Hillary Clinton has 31 policy groups on her campaign’s “Issues” page, which outline her policy goals as president.
And, guess what, they’re great!
She is better helped, as a candidate, by improving her positives than increasing Trump’s negatives (he does that well enough on his own).
So why not highlight those positives, night after night, and promote a better sense of the progressive and popular choice that she is? It’s easy enough to do, she’s a great candidate with generally great positions on the issues Americans care about.
For the second night, here are some of Hillary Clinton’s policies and plans to fix and upgrade the United States’ infrastructure system — including transportation, information, utilities, and energy.
As has been covered many times on this site and elsewhere, infrastructure in the United States often lags behind the world’s best, and in many cases is literally crumbling. The positive effects of robust infrastructure on the economy are well known; the social, health, and environmental benefits that good public infrastructure policy brings beyond “dollars and cents” are just as important.
Hillary Clinton recognizes this, and understands the issues involved and what must be done.
Hillary's plan would:
-
Boost federal infrastructure investment by $275 billion over the next five years. Under Hillary’s plan, $250 billion would go directly to public infrastructure investment.
-
Create a $25 billion national infrastructure bank. Hillary will allocate an additional $25 billion over five years to create an independent, government-owned infrastructure bank that will support critical infrastructure improvements. The bank will provide loans and other federal support for investments in energy, water, broadband, transportation, and multi-modal infrastructure projects.
-
Reauthorize a Build America Bonds program to help finance the rebuilding of America’s infrastructure. Hillary would re-authorize President Obama’s highly successful Build America Bonds (BABs) program to stimulate billions of additional dollars in infrastructure investments.
Hillary's plan will harness both public and private capital to:
-
Fix and expand our roads and bridges, reducing congestion and cutting the “pothole tax.” Hillary will make smart, targeted investments to repair America’s roads and bridges, increase capacity, improve road quality, and reduce congestion—saving wasted time and money for drivers across the country. Clinton will also make key transportation investments to help farmers and manufacturers reach their customers and suppliers more efficiently.
-
Expand public transit options to lower transportation costs and unlock economic opportunity. Hillary will increase investments in public transit to connect Americans to jobs, spur economic growth, and improve quality of life in our communities. She will also encourage local governments to work with low-income communities to ensure the unemployed and underemployed are connected to the jobs they need.
-
Connect all Americans to the digital economy with 21st-century internet access. Hillary believes that high-speed internet access is not a luxury; it is a necessity for equal opportunity and social mobility in a 21st-century economy. She will finish the job of connecting America’s households to the internet with a commitment that by 2020, 100 percent of households in America will have access to affordable broadband. She will also invest new resources in bringing free Wi-Fi to public buildings and public transportation.
-
Accelerate aviation technology and invest in American airports. Hillary will invest in building world-class American airports and get the Federal Aviation Administration's “NextGen” program back on track to modernize our national airspace system. These changes will reduce carbon emissions and save travelers and airlines an estimated $100 billion in avoided delays over the next 15 years.
-
Build a faster, safer, and higher-capacity passenger rail system. Hillary will invest in a world-leading passenger rail system to meet rapidly growing demand and build a more mobile America.
-
Build energy infrastructure for the 21st century. Hillary’s plan will unlock America’s clean energy potential by modernizing infrastructure like dams, levees, and wastewater systems—saving billions of gallons in clean drinking water and generating clean energy.
Hillary will fully pay for these investments through business tax reform.
(source: hillaryclinton.com)
Night 1: Paid Family Leave