Bernie Sanders Speaks With Katie Couric - Full Interview
link -- Published on Jun 2, 2015
[16:20]
KC: "Income Inequality" -- those are the big "buzz words" of this campaign. It's been a huge talking point. And you said you'd consider taxing the wealthiest top 1% of Americans, as much as 90% ... ?
Sanders: No I didn't. That's not true that one of these things that seems to be circulating.
KC: OK, why don't you clarify it.
Sure. We haven't come up with a formal Tax Proposal. But this is what I will tell you. Our number one, what we have come up with, is legislation that says to Corporations who are stashing their money, in the Cayman Islands and Bermuda and other Tax Havens
-- costing us over a hundred billion dollars a year -- Now I'm going to end that.
We have large profitable Corporations Katie, that are not paying a nickel in Federal Income Tax now. That's totally absurd.
What we will do also, is to impose a Transfer, a Stock Transfer Fee, on Wall Street speculation, which can raise a very substantial amount money. I'm certainly in favor that.
Also will we raise the Individual Tax Rate for the wealthy? Absolutely, but we haven't come up with a number yet. The 90% you're referring to, you know when that existed?
KC: Under Dwight D Eisenhower.
Sanders: Under that "communist" Dwight David Eisenhower, a good Republican. So I don't know how high we will go -- and that's something literally we are working on right now.
And about those untrackable-Second "worries" of Wall Street?
Extra ‘Leap Second’ Worries Markets
by Stephanie Yang, wsj.com -- June 29, 2015
One second has the potential to cause a lot of problems for global markets.
Firms and exchanges around the world will be watching markets closely on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern time, as one extra second is added to the clocks, potentially disrupting financial systems and trading.
This slight addition, known as the leap second, is used to correct a mismatch between clocks and the Earth’s rotation every few years. This is the first time the leap second has occurred during active trading hours since 1997, spurring institutions to update and test their trading systems, as markets’ electronic trading has become increasingly important.
Industry experts say that if systems can’t accommodate the extra second, unprepared firms could encounter failures, unreliable time stamps or a complete breakdown. [...]
And the point?
Wall Street speculators have too much time and money on their hands -- if they're in a panic about Leap Seconds impacting their "Trading." It is long past time that they gave something back -- afterall They Owe Us!
[19:15]
Sanders: I'll tell you how you pay for it [free college tuition] -- you pay for it exactly how I said a moment ago. Out of a Tax on Wall Street speculation.
Right now, there is huge amounts of speculation going on on Wall Street, a lot of Stock Transfer. We can raise something like 300 Billion dollars a year. And also have the additional factor of putting a dampener on that speculation.
The People of this Country Bailed-out Wall Street; now it is time for Wall Street to start helping the Middle Class of this Country.
Here are a few more notable highlights from that interview, of which there were several ...
[6:10]
Sanders: What is very clear is that Technology has out-paced Public Policy.
[7:10]
Sanders: But I worry, really worry, we are moving towards an Orwellian form of Society
-- where 'Big Brother' whether in the corporate world or in the government knows
-- has too much information on the private lives of innocent people.
[38:12]
Sanders: I do not wake up -- I'm very proud to be a VT Senator -- and I do not wake up in the morning and say 'Oh, I got to be President.'
But what I do look at, is a country in deep, deep trouble. A country that is increasingly dominated by wealthy and powerful forces. And I think we got to fight back and make our government and our country work for ALL the People, and not just them.
KC: Do you think ultimately that one of your goals may be to push Hillary Clinton a little more to the Left, to push her in a more Progressive direction, on a number of issues?
Sanders: {whispering} No. No. {louder} My goal is to win this Election.
KC: Would you be interested in being her Vice President?
Sanders: {Pausing dramatically} Would she, be interested in being my Vice President? We'll talk about it.
The point is the way you win Elections Katie, is by a raising the issues that the American People think, make sense.