Bernie Sanders is the President the US Desperately Needs
Bernie naysayers claim his ideas are simply too radical. There is absolutely no way any of his ideas could ever see implementation, therefore we should forget all about him. That’s an incredibly erroneous position to have, and in terms of the future, a dangerous one. The modern United States is riddled with problems, such as government corruption rooted in a campaign finance system that encourages corruption; a healthcare system that is no slouch when it comes to technological ability, yet leaves many behind because of cost. The racial tensions found in the modern United States are so deep rooted that they go back to the earliest days of the nation. College education is out of reach for many, not because of poor performance in school, but rather due to their family’s income bracket. America is the land of the free…just never mind that it holds title of “world’s largest prison population” and if you’re born poor, there’s an excellent chance you’ll die just as poor. The rich have climbed the ladder, and ensured the average person cannot follow. The war on drugs has disproportionately affected minorities, with police targeting minorities at much higher rates than whites. The entire GOP and Hillary Clinton offer little to no real solutions to the issues plaguing average Americans today. Reform is desperately needed, and Bernie Sanders is the one to enact such reforms.
On the GOP side, Trump brings nothing more to the table than demagoguery and stupidity. Somehow, Trump, and his supporters think by marginalizing minorities even more than they already are that everything will be ‘great again.’ As history can show us, the suppression and marginalization of segments of the population, whether it is the poor, or a minority race, things generally work out poorly. Cruz certainly doesn’t bring much else to the table. Neither candidate is interested in healthcare reform that will help the great majority of the American people. They argue that more private healthcare will solve the problem. Yet, none of them ever stop to realize: if private healthcare was so marvelous, why hasn’t the rest of the developed world embraced such a system? The obvious answer is: US style healthcare fails the great majority of people. Universal healthcare in some instances may have its problems (such as longer wait times in Canada) but one problem that isn’t encountered is bankruptcy, or avoiding urgent care because of the cost. When it comes to the issues facing America today, many of which have been present for years, the GOP offers absolutely no solutions. The only thing the GOP excels at is empowering low information voters by exploiting their deep rooted fears of change, and foreigners. The only reforms they can offer are to their rich buddies who fund their campaigns.
On the issue of minimum wage, Trump is the person who said that wages in America are simply too high. Hillary thinks $12 is enough, while Bernie has the correct position: $15 is the way to go. With the rising cost of living, it makes complete sense that $15 dollars is the way to go. Wages aren’t ‘too high’ as Trump suggested. The important factor Trump didn’t tell his followers is that higher wages can help the economy in the sense that if people have more money to spend freely, they buy things. This increased spending on the part of average Americans ensures money is flowing throughout the economy, in comparison to the rich who hoard money.
The Democrats offer promise in comparison to the buffoons on the GOP. Just watch a GOP debate, then a democratic debate; the difference is night and day. One debate focuses on nothing more than nonsense that illustrates their lack of qualifications for president, while the other focuses on policy issues. However, with the future of the United States in mind, only one of the two candidates on the democratic side offers solutions to build a better America. Certainly both candidates are qualified for the position of president, especially in comparison to the morons on the Republican side, but only one represents what America really needs.
Hillary Clinton generally doesn’t want what she may deem an inordinate amount of change. Things aren’t perfect, but with some minor changes spread out over time, things can get better. Tell that to those who lost everything in 2008 because of lax banking regulations. The economy has recovered since, but nothing has been done to prevent the big banks that were too big to fail in 2008 from growing larger. Clinton seems to have some interest in breaking up the big banks, but she certainly doesn’t have any credibility on the issue when she continues to accept funding from Wall Street, and gives them incredibly expensive speeches that she refuses to release to the public. For her, this issue seems to be one she partially supports only because the popular Bernie Sanders has received so much support on the issue. When it comes to healthcare, she’s not at all interested in universal healthcare. Free college tuition for everyone? Not on Hillary’s watch (albeit she is a supporter of increased Pell Grants, and student loan refinancing at a lower interest rate, her idea of change is minuscule compared to what is needed in America). When it comes to the issue of racial tensions in America, her opinion can be represented in her response to Black Lives Matter protesters (and her speech from the 90s when she used the term “superpredator” and suggested we [the government] needed to bring them to heel).
