You Say You Want a Revolution

I am a college student who supports Bernie Sanders.  Many people have accused me of voting for him because I am "lazy", "want everything handed to me", and "just want free college".  I am writing this article to explain exactly why I think Bernie Sanders is the best presidential candidate because I am tired of hearing these sorts of things, and I think there is a lot of misinformation circulating about his intentions.  Whether you support Sanders or not, I think it is a good idea to be well-informed on the policies of everyone running to lead our country. 

1. He Demands the Wealthy and Large Corporations Pay Their Share in Taxes

Currently, the top one tenth of one percent owns almost as much wealth as the bottom 90 percent.  Notice that this was not at all the case during the time period that America was considered "great".  Since the mid 1980's there has been a huge transfer of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the wealthiest in this country.  Even crazier is this:



Since the Wall Street crash, 58 percent of all new income has gone to the top one percent - the people who caused the crash and huge recession in our country.  This is because the big banks on Wall Street received huge bailouts, which they used to give themselves fat bonuses.  So, while most Americans were losing their jobs and homes, the people who caused the mess just got wealthier. 

To fix this problem, Sanders will stop corporations from shifting their profits and jobs overseas to avoid paying U.S. income taxes, create a progressive estate tax on the top 0.3 percent of Americans who inherit more than $3.5 million, and he will enact a tax on Wall Street speculators who caused millions of Americans to lose their jobs, homes, and life savings.

2. He is Dedicated to Creating Jobs

One reason for this great inequality between the very wealthy and the middle class is a lack of jobs.  For this, Sanders wants to invest $1 trillion over five years towards rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, railways, airports, public transit systems, ports, dams, wastewater plants, and other infrastructure needs.  He also wants to reverse trade policies like NAFTA, CAFTA, and PNTR with China that have driven down wages and caused the loss of millions of jobs in America.   Another strategy is making it easier for workers to join unions by fighting for the Employee Free Choice Act. One of the most significant reasons for the 40-year decline in the middle class is that the rights of workers to collectively bargain for better wages and benefits have been severely undermined.

3. He Cares About Young People

Like I said before, I am a college student.  However, I go to a private university so Sanders' plan for free tuition would not apply to me, only those who attend public universities.  That does not mean that I disagree with his plan for free tuition at public universities though.  It is not fare that kids who are intelligent and study hard cannot go to college simply because of the circumstances that they were born into.  You might argue that they could receive scholarships, but full-ride scholarships to any school are incredibly rare.  Most scholarships are for $1000 or less, and while those are great, they hardly make a dent in the total cost of tuition.  I was just talking to a young woman today who was in one of my classes last semester, but had to drop out with only one semester's worth of classes left before graduation because she owed the college too much money.  She works a minimum wage job, all she can get without a college education, but that is not enough to keep up with the costs of tuition. As Bernie Sanders' website says, " Everyone in this country who studies hard should be able to go to college regardless of income."  He also wants to lower the interest rates on student loans, which are at five to seven percent right now when you can receive an auto loan with an interest rate of 2.5 percent. 

4. He is Combating Climate Change

While some Republican candidates deny that climate change even exists, Bernie Sanders is a firm believer in the science that proves this is a very real and very dangerous threat to our planet.  Since 2009, oil companies, coal companies and electric utilities have spent $2.26 billion on federal lobbying and another $330 million in federal campaign contributions.  Because of all of the money they spend in the government, they are able to keep $135 billion in tax subsidies and corporate welfare, legislation to build the Keystone XL pipeline was written, and many efforts to move America beyond oil and onto clean, sustainable energy has been blocked.  To stop this, Sanders will ban fossil fuel lobbyists from working in the white house, end the huge subsidies that benefit fossil fuel companies, create a national environmental and climate justice plan that recognizes the heightened public health risks faced by low-income and minority communities, and will fight to overturn Citizens United, a Supreme Court decision that allowed corporations to spend unlimited and undisclosed dollars to buy elected officials.  To transition away from these fossil fuels, Sanders will tax carbon, work toward a 100 percent clean energy system that will create millions of jobs, invest in clean and sustainable energy sources, and invest in making all American homes more energy sufficient. 

