Comments on: Hillary’s $5K per newborn same as failed OH casino amendment

By: Jill Miller Zimon

Jill Miller Zimon — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:46:17 +0000

I hope you’ll write about that interview. I’m curious to know on a personal level how you felt about it.

Congrats on the bike ride – I’m going to take a look at the other link you sent me. I didn’t know you rode a hog.

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 03:48:48 +0000

Don’t know for sure what other countries do, but in the European countries where I have spent most of my time, college tends to be free for kids who demonstrate their worthiness at the high school level. Medical care is nationalized, and income tax rates are very high. It’s a different way of doing things.

Just got back from an 8,000 mile, 28-day cross country motorcycle ride, so the campaigning is just beginning in earnest. I was interviewed this afternoon by the leadership of the teachers’ union, who will decide which two of the four candidates it will endorse. I’m not sure how much weight this endorsement carries, but it was a worthwhile exercise.

By: Jill Miller Zimon

Jill Miller Zimon — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 23:38:37 +0000

Wow, that would be super duper long range, yes? That’s not something the Dems are usually accused of doing is it?

This reference was the first I’d ever seen of it. It sounds, sounds, as though she was thinking rather off the cuff. I don’t know.

Yeah – I don’t know – I mean, maybe if there were some matching deal at some lower rate and involved some effort on the part of the kids or families or something.

Just setting aside 5K for every single person born?

I’d be interested to know if that’s done in any other countries – do you happen to know?

Also – any chance you’ll blog on your blog about how your campaign for school board is going?

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 19:52:48 +0000

Has the Senator said what institution would hold the money? My guess is some kind of savings bond held by the U.S. Treasury that matures in 18 years, earning interest at something not much higher than inflation.

The impact? Nothing today, other than yet another future liability on the books. When the kid turns 18? That $5,000 today will buy about a semester’s worth of tuition in a public university. One can expect that it will be about the same in 18 years. Big Whoopie.

But it 18 years, it will infuse a huge amount of cash into the economy. The most likely outcome is a whack of inflation that won’t help anyone.

She’s not stupid, so why bother? Maybe the 5 grand is something that she knows will get a lot of immigrant votes. Could be long-range planning by the Democrats?