Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
speaks at a rally Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008 in Houston.
(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
Posted on 02/28/2008 9:57:19 PM PST by NormsRevenge
HANGING ROCK, Ohio - Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton offered a plan to improve childhood nutrition and set a goal to reduce by half the 12 million youngsters living in poverty over the next dozen years.
The package of proposals includes a "comprehensive" early education initiative that starts with nurse's visits for pregnant women, lets children begin the Head Start program earlier and calls for universal pre-kindergarten programs.
The New York senator also says she would deal with childhood hunger by putting in place a food safety net, and give children "greater access to healthy, fresh food."
She spelled out her proposals in a speech Thursday at the child care development center on Ohio University's southern campus, and toured a Head Start program serving economically challenged southern Ohio. It was part of her effort to focus the Democratic campaign on bedrock economic issues.
"You should have a president again who actually gets up thinking about you every day," Clinton told about 200 people at the event. "I have spent a lifetime working to help children, which is my first passion. If our children get off to a good start so much of the other stuff is taken care of."
Clinton aides said the new programs would carry an annual pricetag of $5 billion to $6 billion. A significant portion of her plan comes by expanding existing programs. She would cover the cost by toughening tax enforcement to collect money currently owed but not paid.
Clinton said she would direct her agriculture secretary to develop a plan to end childhood hunger. The nutrition effort would come largely through signing up more people for the food stamp program and expanding its benefits. She argued her program is comprehensive, dealing with both parents and children.
"We have to focus on children and families, it has to go hand in hand," said Clinton. She heard stories from women struggling to raise children and get by financially.
"I have to say I don't know how single moms do it," said Clinton.
Clinton argues that roughly 12.9 million children live in poverty, with about 5 million living in extreme poverty. That means their families have incomes of less than half the federal poverty level.
School breakfast programs would be universal in low-income neighborhoods under her proposal. She also would double the size of a summer nutrition program aimed at feeding low-income children when they aren't in school.
Clinton also says she would launch an effort to get junk food out of schools. She would require schools that get federal funding through the school lunch or breakfast programs to offer only food that meets or surpasses USDA standards.
Heading to her child poverty event, Clinton stopped at a mobile home in Pomeroy for a roundtable discussion of the problems facing families in a county where the poverty rate is near 20 percent, almost double the national average. Much of her focus was on health care, but she was quick to draw a distinction with rival Barack Obama.
Roger Holman, a state worker, said he was worried that forcing people to buy health insurance would be hard on those struggling to get by. Clinton jumped on that saying Obama is distorting her proposal.
"That's misleading," she said. "That's not at all what's going to happen."
Clinton told the nine people gathered that her plan is superior because it would cover everyone, while Obama would leave out 15 million.
"That won't work," said Clinton. "Everybody's got to be in the system."
Later, Clinton later to Houston, where she spelled out her ambitious energy plan to polite applause from about 1,000 people attending a business conference.
Clinton said she favors speeding development of a replacement for the soon-to-be-retired space shuttle and claimed "important differences" with "my opponent with respect to the next generation of vehicles for space flight."
She also laid out the details of her energy plan, which emphasizes reducing U.S. reliance on oil. "It's time for the oil companies to become energy companies," she said. "I do not believe that now is the time that subsidies for oil companies are necessary or appropriate."
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
speaks at a rally Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008 in Houston.
(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)
“Everybody’s got to be in the system.”
Cradle to grave, baby. Cradle to grave.
Geesh...
More freakin’ socialism — more big government control for those socialists -— and MORE CONTROL OVER YOUR CHILDREN.
This woman is a RADICAL MARXIST. The STATE and Hillary are to replace God and parents.
Provide a taxpayer funded net. Don't do squat to prevent the problem in the first place.
Supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Ruby Bedgood (L), 85, and Daisy Herzog (R), 83, of Houston, show their colors as they wait for Clinton to arrive at a high school gymnasium before a campaign event in Houston February 28, 2008. REUTERS/Richard Carson
Kids don't have enough money? I've know just the thing you need...
Problem solved, Sen. Clinton. And it doesn't require any new Federal programs, either.
Don't I recall in 1997, Bill calling for... 
a plan to improve big boobed blondes' nutrition and set a goal to reduce by half the 42 million blonde bimbos living without knowing Bill "feeling their pain" special treatment over the next dozen years?
Gadzooks, I think Bill... 
will succeed before Hill does!
The freaking Onion couldn't make this stuff up.
Where do space vehicles rank in the Pew Poll of voter concerns LOL!!
Seriously, this chick is the political whiz kid?
Somebody drop the damn house already and end at least her role in what promises to be one of the great embarrassing moments in American history, namely the next administration.
“We will take from you for the common good”.
What system you manical control freak! Yours?
No? Well, how is making them pay for Bill Gates's health care going to make it any easier for them?
Health Insurance was proposed to those as a device to keep their costs down through many involved. Heck, they better take care of all insurance ie: Cars, Homes, Renters, Litigation, jeez it doesn’t stop.
You really have to be a womb to tomb government ward to buy into this tripe!!
Don’t give ‘em ideas.
What a steaming tractor load that is!
The nutrition effort would come largely through signing up more people for the food stamp program and expanding its benefits.
Signing up more people? The Boston radio stations (for at least a year) have been running ads every day practically begging people to sign up.
The votes are in and Obama still pulls it out with the adoring ignorant voters. Sorry Hillary.....
I heard an analyst in DC say that Sen. and President Clinton had built the Child theme into a science on introducing expansive government programs for adult constituencies.
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