5. He Cares About Immigrants

Many politicians have resorted to blaming the country's problems on immigrants when they couldn't be further from the real problem.  America was built by immigrants - every single one of our American lives started with an immigrant ancestor.  Bernie Sanders understands this and wants to work to help immigrants and keep them safe.  To make sure this happens, Sanders will allow immigrants to purchase health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, issue whistleblower visas for workers who report abuse and employer violations, work to modernize our border and ensure proper oversight that protects border communities, employ humanitarian parole to ensure the return of unjustly deported immigrants, reform the visa system, dismantle inhumane deportation programs and private detention centers, and support humane local and state laws that integrate immigrants into our society.

6. He Cares About Justice

It has come to the attention of the American public that the justice system needs reform.  To accomplish this, Sanders will demilitarize police forces, invest in community policing (the system of allocating police officers to particular areas so that they become familiar with local inhabitants), create a police culture that allows good officers to report the actions of bad officers, establish a new model police training program, federally fund and require body cameras for police officers, crack down on the illegal activities of hate groups, ban prisons for profit, and boost programs that help people who have been to jail rebuild their lives.

7. He Cares About Women

While a great amount of progress has been made, gender inequality is still a very real thing.  Republican candidates still work to deny women control over their own bodies, prevent access to vital medical and social services, and block equal pay for equal work. 

To fix this Sanders will sign the Paycheck Fairness Act into law to end wage discrimination based on gender, expand funding for Planned Parenthood, require employers to provide at least 12 weeks of paid family leave, 2 weeks of paid vacation, and one week of paid sick days, and expand funding for the WIC program that provides nutrition assistance to pregnant women and infants.

8. He is Dedicated to Solving International Conflicts Peacefully

According to his website, "Sanders will protect America, defend our interests and values, embrace our commitments to defend freedom and support human rights, and be relentless in combating terrorists who would do us harm. However, after nearly fourteen years of ill-conceived and disastrous military engagements in the Middle East, it is time for a new approach". Sanders will move away from a policy of military action and towards one emphasizing diplomacy, close Guantanamo Bay, abolish torture, and ensure that any military action we do engage in has clear goals, is limited in scope, and provides support to our allies in the region.

9. He Cares About Veterans

"While serious people can have legitimate differences about when our country should go to war, there should never be a debate whether we fulfill the promises made to the men and women who served this country in the military. As a nation, we have a moral obligation to provide the best quality care to those who have put their lives on the line to defend us" (berniesanders.com).  I agree with this wholeheartedly.  Veterans should be placed before tanks or guns.  To help these veterans Sanders will fully fund and expand the VA so veterans can receive the care they need, improve the processing of veterans' claims for compensation, and expand mental health services for veterans. 

10. He Cares About the Rural Economy

I am from a rural area and grew up on a small dairy farm, so Bernie Sanders' dedication to the rural economy is very special to me.  He represented a rural state for 24 years, so improving the lives of rural Americans has always been one of his top priorities.  To help the rural economy he will adopt policies that will make sure family farmers and rural economies thrive, expand support for young and beginning farmers, and enlist farmers as partners in promoting conservation and stewardship to keep our air and water clean and to combat climate change.  Sanders will also fight for America's small and mid-sized farms, encourage the selling of products directly to local consumers, institutions, and restaurants, reverse trade policies like NAFTA that bring in agricultural products from other countries, and enforce the country's antitrust laws against large agribusiness and food corporations to ensure that farmers receive fair prices. 

I truly feel like this election is an opportunity for real change to happen.  All of these plans are great, but the thing that I like the most about Bernie Sanders is the feeling that he truly cares and is passionate about accomplishing things for the improvement of the American people's lives.  All of the facts in this article are from berniesanders.com , and you can also visit this site to find a complete plan for how all of these proposals will be paid for.  I would be very interested in hearing your thoughts on the things addressed in this article!