Sen. Bernie Sanders Details His Climate Change Legislation

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: HE'S A CROWD PLEASER. WE'RE BACK HERE WITH SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS. SENATOR, LET ME ASK YOU THIS. LAST WEEK, THE WORKING FAMILIES PARTY ENDORSED ELIZABETH WARREN, BUT THEY ENDORSED YOU IN 2016. SO, FOR PEOPLE WHO LOOK AT THAT ENDORSEMENT AND THEY THINK, "WELL, THEY MUST BE THE SAME PEOPLE," WHAT DIFFERENTIATES YOU AND ELIZABETH WARREN? HOW, AS A CASUAL OBSERVER, WOULD I TELL YOU APART FROM-- [00:00:24] Speaker 2: YOUR IDEAS APART FROM HER IDEAS? SENATOR WARREN WILL RUN HER OWN CAMPAIGN AND I'M RUNNING MY CAMPAIGN, BUT THIS IS WHAT I WOULD SAY. IF YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE ENORMOUS THREAT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, AND IF YOU THINK WE SHOULD LISTEN TO THE SCIENTISTS AND DEVELOP A PROGRAM THAT ENDS OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOSSIL FUEL AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND MOVES TO ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY, WE HAVE INTRODUCED THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE CLIMATE CHANGE LEGISLATION ANYBODY HAS EVER INTRODUCED. SECOND OF ALL, I HAPPEN TO BELIEVE, AS YOU'VE HEARD ME SAY MANY TIMES, THAT THE LEVEL OF INCOME AND WEALTH INEQUALITY IN THIS COUNTRY IS GROTESQUE. WE HAVE 500,000 PEOPLE SLEEPING OUT ON THE STREETS TONIGHT, WHILE A GUY LIKE JEFF BEZOS, THE HEAD OF AMAZON, IS WORTH SOMETHING LIKE $170 BILLION. AND WHAT I HAVE PROPOSED IS A VERY STRONG TAX ON WEALTH THAT WILL HAVE MR. BEZOS AND OTHER MULTI-BILLIONAIRES START PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE OF TAXES SO WE CAN DEAL WITH THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS IN AMERICA, THAT WE DEAL AND CREATE UNIVERSAL AFFORDABLE CHILD CARE FOR WORKING FAMILIES AND HELP FUND THE MEDICAR FOR ALL PROPOSAL. [00:01:40] Speaker 1: WHAT IS THE ACTUAL-- WHERE DOES THIS WEALTH TAX START? GETTING NERVOUS, I'LL ARGUE. I'M ASKING FOR A FRIEND WHO HAS A TV SHOW. I WAS JUST CURIOUS. JUST CURIOUS. [00:02:01] Speaker 2: IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN $32 MILLION IN WEALTH-- LIKE A PERSONAL WEALTH, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. [00:02:08] Speaker 1: HOW DO YOU GO GET IT? BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE ALREADY HAVE THAT MONEY. HOW DO YOU GO GET THAT CASH? [00:02:12] Speaker 2: WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. AND WE PUT INTO OUR PROPOSAL THE MECHANISM TO DO THAT. BUT I WANT TO BE CLEAR. THIS WILL APPLY TO THE TOP 1/10th OF 1%. 99.9% OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL NOT PAY A NICKEL MORE IN TEXAS. [00:02:31] Speaker 1: THOSE PEOPLE ARE-- THAT TOP 1/10th OF 1%, THEY'RE REALLY GOOD AT HIDING THEIR MONEY. [00:02:35] Speaker 2: I KNOW. THAT'S RIGHT. IT GOES TO THE CAMEN ISLANDS AND EVERYBODY. BEAUTIFUL DOWN THERE. HAVE YOU BEEN-- BUT HERE'S WHAT WE HAVE GOT TO DEAL WITH. YOU KNOW, AS A NATION, DO WE FEEL COMFORTABLE? IS AMERICA ABOUT THREE PEOPLE OWNING MORE WEALTH THAN THE BOTTOM HALF OF AMERICAN SOCIETY? ARE WE COMFORTABLE WHEN SO MANY OF OUR KIDS CAN'T AFFORD TO GO TO COLLEGE, WHEN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE IS THAT THE TOP 1% OWNS MORE WEALTH THAN THE BOTTOM 92%. AND THIS IS NOT JUST A QUESTION OF MORALITY. THIS IS A QUESTION OF ECONOMICS. WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO HAVE HALF OF OUR PEOPLE LIVING PAYCHECK TO PAYCHECK, STRUGGLING TO PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE WHEN YOU GOT A HANDFUL OF MULTI-BILLIONAIRES WHO HAVE MORE MONEY THAN THEY WILL SPEND IN 1,000 LIFETIMES. THIS IS SOMETHING I BELIEVE WE HAVE TO DEAL WITH, AND I INTEND, AS PRESIDENT, TO DEAL WITH IT. [00:03:35] Speaker 1: WE GOT TO GO HERE IN JUST A MINUTE, BUT I'LL ASK YOU ONE LAST QUESTION. JIMMY CARTER SAID HE VOTED FOR YOU IN 2016. HE ALSO SAID THAT HE THINKS 80 MIGHT BE TOO OLD TO BE PRESIDENT. DO YOU THINK 95 IS TOO OLD FOR YOU TO SLAP HIM AROUND? [00:03:54] Speaker 2: YOU KNOW, I KNOW JIMMY CARTER. AND JIMMY CARTER IS, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU COMPARE SOMEBODY LIKE JIMMY CARTER, WHO IS A MAN OF GREAT DIGNITY AND HONESTY, TO THE GUY WHO IS IN THE WHITE HOUSE RIGHT NOW, YOU GOT TO WORRY ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THIS COUNTRY TODAY. SO WHAT I WOULD SAY IS-- YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU LOOK AT THE TOTALITY OF A CANDIDATE, THANK GOD, THIS IS WHAT I HOPE, NOT WHATEVER IT IS. SOMEWHERE IN THERE. SOMETHING, ALL RIGHT. I'M IN GOOD HEALTH AND, YOU KNOW, RUNNING A VIGOROUS CAMPAIGN, AND I WOULD ASK PEOPLE TO CHECK OUT MY RECORD, CHECK OUT MY SUPPORT FOR WORKING PEOPLE FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE, CHECK OUT MY WILLINGNESS TO TAKE ON EVERY POWERFUL SPECIAL INTEREST IN THIS COUNTRY, AND I WOULD ASK FOR THEIR SUPPORT. [00:04:48] Speaker 3: WELL, SENATOR, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS, HE'S RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. WHEN WE COME BACK, MEANWHILE, STICK AROUND.