I've transcribed the first question in that interview. Here it is.
Interviewer: When we talk about bringing down prices and making life more affordable for people, what are one or two specific things you have in mind for that?
Harris: Well, I'll start with this. Um, I grew up a middle-class kid. My mother raised my sister and me. She worked very hard. Um, she was able to finally save up enough money to buy our first house when I was a teenager. Um, I grew up in a community of hard-working people. You know, construction workers and nurses and teachers and, I try to explain to some people who may not have had the same experience, you know, if, but, a lot of people will relate to this. You know, I grew up in a neighborhood of folks who were very proud of their lawn. You know? And, um, and I was raised to believe and to know that all people deserve dignity, and that we as Americans have a beautiful character. You know we have ambitions and aspirations and dreams. But not everyone necessarily has access to the resources that can help them fuel those dreams and ambitions. So, when I talk about building an opportunity economy, it is very much with the mind of investing in the ambitions and aspirations and the incredible work-ethic of the American people and creating opportunity for people for example to start a small business. Um, my mother, you know, worked long hours and our neighbor helped raise us. We used to call her, I still call her, our second mother. She was a small business owner. I love our small business owners. I learned who they are from my childhood. And she was a community leader. She hired locally. She mentored. Our small businesses are so much a part of the fabric of our communities, not to mention really I think the backbone of America's economy. So my opportunity economy plan includes giving start-ups a $50,000 tax deduction to start their small business. It used to be $5,000. Nobody can start a small business with $5,000. But investing in people's innovative ideas and giving them the ability to go for it. Um, opportunity economy means, look, we don't have enough housing in America. We have a housing supply shortage. And what that means, in particular for so many younger Americans, the American dream is elusive. It's just actually not attainable. So part of my plan is to work with the private sector and housing developers to give them a tax credit, to be able to partner with us as the government, to build, and my goal is, 3 million new homes by the end of my first term. In addition, to help people who just want to get their foot in the door, literally, and so giving first-time home-buyers a $25,000 down payment assistance, to be able to just get in the door and then they will do the work they need to do to save and to pay that mortgage and to build wealth for themselves and their family. These are some examples of what I mean when I talk about an opportunity economy and a lot of it has to do with just the community I was raised in and the people that I, you know, I admired who work hard, you know, and deserve to have, you know, their dreams fulfilled because they're prepared to work for it.
If you don't want to read that meandering mess of a response, Harris plans to:
- Give $50,000 to people starting a small business.
- Give tax credits to housing developers to "partner with ... the government" to build 3 million houses by the end of her first term.
- Give first-time home buyers a $25,000 down payment.
For reference, it took her 540 words to say what I just summarized in 39 words.
