ADAM: HE’S A CANDIDATE WITH BIG IDEAS, TAKING QUESTIONS FROM FIRST IN THE NATION VOTERS IN WMUR’S CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE SERIES.
DEMOCRAT ANDREW YANG LAID OUT THE CENTRAL THEME OF HIS CAMPAIGN, THAT ALL AMERICANS SHOULD GET A UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME, $1000 A MONTH HE CALLS A FREEDOM DIVIDEND THAT WOULD
REPLACE SOME OF THE WELFARE STATE.
>> IF YOU OPT-IN THEN YOU ARE FOREGOING BENEFITS FROM OTHER PROGRAMS.
MANY PEOPLE WOULD PREFER $1000 UNCONDITIONAL CASH WITH NO MONITORING OR PAPERWORK TO THE CURRENT PROGRAM.
SO WE’RE GOING TO LIGHTEN THE BUREAUCRACY IN THOSE PROGRAMS, BUT WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE ANYTHING AWAY FROM SOMEONE IF THEY THINK THEIR CURRENT BENEFITS ARE SUPERIOR TO $1000
CASH.
ADAM: YANG IS CONFIDENT HE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET HIS AMBITIOUS AGENDA THROUGH CONGRESS AND ALSO PLANS TO RELINQUISH SOME EXECUTIVE POWER, IF ELECTED.
>> ONE THING I’VE ALREADY SAID I’D DO IS PUSH THE AUTHORIZATION FOR MILITARY ACTION BACK TO CONGRESS, WHERE IT BELONGS, IN THE CONSTITUTION.
ADAM: YANG BACKS THE GREEN NEW DEAL TO TACKLE CLIMATE CHANGE, AND HE ALSO WANTS TO TAKE DRAMATIC ACTION TO CUT OPIOID OVERDOSES BY 20% OVER THE NEXT 4 YEARS.
>> THE FIRST THING I WOULD DO IS GO TO PURDUE PHARMA AND SAY HEY YOU MADE $15 BILLION ON THE , BACKS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, IT’S BLOOD MONEY, WE’RE GOING TO GET THAT MONEY BACK AND WE’RE
GOING TO FUND TREATMENT.
ADAM: WHILE YANG STARTED FROM THE RANKS OF THE UNKNOWNS IN THIS CONTEST VOTERS LEFT THIS , CONVERSATION WANTING TO LEARN MORE.
>> I’VE LOOKED AT HIS BOOK AND DID A LITTLE RESEARCH ON HIM, BUT THERE’S NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING AND THAT’S WHAT THIS PROVIDES.
I WAS KIND OF IMPRESSED.
I FELT LIKE HE HAD A RESPONSE FOR EVERY QUESTION.
>> I LEARNED A LOT TODAY, A WHOLE LOT.
I JUST LOVED HIS IDEAS, THEY’RE SO DIFFERENT.
I WANT TO SEE HIM MANY MORE TIMES.
ADAM: ADAM SEXTON, WMUR NEWS 9.
JEAN: THANK YOU.
THESE CONVERSATIONS ARE SO IMPORTANT TO GET TO KNOW EACH CANDIDATE.
YOU CAN WATCH OUR COMPLETE CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATE WITH ANDREW YANG THURSDAY AT 7:00 HERE ON WMUR.
THAT’S FOLLOWED BY AN EXTEN