FREE
FREE HIGHER EDUCATION. THAT'S WHERE THE CONVERSATION BEGAN .
>>> WHO EXACTLY WOULD PAY4@4@ F
STUDENTS EDUCATION UNDER YOUR
PLAN?
>> WE WOULD.
TAXPAYERS.
IT'S AN INVESTMENT4@ WE ARE
DEPENDENT UPON THE FUTURE
WORKERS OF AMERICA.
YOU KNOW, WHEN THE ECONOMY, WE
WERE IN AGRICULTURAL ECONOMY
AND WE PAID FOR AGRICULTURE
THROUGH THE EIGHTH GRADE4@4@ WE
NEEDED PEOPLE THAT HAVE HIGH
SCHOOL EDUCATIONS, WE STARTED
PAYING FOR FREE EDUCATION
THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL. NOW, WE
NEED A HIGHER LEVEL OF
EDUCATION FOR THE ECONOMY, SO
IT MAKES SENSE4@ TO PAY FOR
COLLEGE EDUCATION.
IT'S A MATTER OF PRIORITIES AND
I THINK,4@4@ WE ARE INVESTING,
SAID, $20 BILLION IN FOSSIL
FUEL COMPANIES, BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS TO CORPORATIONS AND TO
OFFSHORE COMPANIES AND I TH4@IN
WE NEED TO TAKE THAT MONEY AND
INVESTED IN OUR KIDS BECAUSE
THEY ARE THE FUTURE WORKERS OF
AMERICA. IS
>> IF YOU SEND A4@4@ YOUNG MAIN
STUDENT DEBATES, OR COLBY OR
BOWDOIN COLLEGE, IT WOULD BE ON
THE ORDER OF UPWARDS OF $300,000
AND YOU WANT TAXPAYERS TO PAY
FOR THAT4@ ?
>> THIS IS FOR PUBLIC
INSTITUTIONS.
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MAINE, FOR
SOUTHERN MAINE COMMUNITY COLLEG@
IT'S NOT FOR PRIVATE
INST4@ITUTIONS BUT IT'S TO MAKE
IT AVAILABLE FOR ANY STUDENT TO
GO FOR FREE.
NO, SO I ALSO THINK WE NEED TO
DO SOMETHING ABOUT REINING IN
THE COST OF THE PRIVATE
INSTITUTIONS4@ .
>>> THEY ALSO CALL FOR
UNIVERSAL PRE-K, AFFORDABLE
CHILDCARE FOR A LOT OF OTHER4@4
UNIVERSAL PRE-K, AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE FOR A LOT OF OTHER4@4@ EXPANDED GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS
THE COST OF THIS HAS TO BE INTO
THE HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS, MAY
BE INTO THE TRILLIONS 4@OF DOLLS
I WOULD YOU FAVOR RAISING TAXES
OR WOULD YOU DRAMATICALLY CUT 4@
OTHER PROGRAMS?
>> I WOULD DRAMATICALLY CUT4@ 4@
GIVING TAX BREAKS TO THE RICHES
CORPORATIONS AND PEOPLE IN THIS
COUNTRY.
WE JUST HAD A PANDEMIC, WHERE
WE SUDDENLY CAME UP WITH 2.5
TRILLION DOLLARS OVERNIGHT.
AND, IN THE SAME TIME THAT
AMERICANS WERE ALL TRYING TO
FIGURE OUT HOW TO PAY RENT AND
MORTGAGE, THE BILLIONAIRES IN
THIS COUNTRY MADE $529 BILLION
OFF OF 4@THIS PANDEMIC4@. AND,
PAY ZERO IN TAXES BUT AMAZON
MADE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS OFF
THIS PANDEMIC, AND THEY PAY
NOTHING IN FEDERAL TAXES.
SO I BELIEVE THAT IF WE SHIFT
THE BURDEN AND HAVE PEOPLE
ACTUALLY PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE
WE WILL PAY FOR THIS EASILY .
>>> ONE THING WE'VE SEEN HAPPEN
IN MAINE4@4@ IN THE LAST THREE
FOUR DECADES IS A DIVERGENCE IN
THE4@ DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE
STATE.
SOME PARTS OF THE STATE OF DONE
VERY WELL, THE GREATER PORTLAND
AREA FOR INSTANCE.
OTHER AREAS4@, RURAL REGIONS HA
BEEN STAGNANT4@4@ AND WHAT WOUL
YOU OFFER FOR PEOPLE IN THE
PARTS OF MAINE THAT OF NOT
SHARED IN ECONOMIC GROWTH
QUESTION MARK THEY FEEL BEHIND
AND FORGOTTEN, WHAT WOULD YOU
PROPOSE TO HELP THEM ?
>>4@ I SPENT A LOT OF TIMES IN
THE SECOND DISTRICT AND ONE OF
THE MOST STRIKING THINGS WAS A
GENTLEMAN WHO SAID I'M NOT
WORRIED THAT MY KID DOESN'T
HAVE A JOB I'M WORRIED THAT MY
KID HAS THREE JOBS, THE NURSING
HOME, THE CONVENIENCE STORE,
JUST TO MAKE4@ ENDS MEET.
WE'VE GOT TO A NUMBER OF THINGS
THAT WE HAVE TO RAISE THE
MINIMUM WAGE SO EVERYONE GETS A
DECENT WAGE4@ AND CAN PUT FOOD
THE TABLE AND A ROOF OVER 4@THE
HEAD THERE ARE BUDDING
INDUSTRIES AROUND ENERGY
GENERATION AND REGENERATIVE
AGRICULTURE THAT CAN MAKE RURAL
AREAS COME ALIVE4@4@. WE HAVE T
REGIONALIZED THE ECONOMY.
SO MUCH MONEY HAS BEEN SPENT ON
GETTING BIG COMPANIES TO COME
INTO BIG 4@URBAN AREAS.
WE WILL BE MUCH BETTER OFF IN
TERMS OF GENERATING4@ ENERGY AN
AGRICULTURE, WE SEE THE REVIVAL
OF THE ROLE ECONOMIES AS SMALL
FARMERS4@ GET FARMS REVIVED AND
WE SEAFOOD TO TABLE. WE START
TO SEE IT4@.
>> WHAT WILL YOU DO TO TRY TO
BRING THE TWO PARTIES TOGETHER
AND TO BRING THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE TOGETHER ?
>>4@ THE DIVIDE IS NOT RIGHT AN
LEFT IT'S NOT REPUBLICAN OR
DEMOCRAT OR LIBER4@AL4@, OR EVE
THIS STATE, NORTH AND SOUTH THE
DIVIDE WE HAVE TO PREACH THAT I
SEE THAT IS THE ONE UP-AND-DOWN
. SO, THERE IS4@ A ECONOMIC ELI
AND POLITICAL ELITE THAT IS
LOST TOUCH WITH OUR VALUES,
THERE'S NOT A PERSON I'VE MET
IN MAINE THAT BELIEVES THAT IF
YOU ARE SICK YOU 4@SHOULD NOT B
ABLE TO GO TO THE DOCTOR AND
FALL ASLEEP OR THAT YOU SHOULD4
NOT BE ABLE TO PAY FOR IT4@ .
>>> THIS ECONOMIC SYSTEM HAS
BETRAYED SO MANY OF US, WE STAY
ENGAGED IN THE IF CONVERSATION,
SHOULD WE HAVE HEALTHCARE, IS
THERE A CLIMATE CRISIS4@4@ AND,