Published: March 28, 2008 04:20 pm      

Clinton pitches ideas on economy

MISHAWAKA, Ind. — Sen. Hillary Clinton told a packed crowd at Mishawaka High School Friday morning that she would fight for them.

“I believe with all my heart that there isn’t a single challenge that America faces today that we can not overcome together,” Clinton said during a stop at the school, one of many that are part of her “Solutions for the American economy” tour.

“Here in Indiana, you’ve got some of the hardest working workers in the world. . . “You’ve got factories and farms that really keep this nation going and help prepare for our national defense,” she said.

Clinton said American citizens need a president who is ready to be the commander and chief of the economy as well as the military.

“We need to get our act together as a country to start producing and keeping jobs again right here in Indiana and America,” she said.

She has proposed a $50 billion strategic energy fund that would invest in clean renewable energy jobs.

“There is so much we can do if we get serious about this the way we were about the space race and sending a man to the moon,” she said.

Clinton said she would pay for the energy fund by taking away the tax subsidies from the oil companies.

“I don’t believe that with the profits they are making that they need any more of your money,” she said.

Clinton said if she is president she will make sure every American citizen has health care. She said citizens would be offered the same plan that members of Congress have. Those who are happy with their current plan would not be required to change plans.

If elected president, Clinton said she will fight to keep Social Security, increase the amount of financial aid college students receive and end the No Child Left Behind education program. She also plans to bring our troops home from Iraq.

During a brief question and answer session, an audience member asked Clinton about her immigration policy.

Clinton said she favors tougher border security with more personnel. However, she said, there are other reasons that there are illegal immigrants in this country.

“Forty percent of the people who are here illegally came legally — and then didn’t leave. So the problem is much bigger than our borders,” she said.

Clinton said the people who flew the planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon came here legally as students, but never left.

“We have got to have a much more comprehensive system to prevent people from coming or staying here illegally, “ she said. “We have to crack down on employers who employ people who are here illegally and take jobs away from hard working Americans.”

Clinton said there are two schools of thought about what should be done with the people who are in the country illegally now.

“There are people who say we should round everyone up and deport them. Well, when I think about that, I think ‘that’s an interesting idea. People are actually going to show up somewhere to be deported?’”

She said that in order to round up illegal immigrants, thousands of federal law enforcement officials would need to be hired and they would need to be given broad powers to go door-to-door in homes and businesses.

“I think that would last about a second in America,” Clinton said.

If an illegal immigrant commits a crime, Clinton supports having the individual deported. She said those who are working in the country and want to stay here need to pay stiff fines for coming illegally, pay back taxes and learn English.

She concluded her remarks by again focusing on the economy.

“The economy is the issue. Because if we don’t have a strong economy with rising incomes with good jobs that Americans are willing to do, we will not remain a great country, we will not be a leader in the world. So we have got to make the economy work again.”

Friday’s event kicked off a day of campaigning throughout Indiana by Clinton.