AP:
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that every child born in the United States should get a $5,000 "baby bond" from the government to help pay for future costs of college or buying a home.
Clinton, her party's front-runner in the 2008 race, made the suggestion during a forum hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus.
Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to
$5,000, just for being born in the US? Well that will certainly set off a new stampede of pregnant Mexicans coming into the US. Has the Senator considered the impact of such an upsurge in illegal immigration on the job prospects of Americans with limited job skills? Can't we do a better job of targeting government aid to the poor? I wonder what Black leaders think about this proposal?
It cost 10 000$ to enter illegally so they will be loosing money.
Yeah, those "pregnant Mexicans" are always slipping through the border.
Many, if not most, of the babies born in Los Angeles County hospitals are the children of illegal immigrants.
They probably think their black kids may finally get a return on their 400-year investment in this country.
I think the proposal said the $5,000 bond goes to each American child born, not to each child born. That would rule out illegals.
Put on your thinking cap and stop with the knee-jerk racist reactions.
Every child born in the US is an American citizen, regardless of the immigration status of the child's parent.
this may not be the best idea, but it is really nice to hear that someone wants to spend money on children and not oil companys
I'm so sick of hearing about 'the children'.
What about the rest of us?
What - everybody else is just chopped liver?
You're right, especially with regard to health care. Everybody talks about guaranteed health care for kids but their parents can rot to death.
We want healthy kids but sick adults are okay. So whack!
We have a word for people who repeatedly suggest stupid ideas, stupid.
We have a word for people that do not think before talking, this woman is brilliant no doubt what a move this will make people talk about her for the few months till the primaries. If you are against the idea you are against the children hum.
Lets get some economists and think about it I will add my own idea if you get into troubles as a juvenile you may lose your money.
Tocuhe'!
I don't have a phd in programming. I taught myself. It's actually pretty easy. So perhaps you can explain to me why it's brilliant to borrow money from the Chinese eighteen years before you need it, put it in a bank account, then use it to get a degree that will qualify you to do something that an Indian can do just as well for a tenth of the cost.
Yup, they will talk about her alright. But most Americans are smarter than you think and will brush the idea off as another hair brain Clinton idea.
Give the banks $5000 for every child born in the USA and let them hold it for 18 years.
And what did you call that? Capitalism for the masses? Jeez, stupid is too mild....br
A complete and total gimmick.
That $5000 bond won't begin to cover that kid's share of the federal deficit when they turn 18. In fact, it won't even cover that kid's share of the Iraq War debt--a decision in which they had no say.
You want to help that kid, Hillary? Stop running up the federal deficit! And you can start by taxing oil profits and the richest 1% to pay for your damn-fool war.
You want to help that kid, Hillary? Come up with a real health care plan, not a mandated insurance plan but a single payer plan. The kid will be dead by the time he reaches college age because his parents couldn't afford to get him medical protection under your mandated insurance plan. Or he will be dead somewhere else in the world after being drafted to fight our interminable wars.
Do not be so negative, the idea may actually work, of course we need to reduce federal deficit and make health care more affordable but the social impact of this idea may be very positive I will add two provisions of my own not for children of illegals and if you get into trouble as a juvenile you may lose your money. It is not a very expensive program just 20B and can have a great psychological impact; capitalism for the masses. Hillary have impressed me again with her fresh approach to problems and her powerful intellect.
"Stop running up the federal deficit"?! Wake up! Bush is President! Oh OK! Just go back to your socialist slumber ...
The federal deficit is the fault both the Executive Branch and the Legislative Branch.
Our military budget is out of whack with the rest of the planet, there's no effort to control "pork barrel" spending and entitlements, and instead of paying for all this nonsense--we pass tax cuts for the wealthy.
And if you ever read the Constitution, you'd see that appropriations are a primary responsibility of the Legislative branch, not the President.
How many pregnant illegals - of any nationality - will be heading to the border if this gains any traction???
waiting 18 years for 5 grant give me a break are you illegal paranoid or what?, it cost more to pay a coyote to get in.
dcazal01, you are repeating yourself.
Shit.
Anyone who thinks 18 years ahead should be let in.
Our probably is too many people who don't think past the next day, including Bush.
I knew the first question would be:
"Well, who's going to pay for it?
Well, how about we pay for it?
We can spend 600 Billion (or is that Trillion now?) for a never- ending-war
What -- too forward and positive thinking? Not enough "death & destruction" built into the concept??
Hillary wants guns AND butter.
Ha!
Give the kids stock in defense contractors.
So then, she balances out. Ok now?
I don't think it's a bad idea, I'd just like to see the math behind $5,000.
It sounds like a lot to me.
This isn't to fund their retirements, just to give them seed money at 18.
Socially, this is not a bad idea.
Politically, this is a very bad idea.
economically this is suicide
Why? it is only a tenth of a year in Iraq and it will be sitting in the banks increasing the savings of the nation I am not sure is such a bad idea if can only be spend in college or housing will actually be equivalent to a tax break for college and property taxes. they are 4m newborn each year by 5000 is only 20 B peanuts...
