By: Diane Benjamin
He is a self admitted socialist with a populist message. He thinks America has a 40 year history of destroying the middle class. He wants to “invest” a trillion dollars over 5 years in infrastructure. (What was the stimulus bill?) He wants to “invest” $5.5 billion employing young people. He want to end all trade agreements.
Bernie wants to guarantee paid sick days, paid vacation, paid maternity/paternity leave. He wants a federal program requiring employees to pay into a fund – like social security – to accomplish all this. He wants legislation requiring employees to provide 10 days vacation and 7 sick days a year.
He claims between 2013 and 2015 the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. Somehow he missed what party is in the White House.
All of these facts are on his website: https://berniesanders.com/issues/income-and-wealth-inequality/
Why am I mentioning Bernie? Because tonight 75 people HERE have signed up to hear him: Bernie Sanders for President: Bloomington-Normal Organizing Kickoff https://secure.berniesanders.com/page/event/detail/july29organizingmeetingat7pmetpt/4jjgv
One problem: Bernie wants government to rescue the masses. Socialism doesn’t work, especially the Bernie brand. Ask anybody in Venezuela. The once thriving democracy now dictates how much money can be earned, therefore people have quit working. Long lines form for a roll of toilet paper.
Bernie sounds wonderful to people who have been beat up by government policies. Every dollar government spends has to be taken from somebody else. Like Venezuela, eventually government runs out of other people’s money. The rich here are getting richer. A big reason is money printing by the Federal Reserve that floods into the stock market making it look great. More government intervention.
Bloomington is a microcosm of the country. Spending is out of control and now businesses are closing. If you like want government has done to Bloomington (and Illinois), you will love Bernie. The entire country can be flat on it’s back.
Restoring capitalism and mandating constitutionally limited government is the only hope for prosperity. It’s something we haven’t seen for a long time. Since socialism is a proven failure, how about trying freedom.
How’s Bernie’s proposed policies working in Greece?? People in Bloomington are already standing in long lines for TP. They are the unemployed from all of the closed businesses in town. Drive by the Clare House in the 700 block of East Washington St. on Wednesday and Friday at 1PM. If Bernie only has the support of 75 people in a metro area of approximately 150,000 people, that is not very impressive. More people showed up for Mr. Lower’s public meeting.
75 was capacity, hopefully not many more want to come.
I read the above link. The guy is wacky!
Some people prefer to be a government slave, not sure why.
People forget that the “rich” build, work at and run businesses that provide jobs and pay the lion’s share of taxes, which already provide for all of the country’s current social services. The owners of Walmart may be very wealthy, but so are pro-athletes and the Hollywood elite. Government needs to up clean it’s own closets before adding more junk.
Are you really trying to equate Greece, a member of the EU, with the US?
Bernie is comparing the U.S. with other 1st world countries. I’m assuming Europe is included.
“Walker Texas Ranger” is on GRIT this evening. I wonder which show will have more truth than fiction. I know what I’ll be watching TV at home this evening. I guess I’ll miss the naturally organic seaweed hors-d’oeuvres and naturally organic green tea served using recycled serving ware. Are they going to have to fight over the single re-charge station too? This could get ugly.
All though watching a group of socialist liberal progressives fight could be interesting. I wonder if they pull hair or is that off limits?
Your casting of liberals, progressives, and socialists as somehow all similar speaks volumes or, put differently, you have no idea what you’re talking about.
Missed you MadBoy. I will let the readers respond to your comment, too busy today.
Madboy, a turd by any other name still smells like s**t.
U mad bro?
I’d vote for him.
From a friend: I visited East Germany when it was socialist…the people had no passion because they had nothing to aspire to…no dreams they could fulfill. Why don’t people learn?
An employer policy says 5 days paid vacation and employees can engage in sexual affairs.
Employee A disagrees with two employees having an on the job sexual affair. They consider it a work place environment threat to safety. They take it to a lawyer and the lawyer takes the employer to court. The judge looks at the case and says I don’t want to meddle in the company policy and the employer runs their place of business as they see necessary, case dismissed.
Who’s right, the judge or Bernie Sanders changing the employers policy and if Bernie Sanders is right then where does it stop? Employers often use paid vacation as an incentive to attract employees.
Wages and benefits rise when employers have to compete for employees. Right now they don’t. Illegals, legal immigrants, ObamaCare, EPA regulations – they all contribute to the problem.
You are right about what is contributing to the problem.
The government shouldn’t be in the business of regulating employment. Here is what I mean by that. There are H1-B Visa’s allowing offshore workers to come to the U.S. The government sets the limits. In essence they are controlling the job market. Allow more in and the wages and benefits are likely to decrease, no competition.
Now here comes Bernie to save the day. By golly because the government on one hand controls the job market then the government should control benefits too. Hello more socialism and the government sticking their nose into something that they shouldn’t be.
My point above is that no judge is going to meddle in a companies policies if it isn’t covered by a law or regulation. If they do then at what point do they draw the line. Now someone like Bernie wants to pick and choose what a company/employer should be doing so where does that stop.
The libertarian-leaning Kochs do want open borders though and their handpicked candidate is Scott Walker. They work in conjunction with the American legislative exchange council (ALEC), Americans for prosperity, and the heritage foundation so if that is what they believe it has to be right. Bernie actually wants to end our free trade deals and and keep jobs in the US. Doesn’t he know free trade is best?
Looking back to NAFTA one of the first so called free trade deals that sent millions of our jobs overseas I would say ending them would be a good idea. However I would guess that Bernie is floating campaign talk to gather votes rather than being sincere in ending them. Most of our so called free trade deals has put the screws to the USA and most politicians couldn’t care less as they gather campaign contributions to continue their support. Next up is the affiliated TPP trade deal which will give immense power to the major corporations kissing our sovereignty as a free state good bye. Better some some research and call your congressman to tell him to vote no.
I thought it was all talk too until I read up and found out he voted against all the previous free trade deals as well as the patriot act. Everything I’ve read seems to suggest his views are consistent.
I think a lot of the support he’s getting boils down to people being pissed, not necessarily his policies/beliefs. I’m one of them, but couldn’t vote for him. People no longer have a voice, money does, elections are now bought in this country. We no longer live in a democracy, money controls this country, the money of a few (comparatively). This applies to both sides of the aisle. Something has to change or we’ll end up like Rome did. The way we’re going, I predict my children or grand children will see the end of America.
Took the words right out of my mouth. I think history tells us that people are willing to throw their support behind someone regardless of what is intended, if it means more food on the table and clothes on their back. The communists and socialists came in to power because people felt exploited. However, many people found it that more wealth doesn’t mean much when I don’t have the freedom to enjoy it or can speak freely about my government. I wouldn’t vote for Bernie either but he is appealing to the have-nots of which there are a lot.
Bernie has made a huge mistake by explicitly stating he won’t take big special interest money. He will not have a super PAC. 100% of his campaign contributions are from small individual donors. I saw Jeb Bush’s was 100% from PAC funds. Doesn’t Bernie know he is going to lose if he actually believes in democracy?