SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
New York congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez discussed "unlimited war" and Medicare for All on CNN Wednesday. (Photo: CNN/screenshot)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Why Do We 'Write Blank Checks for War' But 'Our Pockets Are Empty' When It Comes to Medicare for All?
"We only have empty pockets when it comes to the morally right things to do," declares the New York congressional candidate
Aug 09, 2018
In an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo Wednesday evening, New York congressional candidate and democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez questioned how Congress can "write unlimited blank checks for war" and pass the GOP's $2 trillion tax cut for the wealthy, but when it comes to proposals that would help every American--such as Medicare for All--"our pockets are empty."
"Why is it that our pockets are only empty when it comes to education and healthcare for our kids?" she posed. "Why are pockets only empty when we talk about 100 percent renewable energy that is going to save this planet and allow our children to thrive?"
"We only have empty pockets when it comes to the morally right things to do," she continued, "but when it comes to tax cuts for billionaires and when it comes to unlimited war, we seem to be able to invent that money very easily."
The 28-year-old, who is expected to win New York's deep blue 14th District in November, has championed a boldly progressive platform, demanding Medicare for All, a federal jobs guarantee, a Green New Deal, and tuition-free public college.
Predictably asked by Cuomo about the "sticker shock" of implementing a system that would guarantee healthcare for all Americans, Ocasio-Cortez said, "People talk about the sticker shock of Medicare for All--they do not talk about the sticker shock of the cost of our existing system."
She pointed to a recent Koch Brothers-funded study that spectacularly backfired for the right-wing oil barons by demonstrating that such a system would not only cover everyone but also save $2 trillion over a decade.
"At the end of the day, we see that this is not a pipe dream. Every other developed nation in the world does this. Why can't America?" she said. "That is the question we need to ask."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
alexandria ocasio-cortezdemocratic partygreen new dealhealthcaremedicare for allnew yorknew york citysingle-payersocialism
In an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo Wednesday evening, New York congressional candidate and democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez questioned how Congress can "write unlimited blank checks for war" and pass the GOP's $2 trillion tax cut for the wealthy, but when it comes to proposals that would help every American--such as Medicare for All--"our pockets are empty."
"Why is it that our pockets are only empty when it comes to education and healthcare for our kids?" she posed. "Why are pockets only empty when we talk about 100 percent renewable energy that is going to save this planet and allow our children to thrive?"
"We only have empty pockets when it comes to the morally right things to do," she continued, "but when it comes to tax cuts for billionaires and when it comes to unlimited war, we seem to be able to invent that money very easily."
The 28-year-old, who is expected to win New York's deep blue 14th District in November, has championed a boldly progressive platform, demanding Medicare for All, a federal jobs guarantee, a Green New Deal, and tuition-free public college.
Predictably asked by Cuomo about the "sticker shock" of implementing a system that would guarantee healthcare for all Americans, Ocasio-Cortez said, "People talk about the sticker shock of Medicare for All--they do not talk about the sticker shock of the cost of our existing system."
She pointed to a recent Koch Brothers-funded study that spectacularly backfired for the right-wing oil barons by demonstrating that such a system would not only cover everyone but also save $2 trillion over a decade.
"At the end of the day, we see that this is not a pipe dream. Every other developed nation in the world does this. Why can't America?" she said. "That is the question we need to ask."
In an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo Wednesday evening, New York congressional candidate and democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez questioned how Congress can "write unlimited blank checks for war" and pass the GOP's $2 trillion tax cut for the wealthy, but when it comes to proposals that would help every American--such as Medicare for All--"our pockets are empty."
"Why is it that our pockets are only empty when it comes to education and healthcare for our kids?" she posed. "Why are pockets only empty when we talk about 100 percent renewable energy that is going to save this planet and allow our children to thrive?"
"We only have empty pockets when it comes to the morally right things to do," she continued, "but when it comes to tax cuts for billionaires and when it comes to unlimited war, we seem to be able to invent that money very easily."
The 28-year-old, who is expected to win New York's deep blue 14th District in November, has championed a boldly progressive platform, demanding Medicare for All, a federal jobs guarantee, a Green New Deal, and tuition-free public college.
Predictably asked by Cuomo about the "sticker shock" of implementing a system that would guarantee healthcare for all Americans, Ocasio-Cortez said, "People talk about the sticker shock of Medicare for All--they do not talk about the sticker shock of the cost of our existing system."
She pointed to a recent Koch Brothers-funded study that spectacularly backfired for the right-wing oil barons by demonstrating that such a system would not only cover everyone but also save $2 trillion over a decade.
"At the end of the day, we see that this is not a pipe dream. Every other developed nation in the world does this. Why can't America?" she said. "That is the question we need to ask."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.