Warren: Cut Healthcare Costs, Focus on Jobs and Education [Live Chat Recap]
U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren joined us live on July 13 to answer your questions. Here's a short recap of the Q&A session.
U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren joined us for a live chat with Patch readers on July 13. Many of the questions submitted were about her position on healthcare, job creation and the affordability of higher education.
Check out the following short recap, or browse through the full Q&A transcript.
On her heritage
Patch: The first question came from a reader in Lynnfield. "Although there is a relatively small number of Mass. voters of Native American descent, do you feel you have addressed their concerns about your own statements involving your heritage?"
Elizabeth Warren: Growing up, my mother and grandparents often talked about our family's Native American heritage. As a kid, I never asked them for documentation--what kid would?
But growing up, I knew that my parents had been very much in love, but that my father's family said they couldn't get married because my mother was part Cherokee and part Delaware. So they eloped. We grew up with this all our lives.
I never asked for--and never got--any benefit in school or in jobs. The people who hired me have said that they didn't even know about it when they recruited me--and it played no role in my hiring.
So there it is.
On Healthcare
From Dennis Naughton: "I am a senior citizen and am very concerned about the future of Medicare. Senator Brown has made it clear that he supports the Republican ideas that would tend to privatize the system. I oppose that idea, especially given the collapse of the economy and what it did to 401k's. What is your position on the future of Medicare."
Elizabeth Warren: I disagree with Republicans who want to privatize Medicare. Cutting Medicare won't keep people from having heart attacks or developing diabetes. In other words, people will still get sick and they will still need care. Pushing the costs of their care on families or emergency rooms doesn't change the basic calculation, and it certainly won't cut overall health care costs.
The real issue is the rising cost of health care that is squeezing families. We need to work on cutting health care costs. The Affordable Care Act begins the process, but we need to do more to improve quality while reducing overall costs.
If I can put in a plug for our local folks, some of the best research in the country and some of the most exciting innovations in health care delivery are happening right here in Massachusetts. We should support this work--that's how we move forward.
On Jobs
From Johnny: "What job programs do you support to aleviate unemployment? Would you be in favor of lowering capital gains to make it more appealing for companies to have business here?"
Elizabeth Warren: Last fall Scott Brown and all the Republicans voted to block three jobs bills in a row. We had nearly a quarter of a million people unemployed here in Massachusetts. The first jobs bill would have supported about 22,000 jobs here in MA, the second would have prevented layoffs of teachers, firefighters and police all across the Commonwealth, and the third would have supported nearly 11,000 jobs mostly in construction in transportation.
These jobs bills could have made a real difference in the lives of thousands of families and helped our economy recover faster. I support any and all of them.
On Education
From Karl Johnson: I'm a school committee member from Dover. I know you're a supporter of holding the line on college interest rates. While this is an admirable band aid to nominally mitigate student debt burdens it doesn't address the underlying need for reducing the out of control growth in college and university tuition costs vs. household income growth. What would you do to encourage and/or force structural changes in the college/university cost structure to truly make higher education affordable to middle and upper middle class families?
Elizabeth Warren: College costs have gone through the roof. A young person today going to a state university will pay (adjusted for inflation) more than 350% of what a student would have paid thirty years ago. Investment in public universities has declined, and that has forced more costs onto the students.
Universities and students are trying hard to make progress and changes. They are trying to save money, improve graduation rates, and improve job placement rates. They are working hard to innovate. I recently visited Bunker Hill Community College. Classes start at BHCC at 7:00 AM and the last class STARTS at 11:45 PM. The students, teachers and the school are struggling to use their facilities to their fullest extent so that they can deliver a quality education to as many people as possible.
We need to support students who are trying to get an education--and that means supporting the schools that are trying to educate them.
Those are just a few of the questions Warren answered during our 45 minute live chat. You can read the full chat transcript here.
Laura Savage-Carr
10:39 am on Saturday, July 14, 2012
My parents also said that my siblings and I were a bunch of Indians. I wish that I had asked for documentation, so I could own a casino now.
Laura Savage-Carr
11:08 am on Saturday, July 14, 2012
Boston Globe: Scott Brown joins President Obama at bill-signing ceremony today
November 21, 2011 By Scott Brown Leave a Comment
Senator Scott Brown joined President Obama on stage today for a ceremony to sign into law the first part of the president’s jobs package to become law.
The Massachusetts Republican was in the second row at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for the signing, but Obama shook his hand, told him “good job,” and paid general tribute to the bipartisan support for the measure.
Besides Brown, two other GOP lawmakers were there too: Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida and Rep. Diane Black of Tennessee.
“Because Democrats and Republicans came together, I’m proud to sign those proposals into law,” Obama said.
Brown pushed for the law’s main element – a 3 percent withholding tax repeal – and a tax credit for businesses that hire unemployed veterans as part of his Bay State Jobs Agenda released in January.
That prompted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to request that Brown be invited to the signing ceremony, saying it “would show the American people that cooperation is indeed possible.”
This story first ran in the Boston Globe on November 21, 2011.
Ellen G
3:08 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
I get it. You are a Scott Brown supporter - well bully for you!!!
As far as I am concerned - it is Elizabeth Warren all the way for me. She will not support big business at the cost doubleing interest rates for student loans!!!
No matter how you slice it - in my honest opinion - Scott Brown is providing inadequate and misfocused representation for the residents of Massachusetts.