Bernie Sanders is on the right side of these issues. He wants to bring universal healthcare to the United States. He wants to break up the big banks to avoid another financial disaster such as what occurred in 2008. He wants to bring free college tuition to the United States to ensure everyone, regardless of their financial background, has a chance at higher education. Some say his plans, such as healthcare and college tuition are simply too expensive. This issue is easily solved by increasing taxes on the rich and corporations. They have been getting enormous tax breaks for years, and the positive economic outcome still hasn’t materialized. Taxes on the rich and corporations were high during the 40s and 50s, and there was no major economic decline. Without tax increases at the top, taxes are passed down to the average American who doesn’t rake in millions. Universal healthcare and free college tuition are not burdens on the US government (or the American people for that matter), rather they are investments in America’s future.
When it comes to most important issue of all, there doesn’t seem to be much interest coming from the Hillary campaign. Campaign finance reform is the one issue that will lead to the possibility of passing other much needed reform, such as universal healthcare. This can be achieved by ensuring elections are publically funded, as Sanders’ campaign currently is. Bernie Sanders realizes the complexity of the issue, and how dire the situation is. The United States is nothing more than a plutocracy. The rich ensure they get their way (generally in the form of campaign funding to ensure politicians bow to their demands), which is incredibly undemocratic. The US is a democracy. Therefore the politicians involved in such a democracy should be held accountable to the people they represent, which wouldn’t exclusively be the rich and powerful. This is the problem with Hillary.
Hillary supports overturning the Citizens United decision, which is an encouraging policy position. However, government corruption goes back a lot further than 2011. Using the example of healthcare reform, if it were to be attempted today, it would receive little support from corporations that make incredible profits off of a system that does nothing more than extract money from the ill. Therefore, the politicians who maybe owe some of their funding to such corporations are going to lean in favor of the corporation, not the sick and bankrupt people they claimed to support during the election. Lobbyists would also affect the political discourse in favor of the corporations. Those very same politicians would never admit to such an effect on their policy positions caused by money, but it doesn’t take a very bright mind to understand that corporations which fund politicians in one way or another expect something in return. The roadblocks that so much of this essential reform will certainly encounter under the current system can be removed by campaign finance reform. It’s as simple as that. Hillary is a convenient quasi-supporter of campaign finance reform, and the GOP doesn’t really recognize it as an issue at all. Bernie is the only one that truly wants to push forward this essential piece of reform that can pave the way for all future change.
Going forward, voters are going to have to decide whether or not they want to begin the process of resolving America’s governmental issues in the next four years. Of everyone running on both sides, only one stands out as the one to overturn the system that solely works for the rich. The argument of ‘Bernie’s change is too much change’ is simply nonsense. The Republican argument that even less regulation and taxes will solve many of the issues facing America today will do nothing positive for the great majority of Americans.
Bernie Sanders is the one candidate that is accountable to the voters; just look at how he has successfully raised money to support his ongoing campaign. He is not rich by any stretch of the word. He is far closer to being an average American than his political contenders. Most politicians say that simply to garner support, but in the case of Bernie: it’s true. If Bernie doesn’t become the democratic nominee, and the eventual president, how long before another candidate like him comes around? If he loses, there is no guarantee he gives it another go in 2020. America’s problems cannot afford to wait until 2020, or however long before another candidate like him comes around. The status quo is failing the great majority, and for them, waiting for change shouldn’t, and isn’t an option. The deep rooted issues facing America are in desperate need of attention, rather than ignorance brought forth by questionable campaign finance sources. Bernie’s the one to give the much needed attention to these issues that affect the great majority of average Americans. Under Bernie Sanders, the plutocracy of today will fall in favor of democracy.
