by prospector22 (185) from Brooklyn, NY 10 years ago

I'm glad that my words were helpful. In northern climates people are known to load up on vitamin D in the winter, and I have started taking it every day again, only recently.

http://life.gaiam.com/article/how-does-sunlight-impact-your-mood

I really admire Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, not only in the eloqent words he composed and delivered, but also for the very few words it took for him to convey such heartfelt emotions.

I've been criticized on here by one poster for my long-winded comments, and I consider that to be a fair critique as I have heard it before, from a loved one, no less.. who is an excellent writer.. Maybe I could ask Mr Holck for some tips...;-)

[-] 1 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

Yep, ''adversus solem ne loquitor'' lol & there's still much to extrapolate from 'The Gettyburg Address'. I agree re. 'L-W-Cs' too - despite my inclination to waffle & I ought to learn something from our Mr. Holck too perhaps and ... ''many a truth in jest'', n'est ce pas ? ~{:-)

multum in parvo ...

[-] 2 points by MattLHolck (16833) from San Diego, CA 10 years ago

''JPMorgan’s Bait-and-switch : The Ballyhooed Settlement Is Just a Scam !'', by David Dayen :

the people do not feel the government represents them

[-] 3 points by shadz66 (19985) 10 years ago

The Government is wholly owned by a dark alliance of the Military Industrial Complex, The Corporations and The Venal Banksters, Matt & The 99% are at the margins, on the outside - looking in. Right now - The Gettysburg Address (from exactly 150 years ago) - comes to mind for some reason :

respice, adspice, prospice ...

[-] 1 points by Menckenite (1) from Silver Spring, MD 10 years ago

While I do not oppose Dr. Stein as a candidate, she does not have the public visibility or familiarity that Senators Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren have. I believe that she would make an excellent cabinet member in a Sanders/Warren Administration, which would have a very good chance of being elected if the Progressives in this country could persuade both of them to run on a joint ticket as Independents.. The means to convince these Senators to run as candidates would be to collect 50 million signatures on an OWS circulated petition urging them to run jointly for President and Vice President. OWS local groups also should start petitions to persuade highly respected individuals in their Congressional Districts to run as Independent candidates and then obtain enough signatures to have their names qualify to be placed on the next November's ballots.. There is more time to organize a 2016 campaign as independent candidates for Senators Sanders and Warren.

[-] 0 points by flip (7101) 10 years ago

wouldn't it be easier to win the democratic primaries - 3rd party is tough

[-] 1 points by writerconsidered123 (344) 11 years ago

well she is an idealist but I like her anyway, however I live in mass and I really don't think romney had much to do with the health care law here I think the legislature put it together and romney just signed it

I'm voting for her anyway mainly because I'm voting for where the money isn't.. Not because she has a chance in hell but if she gets enough votes it would send a message to the D and Rs that they might not be able to bank on having their monopoly forever. I'm really just voting for her party for the future.

We need to change third parties into 3 or 4 big major parties.

so vote for where the money isn't. If that sounds confusing then try this. vote against big wall street money. jill steins personal beliefs are inconsequential, however her not being owned and operated by wall st. PRICELESS

[-] -1 points by HCHC4 (-28) 10 years ago

That takes massive amount of corporate money. The people dont vote for anyone in a big position unless they are on TV.

[-] -2 points by meanjogreen (7) 10 years ago

true enough that it (unfortunately) takes a shitpile of $$ to actually get elected, but people like the good Dr DO have a shot at changing the conversation.... sorta like 1% and 99% have become mainstreamed