Karl Weld
4:20 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Warren has her own Wall St. benefactors.
http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/296227/elizabeth-warrens-wall-street-money-machine-kevin-d-williamson?pg=1
"In fact, the list of Warren’s top donors is practically a roll call of lawyers up to their ears in the arcana of structured finance, mortgage-backed securities, and general Wall Street shenanigans. The first guys to securitize credit-card debt? Elizabeth Warren donors. Big banks back Brown, you say? What about the world’s largest and most influential investment firm? Yes, BlackRock backs Professor Warren."
"Practically all of the exotic structured-finance products you hear about exist as a direct response to regulation. That being the case, they are not the product of financial engineers only: They are the result of a collaborative effort between financial engineers and Wall Street lawyers. Professor Warren gets some financial support from the former and a hell of a lot from the latter. While I very much doubt that the ghost of Leo Gottlieb or the guys at Mintz Levin would be calling the shots behind the scenes were Professor Warren elected to the Senate, until she is willing to extend the same assumption of good faith to her opponent, she should be held to the standard she sets for him. In which case, we must conclude that the candidate of Occupy Wall Street is also the candidate of Wall Street — which, given the left-leaning, pro-Democrat, bet-hedging nature of the Manhattan-based financial world, is no surprise."
Laura Savage-Carr
9:48 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Ellen, try decaf.
Her own financial disclosure forms show she's worth as much as $14.5 million and lives in a $5 million house. Yup, you're right, she's looking out for the working man.
Laura Savage-Carr
11:09 am on Saturday, July 14, 2012
Attleboro Sun Chronicle: Brown urges jobs measures
October 13, 2011 By Scott Brown Leave a Comment
Calls for bipartisan approach to issue
Now that Senate Republicans have killed President Barack Obama’s $447 billion jobs bill, U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is urging Washington to focus on passing smaller portions of the package, and Obama seems to be taking the same approach.
Brown, R-Mass., wants Democrats and Republicans to vote on items within the Obama bill that are most likely to pass, such as extending and expanding a reduction in the payroll tax used to fund Social Security.
He also wants tax credits for businesses that hire veterans.
In addition to the tax cuts, Obama wants funding for road and bridge repairs, as well as state aid to rehire teachers, police and firefighters – measures Republicans oppose.
Brown said the vote on the entire bill was a political move because the bill never had a chance of passing. The bill got 50 Democratic votes, but that was far short of the 60 needed to end the filibuster supported by two Democrats and all Republicans, including Brown.
“This vote is a charade,” Brown said.
“As I said before, we should be working together to immediately pass the sections of the president’s jobs bill where there is bipartisan agreement, such as the payroll tax cut and the incentives to put our veterans back to work,” he said.
Laura Savage-Carr
11:13 am on Saturday, July 14, 2012
Mar 28 2012
SENATE VETERANS JOBS CAUCUS KICK OFF 'I HIRE VETERANS' INITIATIVE
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Scott Brown and members of the Senate Veterans Jobs Caucus today held an event to kick off their “I Hire Veterans” initiative to encourage members of the Senate and the public to show their commitment to hiring veterans by displaying a simple logo in their offices and businesses.
Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis joined the members of the caucus for the kickoff, where she expressed her support for the caucus’s efforts to put our returning servicemembers back to work. Officials from the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs, representatives from veterans and military service organizations and the private sector also attended.
As of today, 29 Senators from both political parties have joined the caucus.
Barry
4:55 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012
Wow, Laura. I'm really impressed that you are able to engage in copyright infringement. Do you have any other talents you'd like to share with the class?
C
4:13 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Is it copyright infringement when she cites the sources? lol
Laura Savage-Carr
9:37 pm on Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Thanks Barak, I mean Barry. Good try. Divert attention from the facts by falsely accusing someone of a crime.
Ron Powell
8:36 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012
Oooo, I've got one, Barry. The title of my post is "Know the difference between Fair Use and Copyright Infringement." Here is an example of Fair Use:
http://legalwritepublications.com/copyright/the-difference-between-fair-use-and-public-domain/
There is no set number of words you can use under what’s called the fair use doctrine. This doctrine permits use of copyrighted materials without the owner’s permission for certain purposes listed in the Copyright Act, such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. While technically infringing on the copyright owner’s rights, these uses are considered permissible; and such fair use can be used as a defense against a claim of copyright infringement. Note that it is not sufficient simply to acknowledge the source of the copyrighted material.
Now, for a quiz: can you determine which of Laura's posts would fall under Fair Use? If you answered all of them, you are correct.
Barry
10:30 pm on Sunday, July 15, 2012
Call me when you've graduated from law school and have been admitted to the bar, ok?
Ron Powell
12:42 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Appeal to authority -- one of the major logical fallacies. What else have you got?
C
4:15 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Barry, you sound like sour grapes. If you have issue with something the senator did, please add a little detail. From what I have read, these are good stories and he deserves a pat on the back. And from what I've read from you, it sounds like you're sulking
Prof Warren
7:43 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
Barry, I'm sending you a signed copy of Pow Wow Chow. It contains many of my family's original recipes.
Elizabeth Warren
Cherokee
Prof Warren
7:46 pm on Monday, July 16, 2012
These jobs bills could have made a real difference in the lives of thousands of families and helped our economy recover faster. I support any and all of them. Unlike Sen. Brown, I haven't nor would I read any of the bills. I would just vote for them because the Dem. leadership told me to.