I set aside double that in a 529 plan for each child when they were born. And I'm FAR from wealthy. It's about priorities.
Hillary simply doesn't trust Americans to make wise monetary decisions, and thinks the federal government can do a better job.
Once Washington bureaucrats demonstrate that they can balance their own budget by spending within our means, and start to make a significant dent in paying down our egregious national debt, then maybe we can talk. Until then, they have no credibility on the issue.
Americans do not make wise monetary decisions that is a fact 10000 average on credit cards.
This is a moronic idea. It will be another social security boondoggle with the govt 'borrowing' from the fund and replacing those funds with IOUs.
So you get a huge chunk of cash and free healthcare when you turn 18?
It's scary, this road to socialism that we are traveling down, with cradle to grave care from the govt who will have only more and more control over our daily lives.
NO, Hillary. BAD IDEA.
This is the new Dem Modus Operandi. Instead of trying to reduce college tuition costs, they hand you a bucketful of new debt and expect you to thank them.
They just passed 'landmark' legislation allowing college students to take on more and more student loans. Whoop-de-do.
This is the same thing. They pull $5k out of thin air, stick it in some sort of trust fund earning 2% interest while they pay out 6% interest on the new debt. We'd be better off if they just left us with the status quo without the extra 4% surcharge.
Instead of trying to reduce college tuition ...-Mormon
------------
Tell me how Dems, or Repubs for that matter, can accomplish that?
I don't like Hillary's idea, but I do think that government should make college education affordable, if not entirely paid by tax dollars in public universities.
Without that, we will most certainly become non-competitive in this increasingly Global economy.
Do not be so fast on judging is an idea worth studying. increases the saving make people the owner of their future. It is a little paternalistic and i guess not very libertarian but it may work.
It is an idea the Brits and other countries use. Child trust funds are started with a contribution from the Government, and can be added to as the kid grows. Later on they have a pot of money that matures come college time or when the kid is starting out in life as a young adult.
The idea is totally over the head of wingnuts, as shows above. America doesn't save nearly enough.
The abuse of a program is not a valid reason for being against it.
That's from Wm. F. Buckley's "Up from Liberalism
Perhaps you heard of it?
Look, it may be the world's most ridiculous idea but it least it's happy. At least it's "up with people". At least we are finally being asked "what can this country do for us" to screw with JFK. We are not being asked to sacrifice (even if sacrifice means go shopping). Could we find something a helluva lot better to do with the money? Yeah. But it will be a lot cheaper than the tag on the eternal carnage. And it will make people smile.
Why are people asking where the $5000 would come from?
Like the endless dollars sunk into Iraq, we just keep the Fed busy printing more dollars- so many now, that the Fed no longer reveals to the public just how many bills they are printing these days. And why should they? Who cares? The money isn't based on anything anymore. It is almost like it is all counterfei
It is only a month of Iraq;s war is peanuts... and it will not be spent it will just sit in a bank it is not a bad idea worth thinking before discarding. it wont be infationary and it will help finace colleges that after all we pay for most of its cost not a bad idea but need polishing
A great idea, but I would take it much further. I see a total investment in each child to reach their maximum level of achievement, wellness and productivity. This would ensure all health care and education from preschool through graduate or vocational school. Also, adult education and retraining. Americans need to invest in their most important and vital asset- themselves.
Our country stands at a crossroads in several areas. We need to educate our citizens to compete and innovate in a world that grows increasingly competitive. By allowing all members to participate fully in their educational process we can be enriched by our own diversity. We need to turn our resources toward lifting up each member of society.
The other direction is toward a return to feudal society.
Similarly, $1,000 invested at birth in an account to be held to age 65 for retirement, would result in over $1 Million. What better way to fund retirement and reduce the paperwork on FICA?
Simplify, simplify.
Too bad $1,000 saved in a 5% bond would only ammount to $25,616 after 65 years. With inflation the dollar of today is worth about $0.08 in 1940 dollars so that would make the final return worth only about $2,049. This ends up being an average yearly increase of only 1.15%! Ok, I'm a nerd. Just thought I'd crunch out some numbers.
SO IF YOU HAVE A KID...
Send Hillary a check!
No wmbear, No! THINK! To the Federal Government. OK atleast try thinking without hurting yourself!
Promises, promises, right, Mrs. Clinton? Oh, to be so free and easy with the taxpayers' dime!
We just spent a trillion so far destroying a small country and you are worried about the taxpayers when the money, just 20B, is an investment in the future of our children. If it goes to college or housing it can be seen as a tax break.
Oh hell.
He's probably some dumb kid who's still on the short form.
He's just repeating Fox News talking points.
Aren't you overlooking a little fact that Hillary Clinton has gone along with the destroying of a small country and is now looking toward the destroying of a little bit larger country next door? Hillary's game here is just bread and circuses.
How about we just end the war spending and give everyone in the US $25K?
There you go.
There ya go!
Another "peace dividend"!
Loading comments…
First Posted: 09-28-07 10:30 PM | Updated: 03-28-08 02:45 AM